Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Highwayman]

Is having an electric heater/fan worth it in the winter in terms of shaving costs off your gas bills?

[Dysupes]

No.

[thegadfly]

Depends on the size of your place, and your own preferences. For me, a little electric heater is perfect for the winter -- the ondol floor heating gets very pricey because I have a 25 pyoung place...and really, I only ever want a little heat for my tootsies....

Mileage may vary, but my heater is definitely worth it....

[Highwayman]

My place is pretty ... compact.

[Swampfox10mm]

Electricity is far more expensive than gas.

You need to regulate the ondol by pushing the "out" button when you go out.

Electric heaters are also dangerous. You know the electric heaters that look like fans? Over the past decade, I've seen two of those erupt into flames. I never leave them on without them in full view, and I dislike running them on full power.

[kberger]

I used an electric heater all last winter. I only used the gas for hot water when I took a shower. The electric heater cost 30,000 won. My electric bill would be about 30,000 per month and gas 9,000 per month. I think I saved a pile of money by not using the ondol.

[SeoulNate]

[Skippy]

It depends on the electricity costs of your place. Some people have been surprised by costs of devices. One person will run their air conditioner all summer and get very minor bills and another will get bills that will make you cry. Yet the same could be of ondal and gas prices. Go over your bills and see info you can find out what the costs are like.

It also depends on the place and area. Small one roon might do well but a bigger place will not heat the best. I found electric heaters to usually be very inefficient. Anything not directly in front was cold. Plus you had to be in a certain distance.

I would recommend learning how to use your ondal also consider getting it serviced before winter. The pipes drained and refilled. The pressure checked and your gas heater checked out.

I found one those individual canister propane/gas heaters much better at giving heat. Just be careful about carbon monoxide.

[akcrono]

An electric heater is definitely worth it. Gas (and I believe electricity too) is on a tier system. The more you use, the higher the rate you are paying. Therefore, the more evenly you can spread out your usage the better. Unless you have a large, wide open apartment (which you said you didn't) a space heater is a great way to cheaply heat a small apartment or 1 room. It also heats up fast. I've lived in both a large and small apt. The space heater probably saved me around 40-50k a month (I would leave my ondol on low so I wouldn't come home to a cold apt because it takes forever to heat up). Even with the larger apt, it can take the edge off a cold room before the ondol kicks in.

[CasperTheFriendlyGhost]

I saved a few hundred bucks from the year before by using electric heaters instead of the ondol.