On 28/10/2012 18:28, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 28/10/2012 10:47, Gailey wrote:
Hi,
I am wondering whether anyone has any information on parrafin suppliers
in the North West - specifically Cumbria area?
I bought a parrafin heater for my greenhouse last week following the
warning of a really cold snap and am horrified to see the price of
parrafin at my local hardware store - £6 for 4 litres....when the
eastimated burn time for a full tank (4 litres) is 18 hours !!

Well, that burn rate would be for a full output of around 2.5kW per
hour. I doubt very much you'd need to sustain that rate for more than a
short time (depending on what temperature you want in the greenhouse,
how cold it is outside, and how well insulated the greenhouse is).

I doubt you'd find it much cheaper than that. Paraffin comes from same
source as petrol and diesel, so will be similar in price to them -
around £1.40 - £1.50 per litre (equivalent around 13 pence per kWh).
Electricity is about 14p per kWh (although only about 6 pence per kWh on
Economy 7 rate, when the temperatures will normally be at their lowest).

So if you can get an electric heater out to your greenhouse, that would
make sense. You would also be able to control the temperature fairly
accurately with a thermostat, which would same money in the long run.

I should have said about Paraffin, it is sold as "Kerosene" or heating
oil, but Beware of it, the sulphur content can be higher than the "Lamp
oil" paraffin.
As the heater isn't vented this sulphur goes into the air in the
greenhouse and can prove deadly to plants.
David @ the damp end of Swansea Bay