Q: Which heater works best for each type of room in the house?
A: The bedroom requires less heat than a living space. In this case, choose a panel or oil-filled heater with a thermostat and timer. A living room needs background heat, so a panel and convection heater will be your best choice. A fan or radiant heater works best in a service or workshop space.
Q: What are the different types of portable electric heaters?
A: A Baseboard Heater is an appliance that uses a process called electric resistance to heat a room. There are electric cables inside the heater which warm the air as it passes through. Once the warm air rises out of the top of the heater, it pulls the cold air to the bottom. This cycle will continue until the air entering the heater reaches a certain temperature, determined by the thermostat.
The best way to increase the efficiency of a baseboard heater is by preventing anything from blocking the flow of air into and out of the heating unit. It is best to move furniture or curtains away from the baseboard heaters, or if you have thick carpet, to cut away an area around the heater to allow air to get in underneath.
A space heater is an appliance that heats a room or space in which it is located without using ducts. A wall mounted heater is an appliance that heats the surrounding area from where it is attached on the wall.
Q: What are the different types heating technologies available?
A: There are two basic types of heaters: Convection and Radiant.
A Convection Heater is an appliance that can warm your room quickly and evenly. They include electric-element, liquid filled and ceramic types. They are recommended for a large bedroom or a small living area. This also depends on the climate that you live in and how well your house is insulated. They use various heating elements to heat the air. As the air rises, it is replaced by cooler air below the element. Once the cool air heats up, the cycle then continues. A convection heater is very quiet because they don't use a fan to push hot air into the room.
A Radiant Heater is the second type of technology where heat is emitted from infrared radiation. Radiant heaters encompass metal-rod and quartz units. The surface can range from a glowing panel of a gas heater, a concrete slab, a bar radiator, or an open fire. This heat directly warms people and objects in the room, rather than warming the air. Radiant heaters are not recommended for a large space. They are also ideal for basements and garages since they are good at spot heating.
An Oil Filled Heater doesn't actually burn oil. Instead, it uses electricity to heat the oil that is sealed inside the columns or fins. Once the oil is heated, it is then transferred to the casing and to the air circulating the fins. Oil filled heaters take longer to heat a room because they rely on natural convection. If there is not much air movement in the room, heat will not be distributed all over and horizontal temperature layers may form. This is a good choice for long periods of time or if left unattended. They are very safe heaters and there is a very low chance of getting burned.
Ceramic Heaters are compact and safe. They use a fan to draw air through a special conducting ceramic element and distribute it around the room. Ceramic heaters are very safe because they cannot get hot enough to start a fire.
Quartz Heaters use electric elements packed inside a quartz glass tube that radiates heat to warm people and objects. These are best used for spot heating. Sometimes they can be a fire hazard because they are fragile and easily broken.
There are a few other types of heaters you may come across. A Fan Heater is great at providing heat instantaneously, but this is usually only effective in a fairly small area, such as the actual space around your or in a small room. There is a small amount of noise accompanied with a fan heater, and they are not recommended to be left alone for a long period of time.
A Micathermic Heater uses 80% reflective/radiant heating and 20% convection heating. This unit works without a fan which means it is very quiet. It is ideally used in a bedroom, and has an adjustable thermostat, which allows you to have constant temperature. You can set it to turn on automatically when your room temperature drops below a certain temperature. The advantage of this is that it allows you to prevent pipes from freezing. This unit allows heat to disperse from its top and from both sides. The convection heat rises from the top of the unit which warms the air. Then the radiant heat disperses from both sides to warm people and objects in the room. This unit has a large heater surface which ensures that the whole room is filled with the maximum amount of heat each time.
Q: How do I know what size of electric or space heater I need for my room?
A: Measure the length and width of the room the figure out the total square footage. Next, select the level of insulation that is most relevant to your home. For example, in older homes, they tend to have poor insulation requiring about 12.5 watts per foot. The average home, which is R-11 in the walls and R-19 in the ceiling, needs about 10 watts per square foot. If you need full insulation, which is R-19 in the walls and R-38 in the ceiling, you will need a unit that only requires only 7.5 watts per square foot.
Q: What else should I consider when determining the size of unit to purchase?
A: If your ceiling is higher than 8 feet tall, we recommend that you increase the wattage by about 25% for each additional 2 feet in height. If the suggested wattage falls in between two sizes, it is best to pick the larger heater. If you live in colder climates, you are better off getting a unit that is the next highest 15 watts per square foot.
