Purchasing a
space heater is always a convenient way of providing fast and effective heat to areas without the need to raise of the cost of already rising utility bills. The reason being that space heaters only heat a certain amount of space that they occupy, such as a garage or workshop - hence their name.
Whatever your reasons are, if you're considering purchasing a space heater here are some of the fundamental questions and factors you should be looking at before making your decision.
What Am I Using It For? - Types Of Heater
Your journey in search of the perfect space heater had to start somewhere. There are numerous reasons for using a space heater. Whether you're looking to save money on overall heating costs or to simply add another source of heat to a cold or unheated room, evaluating what and where you are going to use the heater is important. Scientifically there are a couple of primary heating methods that are used in heaters. Let's take a look at these first so you have a better understanding of how they operate.
Radiant Space Heaters: Radiant heaters can use a variety of different heating elements but the primary core used in these styles of heaters comprises of a collection of coiled or bent quartz tubes. Primarily found in electric heaters the quartz tubes are heated via electricity and heat the air as it passes through the element and into the heating area. Radiant space heaters are not limited by electrical power. Industrial and professional radiant heaters are often powered by diesel or kerosine as these space heaters are generally used to give immediate warmth to a specific area in large commercial premesis such as a workshop or factory floor, however their internal components somewhat vary to suit high powered heating and effective blow out power. Radiant heaters are designed to provide instant heat to a specific area such as an object or person. Despite providing fast and instant heat their only drawback is that they are incapable of heating an entire room as quickly as convection space heaters or radiators.
Convection Heaters:
Typically designed to provide heat to a whole room, convection style space heaters are a quick, cheap and effective source of heat that utilises convection currents in the air. They operate by drawing in cold air into the heater, warming it and then emitting it back into the rooms atmosphere. Scientifically hot air rises, so the heated cold air is pushed to the top of the room and the cold current is pushed to the bottom where the space heater is located. Because of this the rooms temperature will eventually become regulated and there will be little to minimal cold air left in the rooms atmosphere. Convection heaters can be either non or fan assissted. Fan assissted convection heaters are more effective at heating rooms as oppossed to their non assissted counterparts.
Choosing Heater By Type: So we've covered the general opeartion of the heaters. Your two most common types are radiant space heaters or convection space heaters. Depending on the functionality you want from your heater i.e is it going to heat a room or a specific portion of a room only, will dictate which heater form you will choose.
- Diesel, Kerosine & Paraffin Space Heaters: Diesel and kerosine powered heaters are generally used in industrial environments. These heaters generally use "radiant" heating methods to heat a specific area of a workshop, garage or factory floor. However these heaters are not the bog standard electric heater. They generally come with a price tag of £150.00 plus, but if you're a professional working in cold conditions this type of space heater is far more advantageous as they are portable (have no wires) and fossil fuesls such as diesel, kerosine and paraffin give a better return of investment because they are more fuel efficient and longer lasting. In addition to this diesel space heaters offer a much higher output than any other heater on the market. They average from about 10Kw right up to 40/50Kw outputs allowing you to heat massive workshop areas or specific areas on factory floors with ease. The only downside of a fossil fuel powered heater is that they need a to be situated in a large well ventilated area because of the emissions that they produce. Also if you are considering using this in a domestic environment with young children be aware that these heaters are incredibly hot to touch and there is a chance of burning when in close proximity of their blowers.
- Infrared Space Heaters: If you're anything like me then your probably most accusstomed to using your infrared heater in the local pubs beer garden. Infra red heaters emit infrared light into a room or space to create heat on the objects it touches. They use the same infrared light from the same spectrum of light as the sun. So it's almost like basking on a sunny Spanish beach. These heaters can be known as combination heaters as they can be classed as both radiant or convection heaters, depending whether they have fan assissted outputs. They differ from conventional heaters where they don't blow hot air at objects rather they emit hot light and objects absorb the light such as your skin and clothes, hence they tend to have more warming effect when in close proximity. Because of their operation infrared heaters are perfect for heating small spaces such as a workshop bench or a pub beer garden where the end goal is to provide heat to the person or object as oppossed to heating the room.
- Oil Filled Radiator / Space Heaters: Oil filled space heaters or portable radiators are the safest type of heater on the market. Oil filled radiators tend to be powered by electric and are cheap to run. They use convection heating methods where they heat the room and surrounding area. They are perfect for home use and are a cheaper alternative to using your central heating system, especially if you only want to heat a single room. With so many in todays market you can pick up a portable radiator from £29.99 upwards. Oil filled space heaters generally have an output ranging from 2-10Kw. They come packed full of safety features such as on/off timers, safety overheat protection, tip protection and more, so that you can be assured to be safe and warm in your home.
- Gas Space Heaters - Supersers: Portable gas space heaters or better known as supersers are powerful combination heaters that provides heat to both objects and people as well as using convection currents to heat the room. Supersers are renowned to be powered by gas where there are obvious safety precautions that need to be taken if you do decide to purchase a gas space heater i.e turning the gas off when you are finished. They're relatively cheap to run with a 19kg cannister of gas costing an average of £65.00, which should last the normal person the 2-3 months. Supersers are ideal for heating small to medium sized rooms.
- Electric Space Heaters: The most common type of space heater in todays market is the electric heater. The market is flooded with a huge variety of electric heaters that generally range between 1-3Kw. Naturally there are larger 30KW electric heaters on the market but once you cross that threshold the running costs become extortionate and it's probably going to be better if you consider a diesel powered heater. Standard electric heaters that operate between 1kw -3kw range are cheap and efficient to run. Depending on your electricity provider will depend on the cost per hour but the average cost in the UK for running an electric heater per hour is £0.39. Electric space heaters use radiant heating methods and are best suited to the heating of a specific area or object. They are ineffective at heating rooms like convection heaters but do provide, fast and effective heat to specific areas.
Choosing Heater By Covering Area
Choosing your heater based on 1) the functionality and 2) the room that you want to heat is the best way to gauge what kind of heater will best suit you. Choosing the room that you want to heat is important. There are some things that you need to consider when factoring this into your purchasing decision. In order for you to best gauge what kind space heater you need, you need to look at the Watt (W) rating of the heater. Ultimately this is the determining factor as to whether the space heater will be adequette enough to heat a room of your desired size.
As a UK average the standard radiant space heater with a 1Kw output - whether it be electric, diesel or gas powered will heat a general space of approximately 150Sq/ft. With that in mind the best method to determine what rated heater you require is to take the measurements of the room that you wish to heat. So for instance if your room measures 450Sq/Ft - which is a large room then you would be best purchasing a 3-4Kw heater.