How To Choose A Space Heater – 9 Important Factors To Know!
Choosing the space heater for your home is one of the most important things you can do for the coming winter. Without enough heating, you risk getting sick, catching a cold, etc.
Space heaters provide quick and efficient solutions for those who need to stay cozy and warm during wintertime. Space heaters use convection heating to heat the air around them causing warm currents to rise and circulate throughout the room, giving off heat as they go.
The benefit of using a space heater is that it consumes less energy than a central heating system, which makes it cost-effective. This is especially beneficial during the winter months when heating costs are typically higher.
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How to choose a space heater?
When the question arises, How to Choose a Space Heater, you must be focusing on the below mentioned 9 important factors that you need to know.
1. Types of heater:
The most important factor to consider before buying a space heater is to determine what type of heater best fits your needs. Choosing the appropriate type of heater is the best way to ensure effective performance.
There are different types of heaters like room heaters, portable space heaters, outdoor heaters, fuel type heaters include convection and radiant heaters, gas type heaters, and many more.
Here we will discuss some commonly used types of room heaters.
FAN-FORCED HEATER:
There is a wide range of fan-forced heaters available in a variety of stylish designs. These include a fan, used to spread heat all around the room, and will give a quick warm temperature to your environment.
They can be budget-friendly but can create louder noise than other types of heaters.
OIL-FILLED HEATER:
These types of heaters are the most common and are also called radiant heaters.
The advantage of oil-filled room warmers is that they work quietly because the heat sends out from the surface instead of being pushed by a fan. They quickly heat the small spaces but take a little longer to heat the whole room.
They are perfect for the bedrooms due to their exceptionally quiet operation and give effective heating.
These room heaters comes with the temperature control and automatic shut-off devices, making these room heaters a safe choice.
INFRARED HEATERS:
They are more stylish in design as compared to other types of heaters. They use photons as an energy source, and the invisible light provides direct heat to the particular objects and people that it is pointing at or comes in its path. It is ideal for small spaces or individual use. It only warms up the objects or people, but not the air, and because of that, the warmth will disappear once the heater shuts off.
MICATHERMIC PANEL HEATERS:
They are commonly lightweight and offer a quick startup. It is a combination of both convection and radiant heat and can evenly distribute the warm air throughout the whole room.
They are also called silent heaters and use the airflow of the room to circulate heat, which is best for allergy sufferers. It is perfect for offices, bedrooms, bathrooms and other small areas.
2. Style of heater:
After choosing the type, now it’s time for selecting the style of the space heater as it varies a lot. There is a variety in the style of the heaters, below is a list of some common styles.
BASEBOARD HEATER:
They keep the area warm by taking little space and are easy to install. These are silent, lightweight, safe, and easy to use. You can place it in the corner of the room, away from furnishings, and can use it for whole-house heating.
COMPACT HEATER:
Compact heaters are best for heating small areas like bedrooms, bathrooms, office cubicles, and dorm rooms.
TOWER HEATER:
Tower heaters are a quick and effective way to produce heat and are portable. You can move these from one place to another, and it can heat multiple people in one room.
WALL HEATER:
Wall heater is a best choice if you have pets or children at home as you can install it well out of their reach.
They are generally smaller and lighter, and this makes it easy to mount on a wall.
These are the great space savers and cost-friendly and provide supplemental heating to the living spaces, including bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, etc.
3. Size of the heater:
The size of the heater matters a lot as it is important to consider what size will suit your needs best.
Electric heaters are the most expensive way to heat, and if you want to save your money, then you must choose the perfect size because if you buy one that is too large, it may waste energy, and will unnecessarily raise your electric bill.
Always study the guide before buying the right size without wasting time and energy. If you are looking for a family room, then you must consider the large size or standard size.
It will easily heat space in 15 minutes, and for bedrooms or small spaces like 50- 100 sq ft, you can choose a small size heater. Also, keep in mind that if you are living in snowy areas, then your heater will consume more energy as compared to other areas.
4. Safety feature:
While buying the space heater, it is most important not to overlook the safety feature. Misusing space heaters is one of the common reasons behind home fires.
Your space heater must provide the following preventative measures to ensure the safety of your house. These are:
- Your heater must have the overheat protection that shuts the heater off if it overheats.
- Another feature is tip-over protection that turns the heater off when it is knocked down or tipped over and reduces the risk of burns.
- Damaged heaters or missing cords are the major reason behind fires, injuries, and deaths associated with space heaters. You must always replace or service them before use to avoid accidents.
- Do not use flammable liquids around the heaters.
- Always choose the heater that is approved by a recognized testing laboratory such as UL (Underwriters Laboratory), ETL (Intertek), or CSA (Canadian Standards Association). They will verify the heater’s construction and performance.
5. Noise level:
Most electrical appliances or space heaters produce some noise during their operation. If you are sleeping or doing some meetings in the office, then sometimes it can be annoying.
Always consider a silent heater like a baseboard heater or an oil-filled radiator for quiet and peaceful environments like your bedroom or office. Radiant heaters are a perfect example of silent heaters.
Other heaters that produce a little noise like a fan-forced are good for whole room heating.
6. Energy Efficiency:
If you want to save money or are worried about maintaining low heating costs, then you must consider an energy efficient heater. Selecting a small size for a large room causes it to work overtime to warm your space, which wastes energy and dramatically increases your energy bill.
Before buying the space heater you can also estimate the cost by using a simple formula:
Watts X Hours of use / 1,000 X cost per kilowatt – hour = Cost of operation
To maintain your electricity bills, it is necessary to choose the right energy-efficient heater according to your requirements.
Also, the special features like a thermostat, multiple heat settings, low wattage, and programmable timers play an important role in minimizing the energy and electricity bills.
7. Features:
The best heaters offer some useful features to provide comfort in using space heaters, ensure safety, and conserve energy. The main features are given below:
THERMOSTAT- ENERGY SAVER:
The thermostat conserves the heater’s energy by letting you set a comfortable level of warmth inside the place it is kept. The temperature is maintained automatically, and you don’t have to turn on and off the heater as the temperature varies. The least amount of wattage will keep your electricity bill low when you keep the thermostat on a low setting.
TIMER:
It turns on the space heater automatically at the specified time, and very helpful in case you go to bed and want to specify how long your heater should operate. Thus, the timer provides you with a layer of safety too besides saving your electricity, because the heater automatically shuts off after the time is up.
POWER CORD:
The power cord usually has a sufficient length, so you don’t have to use an extension wire. It not only avoids anything flammable in the premises around but gives you the flexibility to move the heater on the floor to your desired place.
EASY MOBILITY:
You can take them anywhere inside your home as they are lightweight and have a safe grip.
ADJUSTABLE LOUVERS:
Adjustable louvers give you the comfort of directing warm air anywhere in the area where it is placed.
REMOTE CONTROL:
You can control its working without taking the pain to walk over to it, especially when you don’t want to leave your warm seat or bed. Use the remote control and operate the heater as per your need.
AUTO SHUT OFF:
This safety feature prevents overheating and fire hazards caused due to an accident or if the heater is left unattended. It will shut down automatically if it is accidentally knocked over, or when anything blocks the vent.
This feature is associated with a thermostat, which tells the heater when the room is getting too warm.
COOL TOUCH CASING:
In the presence of kids, this is yet another safety feature as its outer touch is not too hot to touch.
COMPATIBLE WITH HOME INTERIORS:
The matching or contrasting color options make it compatible with interior decorations or furniture in your home.
QUIETNESS:
Although a secondary feature, it lets you sustain quietness to enjoy the warmth and do your work with ease.
9. Space Heater Pros n Cons:
Pros:
- Space heaters do not have exposed components causing short-circuiting or fire, etc.
- They provide quick heating due to the use of element heating technology in them.
- They have a constant heating effect even when they are turned off.
- They are light in weight, portable, and can easily be moved from one point to another.
- They conserve energy and keep the amount of your electricity bill low.
Cons:
- These are for temporary use only.
- They work well in ideal working conditions. Premises where there is not enough insulation, the space heaters will not work up to the desired level.
- They take considerable time to cool off and continue to emit heat even when they are turned off. Although looks good, mostly this feature leads to user’s inconvenience.
10. Space Heater Safety Tips:
Below we have mentioned 20 space heater safety tips that will ensure better performance for a longer period of time.
Conclusion:
First by determining what the space and heating requirement works best for you while opting to buy a space heater. With such things in mind, you can make a rational decision based on which your space heater proves to be cost-effective besides providing you with convenience and safety too.