Contrary to popular opinion, portable electric heaters can be a more economical and environmentally friendly method of heating a home or work space than other forms of heating. When considering the best type of heating to use in any area the best plan is to assess your heating needs.
Often – especially when heat is only really required in one area of a building – it is much more economical to simply heat that area rather than heat the entire building. This type of situation is where portable electric heaters come into their own.
There are a number of different types of portable electric heaters. Of these, convection heat is an excellent choice when you require a quiet and economical source of heat. Convection heaters take in cold air through vents at the bottom of the unit and heat it, releasing it, slowly, usually through vents at the top and front of the unit. Portable electric heaters that use convection heat are economical to buy and to run. Though these heaters are not the best choice for rapid heat, once the area is heated they are excellent heaters for maintaining the room temperature.
If you are interested in using a portable electric heater that uses the system of convection heat but needs to heat up the space rapidly, then a fan heater is probably the best choice. These heaters are basically convection heaters but they distribute the hot air they create using an internal fan which greatly contributes to the speed of heating up an area.
Another very popular – and economical – portable electric heater is the freestanding oil-filled radiator. These heaters use electricity to heat up their internal oil and once warm, can continue to heat even a large room for quite a small amount of energy. Other heaters that are similar to these are freestanding panel heaters. Though safe to leave unattended and economical in usage, a disadvantage to these heaters is that they may become quite hot to the touch and small children may require supervision when these heaters are in use.
A common type of portable electric heater is the radiant heater. These heaters give fast, excellent, directed heat but may not prove as good as other heaters at heating entire rooms. Nevertheless, there are situations in which the radiant heater is the best one for the task. Garages, workshops, greenhouses – are all areas that can benefit from the use of a radiant portable electric heater.
It is important to remember that all electrical appliances need to be used with care and attention. Portable electric heaters are no exception, When using an electric heater attention should be paid at all times to the manufacturer’s safety instructions and common sense should be used to ensure that these heaters are never covered, put near flammable materials or incorrectly connected to the power source.
We’ve come a long way from the inefficient portable electric heater of the past. Today there are many heaters on the market that are convenient, cost effective and suitable to all sorts of purposes and locations. It would seem that the smart way to save money and precious energy and still ensure that everyone is warm and cosy is increasingly the portable electric heater.