Space heaters: key information
Space heaters work alongside your home’s central heating system (whether that’s gas, electric, solar, and so on). They provide an additional temperature increase to warm up a room, with significant heat output despite their easily portable size!
Space heaters are designed to complement your home’s fundamental heating system, rather than to replace it. They do tend to consume rather a lot of electric energy rather quickly, so they’re best used for rapidly increasing the temperature in a relatively small area (for example, a bathroom or garage space) as quickly as possible.
Space heaters work quickly to heat up a room, which is one of their essential advantages. Simply place the portable heater down in the room you need to warm up and it’ll work its magic on the double! However, this quick heat output does require high energy consumption, as we’ve mentioned. What’s more - unlike with central heating systems - the heat from a space heater will dissipate almost immediately.
For example, the heat output from an electric space heater will dissipate almost instantaneously after you turn the portable heater off. So, you’ll still need to have a central heating system in place if you want to effectively regulate the temperature in your home. The space heater is just an added extra!
What are the different types of space heaters?
There are multiple different types of space heaters out there, from electric, to gas or oil, to space heaters than burn wood pellets to produce their heat output. We’ll walk you through them here.
Fan or electric fan space heaters
Fan or electric fan space heaters are hugely popular portable heating devices. They generate significant heat output very quickly, but the temperature increase won’t stick around for long! Essentially, the stream of hot air won’t effectively heat the room around it, so you won’t be able to feel the benefits of the temperature increase after the space heater has been turned off.
Fan or electric fan space heaters are some of the cheapest portable heater options out there, but they’re far from environmentally friendly and guzzle a lot of power. Plus, they’re not known for their reliability and can be quite dangerous to use - never leave a fan or electric fan space heater on and unattended.
Kerosene, oil or gas space heaters
These space heaters are some of the oldest space heater models you can get and - as you might expect - have a seriously polluting output. They’re also fairly dangerous and expensive, so are gradually being phased out to be replaced with electric space heaters, or other portable heater options.
These types of space heaters are a fairly affordable purchase, even if they are more expensive when compared to other space heater models. However, the toxic fumes they emit by burning kerosene, oil or gas directly affect those using these space heaters to stay warm, as well as damaging the environment.
What’s more, these space heaters pose a very real risk of fire, so they’re far from the safest option on the space heater market.
Wood or wood pellet space heaters
You might have come across wood or wood pellet heaters as part of central heating systems integrated into homes. They are an effective option for central heating, but can also be used as an additional, back-up source of heat for a particular room.
Wood or wood pellet burning stoves are a far more environmentally friendly option when compared to other space heaters, but they’re a far more expensive initial purchase. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that, with time, you will save money by buying a wood or wood pellet heater, as wood or wood pellets cost less than other fuel or power sources.
Electric inertia space heaters
These spaces heaters are the most modern options, equipped with the latest output and safety technology. Given their inertia capacity, these space heaters are more economical and energy efficient than other space heaters.
These space heaters are comparatively the best in terms of heating output, cost, power usage and being mindful of your environmental impact. However, they are fairly expensive to purchase.
Space heaters: guidelines for safe use
Using portable space heaters as your primary source of heating poses significant risks to your safety. Space heaters are not designed or intended to be a home’s primary source of heating; rather, they’re meant to provide additional heating output alongside an integrated central heating system.
Some space heaters are more risk-intense than others. For example, a dated kerosene space heater is more dangerous than a modern electric inertia space heater. The lower the price of the space heater, the more dangerous it is likely to be; at the same time, the higher the power of the space heater, the more dangerous it is likely to be.
Some common risks to note are:
Accumulation of toxic pollutants in the home from portable kerosene, oil and gas space heaters
Related risk of aggravating asthma or other respiratory diseases from using a kerosene, oil or gas space heater
Risk of fire from all types of portable space heaters, especially higher power models
Risk of burns from coming into contact with portable space heaters
That said, as long as they’re used responsibly and well-maintained, portable space heaters can be a highly convenient option for temporarily increasing the temperature in a specific room.
Choose your space heater model wisely, taking into account power usage, heating output, fuel type and the type of room you need additional heating for, as well as the cost and environmental effects of the portable heater. Make sure to always take all necessary safety precautions when you’re using your portable heater.