The heating season is here and we want to stay warm! Space heaters can be an excellent supplemental heat source for keeping warm without running up your electric bill. The idea is to heat the space you are in, rather than the whole house, and choose a heater best designed for that space.

Electric space heaters have been deemed safest for indoor heating, and can be broken down into two types: convection and radiant heaters.

Convection heaters contain a sealed heat transfer liquid, such as oil, that is warmed by an electric heating element. Often they have fans that help circulate the warm air in a room. They are very energy efficient for heating a larger room for a short period of time.

Radiant heaters reflect heat using an infrared technology, and are most effective in smaller spaces for a short period. The best heaters on the market use a combination of convection and radiant heat. These space heaters are referred to as panel heaters. They blend approximately 80% of the convection technology with 20% of radiant. They are highly energy efficient and warm larger spaces quickly and quietly.

When selecting a model, pay extra attention to the wattage.  Energy saving models use 400-600 watts (3-5 cents/hour), depending on the size.  Some commonly used space heaters can use up to 1500 watts (or 13 cents/hour) to operate!

Anh Tuan