All electric heaters are 100 percent efficient - they convert all of the electrical energy they use into useful heat. However, they are markedly different in the way they distribute the heat into a room. Therefore, the heater you use in front of the television may not be the best kind of heater for a bedroom or for a study.

Did you know...

Fan Heaters are a type of convection heater that uses a fan to pass air over a heating element in order to speed up the airflow. This heating element heats the air, the air leaves the heater, and the surrounding area is warmed. This can result in extremely rapid heating in a room, but these heaters are not as effective at providing background warmth when compared to convection heaters.  They may also not be the best choice if sound is a concern, as fan-type heaters can sometimes be noisy. However, fan heaters work well in areas where installing other types of heating devices would be impractical.  Nonetheless, like any other heating device, when operating a fan heater, caution should be exercised, and they should not be left unattended. Examples of fan heaters would be portable fan garage heaters, which are placed on the floor and provide blasts of warm air onto the body.

How do I find the type of heater I need?

Here is some general information on heaters:

• Larger Room/Lounge/Family Room areas need background warmth. Heat pumps are the best long-term choice, but panel and other convection heaters are also suitable.  You may also want some specific spot heating, say if you're watching TV or standing at the kitchen sink. A portable fan or radiant heater will do the job.

• Bedrooms require less heat than living areas, as you only need to keep the chill off. Choose a panel or oil-filled column heater with a thermostat and maybe a timer. A night-store heater in the hallway is also an option.

• Service or workshop areas are best heated by portable fan or radiant heaters.

For additional information on how to choose a Heater, click here to read our Heater Guide

What are the different types of heaters?

• Convection heaters are designed to provide background warmth. They warm the air near the element or body of the heater. The warm air circulates by natural convection around the room. These days, many convection heaters have a fan, which our tests have shown provides faster warm-up and more even heating. The most popular type of convection garage heater is the upright oil-filled column heater. Less popular, but cheaper, is the box-type with a heating element in the bottom and a grill at the top to let the warm air out.

• Portable fan garage heaters squat on the floor and provide a blast of warm air directly onto the body. These are not as good as convection heaters for providing general background warmth, as the fan can be noisy and can cause draughts.

• Radiant garage heaters have glowing electric elements with reflectors to radiate heat directly onto you. They provide quick directional heat to a small area of a room and also provide some convection heat.

• Panel heaters are convection heaters that mount permanently onto a wall and are designed to provide background heat. They are permanently wired and usually use electricity at the normal daytime rate.

• Heat pumps collect heat from the air outside the house and release it inside. Although they run on electricity, they collect far more energy than they use - up to three times as much. The colder it is outside, the less efficient they are. Heat pumps are also expensive (from $2750 upwards installed), but very cheap to run. As with any heating, however, the costs mount up if you leave them on continuously during the winter months.

What are the general key features of a heater?

• Portable heaters have built-in Thermostats help maintain an even temperature and conserve electricity. However, hardwired heaters either come with a built-in thermostat or have a place to attach an optional thermostat. 

• Timers allow you to turn a heater on to warm up the kitchen before you get up, or to turn a heater off after you have gone to bed. These are usually built into portable heaters. 

• Fans help a room warm up faster and distribute the air more evenly by preventing heat build-up near the ceiling.

What are my space heating choices?

You can heat areas with a small 120 volt space heater, an infrared heater, a gas heater such as a propane heater, or a 240 volt electric heater.  Your choice will depend on your heating requirements.  Click here to read more on space heating. 

What type of heater should I heat my garage or shop with? 

In general, our electric garage heaters are perfect for insulated areas around 400 square feet.  A 240 volt garage heater is much more efficient and powerful than a 120 volt space heater, and is generally safer than your average fuel type heater (propane and gas).  Click here to see our selection of Garage Heaters.

How many watts do I need? 

In general, there is a 10/1 ratio or watts to square feet heated.  Thus, a 1500 watt space heater (120 volts) will heat an insulated area of 150 sq. ft. (with ceilings up to 10 feet).  Therefore, a garage heater rated at 5,000 watts should comfortably heat an area over 400 sq. ft.

How many feet will a normal space heater heat? 

Almost all of the 120 volt space heaters are rated up to 1500 watts (and 12.5 amps).  Therefore, they should heat an insulated area up to 150 sq. ft.  However, in general, these space heaters are used as supplemental heat sources which allow you to turn your central heat down, thus conserving energy and helping you save on your electric bill. 

What are the safety issues associated with using a heater?

Oil-filled column heaters are generally safer than other types of heaters, as they have lower surface temperatures, especially the styles with wide or shielded fins. All styles of column heater are tall and heavy, and can cause injury if falling on a child, but again, the wide-finned versions are safer in this respect.

All new garage heaters have to pass stringent safety tests to ensure that fires don't occur if the heater overheats due to air inlets being covered, or blankets or towels falling on the heater. However, it should be noted that these safety standards were not in place when many of the older types of heater now available in second-hand shops were made.

A tilt switch is also a good safety feature; it will turn the garage heater off if it tips over.

For additional information about heater safety, Click here.