heating appliances

Using infra-red or halogen heaters is a great way to provide a “strong warmth” quickly. This makes them great for areas that are prone to loosing heat, for example factories, warehouses and so on. However this does not mean that infrared heaters have no use in the home. That said though there is of course still a place for central heating solutions. Infra red heaters are more like space heating devices rather than an option for the whole household.

We usually learn in school a little bit about infra red light and how it may be invisible to the naked eye but that even though we cannot see it with our eyes, we can feel it through the heat that it produces. The reason that we cannot see infra red light is that it is beyond the spectrum that is visible to the human eye. The heat effect comes from the fact that the “light” is absorbed by our bodies and our clothing and this in turn produces the warm feeling.

While it is interesting to find out how these types of heating devices work perhaps you are wondering whether they can actually help you to save money? Or you may want to know whether or not infra red space heaters are an environmentally friendly option. Read on to find answers to these and many other questions you may have. Of course if you have a specific question related to these appliances, please leave a comment and I shall do my best to answer your query.

As with any kind of heater, the more you use it, the more it will cost you. Infra red heaters can be really helpful if you just arrive home and want to boost the temperature quickly. Although if you are really cold, the sudden increase in temperature may actually feel uncomfortable. The question of cost really comes down to how long you use these heating appliances for. They are certainly one option to try and keep your home nice and warm during the cold winter period. As for the environmental cost of using infrared space heaters it has to be said that any sort of heater that you use will have some environmental cost. This is simply because they use energy and in producing heat give off carbon gases. So the only real way to be green is by not using any kind of heater. This may or may not really be a feasible option. You can get different kinds of infra red heaters. Some use electricity while others use a gas fuel source. Whether gas or electricity is better may be related to the appliances fuel efficiency. It is also important for your pocket to also consider the cost of the fuel that you will be using.

The question that many of us have when we are considering a new heater is not just “How much does it cost to buy?” but also and just as, if not more important, “How much does it cost to run?”. This is a very important point to consider because long after we have absorbed the cost of purchasing a new heating appliance we will be incurring a monthly expenditure based on how much we use it.

The good news is that as technology continues to improve, electrical heaters become more and more efficient. This means that the amount of electricity they require to produce a given heat is less than in the past. However we must be aware that the cost of electricity may also vary so even though the appliances themselves are becoming more efficient, if the price of electricity rises then this means even with a more efficient heater it may become more expensive to run.

Are oil filled radiators more economical than other electrical heaters?

All things being equal, an oil filled radiator is no more economical than other types of electrical heaters. However this is in terms of electricity used in relation to the amount of heat produced. For example, if you have an oil filled radiator and compared it to a electrical convection heater and turned both on for 1 hour at 1500W, the electrical cost would be the same. But the way that they output heat would be different. And this is where one style of heater may be more “economical” in your own eyes.

In the case of the convection heater, this will start to warm the room more quickly than the oil filled radiator as well as raising the temperature more quickly it will also raise the temperature to a greater extent. So it would seem that a convection heater may be more powerful for the same cost. But this may or may not be what you are looking for. As for the oil filled radiator, it is true that it does take longer to warm up than the other style of heater. It may also not make the room as warm, or if it did it would take much longer to do so. Where the oil filled radiator excels is that it continues to have a warming effect upon the surrounding air long after the power is turned off. Whereas the convection style of heater literally stops giving off heat as soon as it is turned off.

Therefore the determination of what is economical comes down to personal preference. If you are looking for a heater that warms a room quickly and gives off heat only when it is turned on then an oil filled radiator is probably not the style of radiator you are looking for. However if you are after a heating appliance that continues to produce heat long after the electrical power has been cut and offers prolonged warmth then an oil filled heater may well be exactly the style of electrical heating appliance that you need.

Regardless of the types of heating appliances that you use, it is important to ensure that they are in appropriate working order at the start of each cold season. This is to both ensure efficient operation as well as for your own safety. Gas heaters, electrical heating appliances, central heating radiators and HVAC systems can all be checked by appropriately qualified experts and may be worth thinking about if you are at all worried about satisfactory functioning of your equipment.

It is possible to find local heating service shops by simply doing a Google search for terms like heater repair or furnace repair and adding your location to narrow the query down. These types of businesses may or may not be expensive but when it comes to things like gas and electrical appliances it is always best to have them serviced by qualified experts.

Of course there are certain things we as individuals can do ourselves to assure the operating standard of our own heating appliances. For example, the power cords for our electrical equipment that attach to the wall power outlet from the heater should not be frayed. This is something we can simply observe with our own eyes. And for gas appliances, if we smell gas then that may be a severe warning sign that something is not right and that we may be best served by calling in the experts.

When it comes to dealing with HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems and central heating, these are more complicated than stand alone electrical heating appliances or gas convection heaters so again actually having some professional help is a major advantage. Obvisously people who work with these types of installations will be able to do things themselves but for the rest of us, using qualified experts is probably the best option to ensure that we do not cause more harm than good.

In the U.S. HVAC engineers are typically members of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers). Using engineers with this acreditation is one way to ensure that your system is being serviced by someone with the necessary skill set.