There are two general types of space heaters available for home use. These are convection heaters and radiant heaters, and if you understand the difference it can help you choose the type of heater that’s going to work best for you.
Radiant heaters are commonly used because they work quickly and can put out a great deal of heat. You can purchase fans today that can be used as a fan when you want to be cool but that also can be used as a personal heater. These have elements inside them that heat up, then a fan behind the element blows the hot air out. These small heaters are ideal for over-air-conditioned offices, because you can stay warmer at your desk but not affect the temperature in the rest of the room. Electric space heaters that are infamous for starting fires when knocked over or put too close to a curtain are also a radiant type of heater.
Convection heaters, on the other hand, include things like an oil filled radiator that’s designed to help raise the temperature of a room rather than blow warm air onto a person. With convection heaters, heat from the unit naturally flows upward, displacing the cool air as it moves and allowing the air to move and circulate a little bit without the use of a fan. This type of heater tends to warm a room or area more evenly and will typically cost less to use without any of the risk of a hot element starting a fire.
And electric radiator heaters, like the Kenwood oil filled radiator, can pretty easily raise the temperature in a room by about 10° and costs mere cents per hours to use. These types of heaters do take a little bit longer to warm up than a radiant heater, but they’re much safer and much more energy-efficient.
