What Size Of Space Heater Do I Need? Appliances Buying Guide

Source: DHgate, Tag: Home Garden

What size space heater do you need to keep warm? Find out the best size space heater to purchase to get the most heat for your money.

• Space heaters are essential electric devices everyone should own in their home to keep them warm during the winter season. These devices come in different and improved technology suitable for indoors and outdoors use. You can use a space heater in your home, office, and car. Every space heater is made specifically for a different purpose.
  This portable device is perfect for warming up a small room or space where a central heating system can't be coupled for indoor use like your room. Although the space heater offers you some warmth when needed, using the wrong size of heater can be difficult to get it to warm up your space, especially if the size is too small or too big for your home or space.

• Using a small-size heater can be difficult to supply sufficient heat, resulting in a long time to heat up the room and increased energy bills. If your space heater is too big, you will be paying more for heating capacity that was not used. It is crucial to choose the right space heater size for your room but to make this choice, and you need to think about different factors to guide you when buying the appliance. Some of the factors to look into are; the degree of insulation, ceiling height, windows, and outdoor temperature.
  This article will discuss these factors above and other important guides needed to choose a suitable space heater size for your need. Choosing the right size heater may look complex, but if you get the measurements right, getting your space warm throughout the winter period will be a piece of cake. Before going into the size space heater to supply your room with the required heat, here is some terminology you should know when sizing your space heaters and the different types of space heater appliances to heat your room.

  • Wattage: Wattage or Watts is used to measure the degree of energy transfer or heat loss in a device-one joule of energy per second. The watt of any appliance is known by multiplying its amperage and its voltage.

  • British Thermal Units (BTU): British thermal units are standard units for measuring air conditioners and heaters. BTU is the amount of power needed to increase or reduce the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. For example, in heaters, BTU measures heating capacity, including the energy supplied to the air. 1 watts = about 3.41 BTUs

  • R-Value: R-values measure an object's level of thermal resistance. The higher the R-value is, the better it insulates. The standard R-value for walls and ceilings of a room or space relies on the area you live. Spaces in very cold areas have a standard R-value of 13-21 within the walls and 49-60 in the attic; for warm regions, rooms have a recommended R-value of 13-15 in the walls and 30-49 in the attic.

  • Temperature Rise: This is the difference between a real space temperature and your preferred temperature. This helps indicate the required energy of a heater to raise the set temperature to a satisfactory level.

• 1. Types of Space Heater Appliances
     1. Convection Heaters
     The convection heaters are mostly used to warm up a single space. The convection heaters have the capability of heating a whole room for an extended period. They work by distributing convection currents through heating elements such as electric wire, oil, and electric coil to produce heat or warmth in your room. The majority of the models have fans installed to distribute warm air through the rooms.
     2. Radiant Heaters
     The radiant heaters are perfect for site warming as they supply targeted warmth to areas facing the heater. The radiant heater supplies almost immediately warm to a targeted space instead of heating up before circulating warmth. They are mostly used or preferred in office spaces, bedrooms, or other small spaces. This heater is a popular type known as an Infrared space heater, and the infrared space heaters use the infrared bulb to supply quick heat to your room.
     3. Ceramic Heaters
     The ceramic heaters require the use of an internal ceramic heating element to produce warmth. They can regulate their temperature without using wire and coils. The ceramic heating element regulates itself by reducing its temperature once it reaches the required heater temperature. This set-up ensures safety during heating, reliable warmth, and long-lasting.
     4. Oil-filled Heaters
     Oil-filled heaters are popular because they are reliable and often prepared by users to other types of space heaters. Oil-filled heaters supply heat through diathermic oil in the heater. The oil spreads through the heater fins and distributes the heat-up oil. The heat-up oil is then spread by radiant heating. The heat is passed or supplied evenly in the room through the natural convection process.
     5. Wall Heaters
     Wall heaters are fixed on interior walls to supply extra heat to cold areas in your home, like bathrooms and basements.
     6. Baseboard Heaters
     The baseboard heaters work by heating the air from the floor of your room to the ceiling and then balancing air within the room brought in from cold or outdoor air, especially when it's put under the windows. The baseboard heaters are more used for basements because the models supply regular heat, low-cost application, and noiseless operation.

Factors to Consider when Buying Space Heaters and How to Estimate your Size Space Heaters
As stated earlier, different factors control how to choose the size of your space heater. Some size space heaters are designed for the bathroom, bedrooms, offices, private spaces, basements, and big rooms. You must be able to know the sizes and what fits your space. But the general recommendation is to purchase a room space heater with the right square footage or dimensions for your room or space. To choose the perfect size heater that can supply the required heat for your room, it is best to use heater wattage output. The general equation suitable for an ideal room is approximately 10 watts of heating power for every square foot of floor area in the rooms.
Basically, choosing the right size space heater depends on different factors, but most heaters are designed around a basic concept of 10 watts per foot of space (A10 ft. x 12ft. room). For instance, the main heat source for a room can be a 1200 watt space heater, that is, 120 sq. ft. x 10. For a space measuring up to 120 square, this measurement is the fastest way to size your space heater. But you still have to consider other factors before making your decision.
Factors to Consider Choosing a Size Space Heater
Degree of Insulation
The size of your space heater depends on the degree of insulation of the rooms; heavily insulated rooms need a lower amount of power of about 7.5 watts per square foot to warm up. Less insulated rooms need approximately 12 watts per square foot to warm up. Spaces or rooms without insulation of any kind common in basements and garages are not that suited for some modern space heaters. The increased heat transfer experienced in the rooms exhausts the heat more rapidly than it can be created. If you spend most of your time in areas like garage or work shed, consider improving your device R-value by reducing the utility costs of your garage or basement heater. On the other hand, you can buy a new garage heater created to keep you warm in such an environment.
Ceiling Height
Space heaters work based on the concept of convection. Once activated, the air in with heaters heat up and lengthen upwards, making the cool and denser air above the heater collapse and replace it. When the cool air collapses, it connects with the space heater and then gets warmed up. The more it raises, the more air it displaces; the cycle is continuous and then produces a convection current that steadily increases the temperature of the space or room. Technically, convection heating is not that effective in rooms and spaces with high ceilings. Heights more than 8 feet tall have hot air hovering there and take an extended time for the air to circulate again and warm those in the room. To handle this, raise the wattage of your space heater by 25 percent for every 2 feet of extra room. For instance, a 10 x 12 room with 10-foot ceilings will need about a 1500 watt heater. Using this equation;
1200 watts * 0.25 = 300 watts
300 watts + 1200 watts = 1500 watts
Also, a 10x 12 room with 12-foot ceilings will need an 1800 watt space heater.
1200 watts *0.5 = 600 watts
600 watts + 1200 watts = 1800 watts
Windows
All windows, including high-quality ones, are poor insulators; windows have about 8 percent of an ideal home and are remake up for approximately 25 percent of its heat loss. This heat loss is due to a process known as thermal emissivity; emissivity measures the degree to which a material can emit thermal radiation. A high rating emission denotes that they absorb heat, while a low rating denotes they reflect heat. For example, a window glass emissivity rating is 0.91, making it absorb and release more than 90 percent of the thermal energy they are revealed to.
Outdoor temperature
The amount of heat transfer in your home does not completely rest on its construction but its environment. No single home or space is 100 per cent power efficient. However, some homes found in very cold areas and where the temperatures steadily fall within 20 degrees Fahrenheit can lose heat at an increased rate compared to homes in warmer areas. If you live in warm or mild regions, raise the wattage ratio from 10 watts per square foot to 15 watts per square foot when approximating your space heater size.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest way to heat the room?
One of the cheapest ways to heat your room or space is with the space heater. This method is very efficient and cost-effective compared to the heating system. Using the space heater reduces your utility cost, and if you are using modern devices, they heat up quickly and circulate warmth across the room within a short period. Although, due to varying prices of the device, you should estimate the cost of operating one based on its type or functions and space size before purchasing a device.
Which is better between a fan and a fanless heater?
When choosing a space heater, the general recommendation is a fanless heater because fan less heater operates silently while fan heaters make noise. However, the heaters installed with fans help distribute warmth faster compared to fanless. Fortunately, thanks to advanced technology, space heaters installed with fans can operate quietly without causing much noise compared to older devices.
Do ceramic space heaters produce carbon monoxide?
No, ceramic space heaters do not pollute the air. The unique thing about ceramic heaters is that they can regulate their temperature when they reach the targeted temperature. This helps ensure safety during the heating process and prevents fire accidents from occurring.
Can you leave a space heater on all night?
You can leave a modern space heater on all night unattended and while sleeping if you are certain that the three major testing organizations authorize your device, and its features include; automatic turn off, switch off timer, and regulated thermostat. But for safety purposes, space heaters are recommended to be turned off unattended or put on a timer once it reaches your desired temperature and duration. That way, when you are asleep, your device gets to switch off on its own.
Summary
While it's crucial to know the size of the space heater before purchasing, it is important to consider other factors like convection and the technology of your device. These factors help you choose a device that will be more efficient when circulating air without heating up and consuming extra electricity during operation.