In terms of efficiency, these heaters are 100% efficient. These heaters convert all the power they draw into heat. On an average, a 1500 watt heater can easily warm an area of 185 to 215 square feet.
Types of portable electric heaters:
Portable electric heaters are of two types. These are the radiant heater and the convective heater. The radiant heater reflects infrared energy from the main heat coils into the room. These are powerful heaters and are suited for warming people and objects. These heaters do not heat the air and thus are better for heating a small area. There are two main types of radiant heaters that is the metal rod heater and the quartz model heater.
Rod heaters:
Metal rod heaters are good for heating spot areas and are usually used in basements and garages. The rod is placed in front of a shiny reflector that radiates heat. However, these heaters are a potential fire hazard as they concentrate a large amount of heat in a given place. The second type of radiant heater is the quartz heater. This heater has heating elements that are within a quartz glass tube. The quartz tube is considered to be fragile and can easily be broken.
Convective heaters:
A convective heater uses a fan blower to blow warm air into the room. This kind of heater uses natural air currents to circulate air around the room. These heaters are ideal for heating larger spaces and keeping the area warmer for a long time. Convective heaters come in a number of varieties. These include the electric element heater, the liquid filled, and ceramic heater.
Electric element heaters:
The electric element heater is one of the most basic electric heater models. The main components of the heater are a set of rods that form a heating element and a fan which blows air over the rods making it warm. Alternate models use natural air currents to disperse heat. However, the fan models are able to disperse heat more quickly. Most models come equipped with a responsive thermostat which helps them to maintain a room temperature as effectively as a larger heater. These heaters are not suited for spot heating. This is because heat generated by the heater is absorbed by the air and is spread over a larger area rather than remaining localized to a given area. Liquid heaters go a step further by using the heating element to heat water or oil. This water heats a radiator which creates a natural convective air current in the room. The advantage of these types of heaters is that they manage to keep a place warm for a long time.
On the downside, however, these heaters take a long time to heat up in the first place. Thus, in terms of efficiency these heaters are less efficient that non liquid based ones. In a ceramic heater, a fan blows air through a special ceramic heat conducting element. These heaters are lightweight and safe as the ceramic element never gets hot enough to cause a fire. However, the grill on these heaters can become hot to touch. These heaters are usually unresponsive to changes in room or outdoor temperature.
Things to look for in an electric space heater:
When choosing an electric space heater it is important to choose a model that does not tip over easily. A feature to look for is an automatic shutoff that will turn of the heater in case it does tip over. Heaters also come equipped with overheat sensors that shut off the heater if the internal temperature of the heater rises beyond a safety limit. Ideally, the heater should be designed in a way to prevent children from accidentally touching the heating element directly. A heater with a quiet fan will help along with a model with variable heat settings and a thermostat will help.�
