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| | | Either portable or wall-mounted, space heaters add warmth where and when it's needed. There are two basic types: convection heaters (either natural convection or fan-forced) provide warmth by blowing or pulling air over a heated surface while radiant heaters warm up the object they're aimed at (rather than the air in the room). | | |
| Typical costs: | - Prices start around $15 -$65 for a basic electric convection heater fan with a standard metal-coil element, but can go up to $70 -$250 for models with more options. The heating element can be designed to be turned off so the fan can be used to cool the room during hot weather.
- A electric ceramic convection heater starts around $30 -$60 but high-quality models can be $70 -$150. Electricity heats a ceramic plate, the heat is absorbed by aluminum baffles and a fan blows the resulting hot air into the room. A ceramic heaters will quickly provide warmth but its individual parts stay relatively cool to the touch (a safety feature to avoid burns).
- Radiant quartz or halogen electric heaters range from $50 -$170. They are best for providing heat in one close area rather than to an entire room.
- An oil-filled electric radiator heater (which uses a non-radiant convection system but looks like the old-fashioned radiators found in many older buildings) costs $50 -$110. Powered by electricity, it's permanently filled with oil in a closed system so it never needs replacing. Oil-filled heaters provide steady heat for an entire room.
- Propane heaters range from $80 -$250, can provide almost six hours of heat from a one-gallon tank of propane and are good when the power goes out. Kerosene heaters are available for anywhere from $130 -$500, but are much less common than they used to be, mostly due to safety concerns.
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| What should be included: | - Generally space heaters are a supplemental heat source, used to warm only one or two rooms at a time. A radiant space heater is best for spot heating, such as when you want to be warmer while curled up in front of the TV. A convection heater covers a larger area, and is better when there are several people either moving around or in different parts of the room. WaltonEMC.com gives an overview.
- Options include a tip-over safety switch, temperature controls, multiple fan speeds and direction settings, a timer and a remote control device.
- Space heaters can cause fires if used improperly; the US Consumer Product Safety Commission provides detailed safety tips.
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| Shopping for a space heater: | |
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Article updated November 2007 |
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