Electric Radiators or Electric Heaters – Which is Right for you? Electric Radiators or Electric Heaters – Which is Right for you? If you’re considering upgrading to an electrical heating system, or boosting the heat provided by your existing heating system, then you’ll be faced with a number of critical choices. One such decision is whether to invest in electric radiators or electric heaters, and if you go down the electric heater route, should you choose panel, fan or halogen heaters? In this post, we’ll help you understand the choices on offer, and help you decide what’s right for you. Electric Radiators Electric radiators are wall-mounted fixtures that are an excellent choice for heating rooms for long periods of time. All you need is a plus socket and wall fixings, and you’re good to go. Electric radiators use a heating medium such as thermodynamic fluid or a ceramic core to provide rooms with a combination of radiated and convected heat. They come with a number of benefits: 1. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, so can be selected for the size of each individual space, as well as the design and aesthetics. 2. Electric radiators come with digital controls and thermostats, allowing for incredibly accurate heat control. 3. These radiators can be pre-programmed, with many offering remote WiFi connectivity, allowing you to only have heat where and when you need it. 4. Each radiator works independently of each other, so you only heat the rooms you need to use. 5. The precise control of energy usage means more efficiency, allowing you to control your monthly bills. Electric Heaters Panel Heaters Electric panel heaters produce heat through convection, heating the air around them and using this forced air to heat the room. Less efficient than electric radiators, these heaters are fantastic for providing additional warmth as a top up to your main heating system. This type of heater is great for a garage, basement or spare room – i.e. areas that only occasionally need to be heated. Panel heaters can be wall mounted or portable, depending on the location where heating is required. Fan Heaters These heaters are portable, so excellent for use in an emergency. They work by heating an electric coil, and then blowing the heat out. However, they’re quite noisy, as well as expensive to run, so you wouldn’t use a fan heater on a daily basis. Halogen Heaters You’ll have seen portable halogen heaters in pub gardens. They radiate infrared heat by passing an electric current through halogen lamps. Excellent at directing heat at close-by objects, they’re not good in larger spaces, that’s why you’ll see so many dotted around outside seating areas. In Summary So in terms of the different uses for each type of heating, electric radiators are definitely the first choice for homes and offices that need a proper central heating system, one that provides more constant warmth. Not only are they efficient and economical, the fact that they provide a combination of radiated and convected heat means that they provide a more comfortable climate than is provided by convection alone. In contrast, electric heaters are great for boosting heat on a short-term basis, or for targeted heat. So it’s worth having at least one, either for when you want to warm a single room rather than the whole house (as a top-up for a traditional gas heating system) or as a back-up in case of heating failure. However, you wouldn’t want to use electric heaters as your everyday heat source, as they use more electricity than radiators and can be noisy to run. If you want more information on the right electric heating system for you, then please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01252 560770. We have an excellent range of electric radiators and electric panel heaters for you to choose from. Alternatively, you can email the team at enquiries@electricheatingexpert.co.uk for a free no-obligation quote.
