On cool autumn evenings, when you come home, you just want to sneak under a warm blanket and sip hot tea. To make the home comfortable, we often supplement the existing heating with an electric heater. Take a look at what to consider when planning to buy a new electric heater and how to use it effectively.

What to look for when choosing a heater

The main factor in choosing an electric heater is the electrical power measured in watts (W). It is recommended to choose the capacity according to the area of the room to be heated, so before buying a heater you need to know what size room you will use for heating. In a room with a ceiling height of up to 3 meters, the recommended power for heating each square meter of the room is about 100 W. So, if the room is 10 m², then an electric heater with a power of 1000 W or 1 kW is suitable.

The efficiency and economy of an electric heater is affected by the functions with which it is equipped. It is important that the heater is equipped with a thermostat that allows you to adjust the heating capacity, not just turn the heater on and off, and maintains the set temperature in the room.

Which electric heater will consume the least electricity?

All electric heaters are equally efficient and consume the same amount of electricity to generate the same amount of heat. But for each type of heater, the way and how quickly the heat spreads in the room and how long the heat stays in the room after the heater is switched off differs.

If you want to keep the room warm for a long time, it is recommended to choose a convection heater. A convection heater without a fan is designed to maintain an even temperature in the room, but if you need to heat the room faster, then choose a convection heater with a fan, it heats the room with a warm air flow through the openings at the top of the heater.

If you want to heat only the part of the room where a person is staying, you can choose an infrared heater. Such a heater reaches its maximum heating capacity in just a few seconds, rapidly generating heat in its heat radiating zone.

An infrared heater does not warm the air, but rather objects, surfaces and bodies within its radiation zone, which then return heat and warm the room. It should be noted that such a heater can cause so-called thermal discomfort, as the rays heat only one part of the room, while the other is cooler. Therefore, it is better to choose this heater for bathrooms or terraces. If it is planned to install this heater in the bathroom, then when purchasing it, pay attention to its protection class (at least IP44 class).

How to use the heater effectively

If it is cool when you come home and you want to warm up the room quickly, first switch the heater on in the maximum heating mode. When the comfort temperature in the room has been reached, adjust the heater to a mode to maintain room temperature. By using adjustment functions of heating devices you will not waste electricity, reducing the consumption by up to 30%.

Maintain room temperature within normal limits – so that you need to put on a sweater rather than wear shorts. The optimal room temperature in the autumn and winter season, when you stay at home, is from +20 to +22°C. At night, you should lower the temperature by 3–4°C.

Recommended temperature in individual rooms is as follows:

•  in the kitchen, where heat is generated while you cook, – from +19 to +21°C;
•  in the bedroom – from +17 to +18°C;
•  in the living room and bathroom – from +20 to +22°C.

You should choose even lower temperature when you leave, reducing it to +16°C. By lowering the temperature by 1°C, you can reduce electricity consumption by 5%.

Remember that in autumn and winter rooms also need to be vented to remove the accumulated carbon dioxide (CO2) and provide fresh air for your body. To vent rooms efficiently, open the window completely until furniture surfaces start to cool off. Moreover, switch off your electric heater not to waste electricity unnecessarily.