If you’re fed up with feeling cold indoors, then an electric heater could be the ideal solution to warm you up. Read this guide to find out more about buying heaters for your workplace.
How much do you need to spend to get a decent electric heater?
Electric heaters vary in price, ours start from about £14 +VAT for a small basic one, all the way up to £500+ for more powerful and advanced for warehouse and event heaters.
How much do electric heaters cost to run?
Running costs for portable heaters can be very low. A 3kW heater operating at maximum power for one hour will use about 3kW of electricity, costing you very little to run. Generally, the higher the power, the more expensive the heater costs to run. But if you choose a high-powered heater that warms your room up quickly and then switches off, it will use less electricity than a heater that takes longer to warm your room. A heater with an effective thermostatic control will also save you money. This is because it will turn on and off only as required, so won’t waste electricity but will keep your room at your chosen temperature.
What types of electric heater are there?
These are the lightest and most portable type of heater. They provide instant heat and warmth, especially if you are in the direct line of the fan. Small in size so can be placed under tables to warm someone’s toes up! Very light to move around and take up next to no space to store when not required. They’re also easy to set up- just plug and go. On the downside, this type of portable heater can be quite noisy.
Convector Heaters
Convector heaters are usually thin and light – making them easier to move from room to room. Like fan heaters, they heat up quickly – but they are quieter. Convector Heaters are often wall-mountable, which means they can be located out of the way. Brackets and instructions for wall mounting are usually included, but you do need to drill holes in your walls.
Oil Filled Radiators
A popular solution because once the oil has been warmed up the electricity consumption stops and the oil retains the heat for a long time. Oil-filled heaters tend to be cheap to run, but some can be really slow to heat up after switching them on. There is no fan and therefore they are virtually silent and create no dust. Most oil-filled heaters are fairly heavy and cumbersome, ours come with wheels to make them easier to move them around.
How powerful does a fan heater need to be?
Measured in kilowatts (kW), higher power means the heater will be better for heating big rooms. If you want to heat a small room, a good, low-power portable heater (less than 2kW, say) will be fine – and cheaper to run.
Are there any dangers to using an electric heater?
Heaters get hot (obviously!) but as long as you use them according to their instructions, they are safe appliances. Nearly all have some kind of carry handle for moving them about, and many have a safety cut out feature – this will switch off the heater if it gets dangerously hot. Never place anything on, or cover up, a portable heater as it massively increases the risk of a fire.
Common features explained…
Thermostat – allows you to set the temperature output of the heater so that you get the right level of warmth and use as little electricity as possible.
Safety cut out – all of the heaters and radiators have this these days, if the heater over-heats for whatever reason the power is cut so avoid any damage.
Tilt cut off – normally standard on halogen and fan heaters which turns them off if they are knocked over, this prevents the carpet from being burnt.
Heat settings – this controls the output so for example on a 1.5kW heater there might be 3 settings. Setting one will give a 500w output, setting two 1kW and setting three 1.5kW. This allows you to have better control over the temperature in the room and the cost of running the heater.
Keep warm this winter by giving your staff that little bit more warmth at work.
