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Heaters for Your Home

In many areas of Australia, heaters are a necessity during the colder months. However, with the wide range of heaters available, it can be confusing to pick the right one for your needs. That’s why we’ve put together a guide to all the different types of heaters and what they are best suited for. If you need any more information, please speak to a heating professional.

Electric Heaters

There are several types of electric heaters, including:

• Column heaters – use electricity to heat oil that is sealed inside the columns. The heat of the oil is then transferred to the casing and the air circulating the columns. These types of heaters are well-suited to rooms where they will be on for a long period of time such as in a bedroom.
• Convection heaters – work by drawing cold air over an electric heating element. The heated air then leaves the heater and is replaced by cooler air. A fan is usually used to force the heated air away from the heater.
• Fan heaters – can supply almost instant heat but are usually only good for heating small areas. Fan heaters come in both flat and upright models – if you have an upright model ensure that it has a tilt switch for safety.
• Radiant heaters – are generally used to heat the area immediately around a person and should not be used to warm an entire room as they are very inefficient. They come in floor and wall-mounted models but because the heating element is reasonably exposed, it is important to be cautious when using them.
• Reverse cycle air conditioners – use electricity to pump heat from one place to another place. They are great for heating larger areas and can be very energy efficient, depending on circumstances such as the outside temperature.
• Off peak storage heaters – use the cheaper off peak electricity that is available at night time to heat up a storage material such as brick. The stored energy is then released through the daytime.

Gas Heaters

Unflued heaters are portable in a majority of cases, making them useful if you have gas connected to more than one room and they are easier and cheaper to install than flued heaters. However, flued heaters, while costing more to install, eliminate the problem of ventilation as the flue takes all of the fumes and gases straight outside. Flued heaters can stand against the wall, be built in, or look like a log fire. They are particularly efficient in bedrooms and living areas.

Other Forms of Heating

• Open fire – these are lovely to look at but only produce localized heat. The firewood used should be well-seasoned.
• Non-airtight stove – these include pot belly stoves and these heaters get very hot, supplying radiant heat. They have a lot of charm and are suitable for areas that only need to be heated on an occasional basis.
• Slow combustion heaters – are available in small, medium and large sizes with the smaller models most commonly used to heat rooms. Modern slow combustion stoves have an airtight firebox and air inlet controls to control how much air enters the combustion chamber.

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