The Best Space Heater

It is now starting to get cooler, and you are now on the market for an affordable space heater. With all the varieties available today, which one is best for you? It is easy for you to become confused and even intimidated by all of the choices offered to you - even to the point of possibly giving up! To help you in making your decision, here is a quick tutorial on the common features of space heaters on the market. Hopefully, this information will help you find the best space heater.

As mentioned before, there are many different types of space heaters. Here are some of the most common types:

- Ceramic Space Heaters - use ceramic heating elements
- Oil Based Space Heaters - use heating oil to heat the element
- Heating Coil Space Heaters - the most common electrical heaters
- Halogen Based Space Heaters - the newest technology using halogen light bulbs

The most common space heaters offer heat up to 1500W, accidental shock protection, as well as circuit-based protection to keep it from overheating. Most of them also offer the standard 120V power, which allows you to operate your space heater safely - the heater is properly grounded to avoid any type of electrical fires.

What are the differences between these types of space heaters, you may ask? Which is the best space heater?

Ceramic heaters are much safer than the coil system heaters. The center of the ceramic element is bigger than the coils, so the heater can be set to a lower temperature while releasing the equivalent energy covering a wider area. They are also more efficient than the conventional electric heater because they keep the temperature stable for a longer period of time.

Oil-based heaters are built much like a radiator, using heating oil to stimulate the heating element. The mechanism inside the heater warms the oil, which then emits heat throughout the area. The efficiency of these heaters is also very high, as the heating mechanism does not need to be on at all times. One the element is heated to the optimal temperature, heat is released slowly by the oil. This keeps the area warm and comfortable, even if the heating mechanism is not on. Other benefits include that there is little to no maintenance needed on these units, as the oil does not ever need to be refilled. Because there is no fan in oil-based heaters, these are very quiet space heaters.

Coil space heaters use metallic coils inside the heater, which are triggered by infrared wavelengths to produce heat. These are also known as "fan-forced" heaters. This is because the coils heat the air that is forced through the coils, then push the heated air out into the room. Due to the potential for injury, all coil heaters have a protective screen to keep you from accidental contact with the heating elements.

Halogen-based heaters are the newest style on the market. These are the most efficient of all the heaters and are based on the same technology as the efficient halogen light bulb. The concept behind halogen-based heaters is the same as how the sun provides heat. Rather than heat the air around it, the halogen-based heater uses light as a delivery system for heat. This technology allows for increased comfort when compared to the older space heaters, as the heat is felt immediately - just as if you were to walk out into the sunlight on a cold, wintry day.

Hopefully, this description helped you to understand the types of heaters available. All you need to do is determine how efficient you want your heater to be and how often you want to maintain it. Once you answer these two questions, you will narrow your selection down easily, and find the best space heater for your home.