There are a couple of different types of electric heaters and they vary in the method in which they produce heat. Each type of electric heater has its own unique advantages and disadvantages to being used in a particular situation. Sometimes one type of heater will do a better job for a situation, and sometimes another type of heater will be better suited for the task at hand. Let’s take a look at what the differences are between the various types of electric heaters and see what you should consider before buying one.

Types of Electric Heaters

There are four distinct types of electric heaters: convection heaters, fan heaters (also called forced air heaters), radiant heaters, and infrared heaters.

Convection heaters use the natural properties of air and convection to heat the space they are in. The heat given off by the heating element is naturally absorbed by the surrounding air, which then rises as it becomes less dense. The colder, more dense air flows down to take its place near the heating element, becomes warm, rises, and the cycle continues. Electric baseboard heaters are commonly convection heaters, as are many electric space heaters.

The advantages to this sort of heater are that it runs almost silently, is very efficient, and does a very thorough job of heating all the corners of the room that it is in. In addition, since convection heaters warm the air in the room, the temperature in the room will stay constant for some time even after the heater is turned off. This allows the heater to switch off periodically to save energy.

The disadvantages of convection heaters are that they can take a good bit of time to heat a room – since the warm air will rise to the ceiling first, it can take some some before you will be able to feel the warmth the heater is producing.

Fan heaters, or forced air heaters, are quite similar to regular convection heaters, but they use a fan to facilitate the process. The warmth given off by the heat source is pushed into the surrounding air by use of this fan, which can speed up the heating process considerably. The disadvantage to using fan heaters is that they are somewhat less efficient and have some operating noise from the fan.

Radiant heaters are a very simple type of electric heater. They generally have a single heat source – a heating element encased in a glass tube, strongly resembling a large light bulb – that is partially surrounded by reflectors to angle the heat away from the body of the heater. The reflectors allow you to aim the heat directly to where you want it to go, making radiant heaters great for outdoor work and any situation where you need to direct the flow of heat.

Radiant heaters use electromagnetic waves to emit heat, rather than using air currents. The heat they produce is transmitted via electromagnetic, or infrared, waves that travel through the air until they reach a solid object. The waves are then converted to heat. This means that radiant heaters do not heat the air in a room, but rather only heat the objects in it. What this means in a practical sense is that you will feel the heat from a radiant heater much more quickly than from a convection heater, in fact almost instantly.

Disadvantages of radiant heaters are that, since they do not heat the air in a room, the heat they give off dissipates very quickly once the heater is turned off. This means the heater has to run constantly to keep a room or space warm. Another downside to radiant heaters is that they do not heat a room evenly. The heat is far more intense close to the heater, in contrast to convection heaters, and this can lead to people near the heater being too hot while people on the other side of the room are still cold.

The last type of electric heater is called an infrared heater, and it is essentially the same as a radiant heater. Both use a radiant heat source to emit infrared waves that are converted to heat. The main difference between infrared heaters and radiant heaters seems to be a marketing choice: electric radiant heaters are generally marketed as radiant heaters, and gas propane radiant heaters are generally marketed as infrared heaters.

Using An Electric Heater

The primary drawback to using electric heaters is that they require a steady supply of electricity to function. If your power were to go out, due to a storm or other similar event, then your heating will go out as well. For this reason, if you live in an area that gets a lot of winter storms, it is wise to either use gas or propane heating as your primary heat source (and have electrical heating for back-up as needed) or make sure that you invest in a good generator to power your heating should the power go out. If you have an electric hot water heater, that is also something to consider needing a back-up for.

Other things to consider when deciding on which type of electric heater to use are where you’ll be using it – convection heaters work great indoors, but are much less efficient outside – how long you need the room to be heated – convection heaters are more efficient over long periods of time than radiant heaters – and the size, location and shape of the building or room to be heated.