In the United States (excluding Hawaii and Alaska), the average winter temperature remains around 33.2 °F (0.7 °C). This is why electric heaters have become an essential winter warming tool in almost every American household. They are generally safe to operate and relatively inexpensive to purchase.
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However, due to the wide variety of home heaters available on the market, it's easy to feel overwhelmed when making a choice. Today, our team has put together a purchasing guide for home heaters, hoping that you'll find some assistance in making your selection.
Electric Heater Types
1️⃣Electric Fan Heater
Product Features:
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Electric fan heaters consist of heating elements where electrical current passes through a resistive component, generating heat through the Joule effect. They also include an electric fan that circulates air over the heating element and distributes the hot air into the room.
Suitable Scenarios: Rooms
2️⃣Electric Infrared Heater
Product Features:
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Electric Infrared Heater, also known as radiant space heaters or electric radiative heaters, emit radiation in the infrared spectrum (with wavelengths approximately 8-10 micrometers). They are designed to heat objects or people directly in front of the device.
Suitable Scenarios: Personal spot heating, enclosed areas, outdoor spaces like patios
3️⃣Electric Baseboard Heater
Product Features:
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Electric Baseboard Heater does not involve circulating hot water as a heat transfer medium. Instead, they contain an electrically powered resistive heating element, typically enclosed within a metal housing.
When a room thermostat signals for heat, electric current flows through the baseboard heating element, generating warmth. The air near the heating element is heated through convection, and this warm air circulates throughout the room, raising the room temperature.
Suitable Scenarios: Bedrooms, living rooms
4️⃣Kickspace Heater
Product Features:
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Kickspace Heater, also known as toe-kick heaters,is discreet devices that use an electric fan and heating element similar to those found in electric fan heaters to move warm air into a room.
Suitable Scenarios: Small, confined spaces like under cabinets or vanities
5️⃣Ceramic Heater
Product Features:
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Ceramic Heater is a form of electric heaters that use heating elements made from positive temperature coefficient (PTC) ceramic material. The use of ceramic in the heating element enhances the safety of these heaters.
When the polycrystalline ceramic heats up, it reaches a temperature where its electrical resistance starts to increase. This leads to a self-regulating feature that prevents the ceramic from absorbing more heat from the resistance, thus limiting the heater's temperature.
Suitable Scenarios: Living rooms, bedrooms
6️⃣Electric Fireplace
Product Features:
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Electric Fireplace mimic the appearance of traditional wood-burning fireplaces. They incorporate a fan-driven or radiant-style electric heating element that generates heat, and they often feature simulated flames for a realistic fireplace effect.
Suitable Scenarios: Living rooms, bedrooms
7️⃣Electric Floor Heater
Product Features:
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Electric underfloor heating is an energy-efficient choice that provides even and comfortable heating within a room. The installation cost is typically lower than equivalent liquid-circulation heating systems. However, due to the thermal mass of the floor system, it may take longer to heat a room compared to forced convection systems.
Suitable Scenarios: Entire house (particularly in unfinished areas)
8️⃣Electric Heat Pump
Product Features:
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An electric heat pump is an electric heating system that uses mechanical compression cycles to extract heat from the outside air and use it for heating a house or building.
Suitable Scenarios: Entire house
Comfort Rating for Electric Heaters
Electric Underfloor Heating > Electric Infrared Heater > Electric Baseboard Heater > Electric Fireplace > Ceramic Heater > Kickspace Heater > Electric Fan Heater > Electric Heat Pump
If your house is under renovation, consider prioritizing electric underfloor heating. Otherwise, electric infrared heating is an excellent choice, offering quick and comfortable warmth without drying the air.
Heating Range for Electric Heaters
For small-scale heating, you can consider electric fan heaters and electric infrared heaters, as they provide stable heating and are energy-efficient.
For larger heating needs, prioritize ceramic heaters, and electric fireplaces, as they offer high safety and effective heating.
Safety Rating for Electric Heaters
Electric Heat Pump > Electric Underfloor Heating > Ceramic Heater > Electric Fireplace > Electric Baseboard Heater > Kickspace Heater > Electric Infrared Heater > Electric Fan Heater
We hope this information assists you in your purchase decisions. If you have different opinions, please feel free to leave a comment.