Coming into winter there’s no arguing that heating is essential but why do some people opt for electrical heaters?

Electrical heating is efficient because the energy is converted directly to heat. With a central heating system, the efficiency is less because heat is lost before it reaches the radiators through the pipes.

How, though, to decide the amount of heat and, therefore, the size of electric heater you need?

Step 1

Measure the width and length of your room which will determine the total square footage.

Step 2

Choose the level of insulation you use

• Very little insulation (older houses) - 12.5 watts ft²
• Average - R-11 (walls), R-19 (ceilings) - 10 watts ft²
• Full - R-19 (walls), R-38 (ceiling) - 7.5 watts ft²

Step 3

Make the necessary adjustments;

• Ceilings more than 8ft - wattage needs to be increased by 25% for every extra 2ft height
  • *use 1000 watts min in the bathroom*
• If the recommended wattage is between two different sizes always choose the larger.

Step 4

Using the chart below you can calculate what the recommended wattage is, or work it out yourself, e.g.

A 10ft wide x 13ft wide room with an 8ft ceiling and the average insulation:

13x10=130 130x10 watts/ft²= 1300 watts

Room Size (ft² with 8ft ceiling)	Watts (Poor Insulation)	Watts (Avg Insulation)	Watts (Full Insulation)
20ft2	250	250	250
40ft2	500	500	500
60ft2	750	750	450
80ft2	1000	1000	750
100ft2	1250	1000	750
120ft2	1500	1250	1000
140ft2	1750	1500	1250
160ft2	2000	1750	1250
180ft2	2250	2000	1500
200ft2	2500	2000	1500
220ft2	2750	2250	1750
240ft2	3000	2400	2000

Your next decision is the purpose of the heater. Is it for an office, shop or work environment, do you want it to fit in with your home décor, is there a specific area that you need heat directed to or for industrial purposes?

There are, believe it or not, electric heaters to suit every purpose!

Take, for example, the Remote Control Electric Over Door Heater Multi-directional Down Flow Fan from Dimplex. This is ideal for office, shop and factory environments because of its effective and powerful heating above entrances. It’s great for situations where a high-level fan is needed.

Alternatively, the electric fan heater stove in black with optiflame is a beautifully ornate addition to any room in the home. It’s a traditional style cast iron stove fire complete with coal burner effect and with a black finish. It’s is an ideal electric heater for all year round use.

 Then there are the industrial purpose electrical heaters, which are perfect for garages and workshops because they produce completely dry heat without condensation, fumes, gas, or smell.
 

These are just a few examples of not just the size of electric heater you need depending on your use for it but also the area you need to use it in.

There are so many other options, not least of all is the brick dynamic fan assisted storage heater which releases hot air with controlled convection and a silent fan, which makes air circulate within bricks, heating it and then releasing it into a room. This allows temperature management inside a room as well as heat release time.

 Here, at Electrical World, we have these and many more options to choose from and we stock products only from the most reputable names in the industry; Dimplex, Elnur and Sealey. For more information contact us now, our trained staff are more than happy to offer advice and assistance.

*For best results contact your local electrical contractor or electric utilities*