Portable electric heaters are a great and cost effective way to guarantee warmth while you travel. A portable heater is handy, because it can provide you with heat whether you are at the office, at home, or in a hotel room traveling. They provide a great amount of heat, despite their small size, and can serve as a faithful companion when you need some warmth wherever you may be. But there are also a wide variety of portable electric heaters, so choosing the right one for your needs is essential.
Also known as space heaters, portable electric heaters provide convenience as well as functionality in a wide variety of circumstances and locations. Different types of space heaters also operate in ways that vary from one another. The most common types are radiant heaters, and convection heaters. Both operate in very different ways, and their effectiveness will depend upon your planned uses for the unit.
A convection heater operates like a little furnace. Convection heaters work by heating electrical coils and dispersing the heat with a fan, circulating warmed air throughout a small area. This is a good way to quickly heat a room, or keep a steady flow of hot air blowing in your direction if you are feeling especially cold. There are a few drawbacks to this type of portable electrical heater however.
One of the major ones is that a convection heater can be dangerous because of the amount of heat that is produced by the electrical coils. Some models experience problems when used for long periods of time, and can even cause fires when misused. Convection heaters aren’t intended to produce a lot of heat over a long period of time, so keep that in mind. To safely use a convection heater, you should only be using the unit in limited bursts.
The other most common portable electric heaters use radiant heat. Radiant heat doesn’t flow through the air like a standard convection heater. Rather, radiant heat is produced by electrical coils that turn electrical energy into heat, and then release that heat in the objects around them. So radiant heat is transferred into the surrounding floor, and other immediate objects. This in turn warms the room around you, and if you’re sitting or standing on a warmed object, the heat is also transferred to your body. Radiant heaters are more energy effective, and can also be operated for longer periods of time than convection heaters.
The best heater for you is really down to your needs. Both are in the same area of price, and offer the same amount of portability. Some of the key differences are operating time, and area of effect. A convection heater should only be operated for shorter time periods, but can heat a larger space more effectively than a radiant heater. Portable radiant heaters can only be used to heat small areas, and are better served as extra sources of warmth when sleeping or in an area where you don’t want someone else to be affected by the heat.