5 Things To Look For in a Space Heater This Winter Season

Winter is all about the temperature drop Without it, raindrops wouldn't turn into snow, and the cold holiday temperature would just be a damp feeling every day.

Getting a heater s a prime solution to stave the cold away, but getting one is difficult due to the various shapes, sizes, and features they come in.

Here are some tips you may want to keep in mind when getting a heater for your home.

Heater Type

Heaters come in all shapes and sizes, with some being better suited to various room types as a result. To get the best bang for your hard-earned buck, you need to get the right type on the first go.

Here is a list of heater types, according to Lowes:

• Electric space heaters can either be small for personalized heating or large for heating a whole room. The latter option may be permanently filled with oil to hold and radiate heat for long periods, allowing you to cycle the heating element fewer times. Doing so will save energy while heating a larger area for longer periods.
• Baseboard heaters like wall-mount heaters and electric fireplaces heat air more efficiently and can be wired to a wall-mounted thermostat to regulate its temperature. Some even have built-in fans to blow heated air throughout the room for even faster room heating.
• Wood heaters like wood-burning stoves and pellet stoves allow you to heat a room the old-fashioned way while giving you the pleasure of enjoying the flames and "superior heating."

Heating Capacity

Next, you need to consider how much space you need to heat with the heater you want to buy. Although you need to do some math to determine if the heater you want to buy is the right fit, calculating for it is simple, according to Sylvane.

First, you need to determine the needed temperature rise between the current temperature in a room and the temperature you want to reach. If your home thermostat's saying it's 65 degrees Fahrenheit and you want it to reach 75, then the temperature rise is ten degrees.

Next, measure the volume of space in the room you wish to heat up further. To do so, multiply the room's length, width, and height.

Once you got that, multiply the temperature rise by 0.24 and the room's volume to get the BTUs needed to raise the temperature. Once you get the product, divide it by 3.41 to convert it into watts. The resulting quotient is the number of watts needed to raise a room's temperature.

Energy Efficiency

Getting the most out of your purchase should be the mindset you have when buying a heater, and getting an energy-efficient one is one of those ways to do so.

Getting an energy-efficient one not only makes it environmentally friendly but also helps you maintain lower heating costs.

To find out if a heater will save/cost you money, multiply the heater's watts per hour divided by 1000, by your local provider's cost per kilowatt hour.

Afterward, determine how many hours a day you want to keep the heater on to figure out of it would save or cost you money.

Safety Certification And Features

Heaters, especially wood heaters, can be fire hazards when not properly maintained. As such, you should look for one with a label from a recognized testing laboratory guaranteeing that the heater's construction and performance meet the recommended US safety standards, per Consumer Reports.

Additionally, look for safety features that prevent a heater from becoming a fire hazard, such as a sensor/switch that shuts the heater off if it overheats/tips over to prevent them from causing fires.

Noise Level

Heaters can be used at any time of the day, but they can be distracting if the noises it creates is intolerable, especially when you're trying to get some shut-eye.

If you're concerned about the noise a heater makes, get a non-fan-forced unit like a baseboard heater.

A freestanding convection heater could also work if you prefer a more personalized level of heating.