combustion of fuels consumes oxygen and produces carbon monoxide (deadly) or if burned completely (which isn’t what inexpensive consumer devices do) carbon dioxide (which doesn’t support life).
you have cases where people use small combustion heaters indoors and claim no problem. you also have do the same and die, especially when used long hours like when sleeping.
people that are safety nuts like fire departments advise against them for use in living spaces.
newer style quartz infrared heaters are very safe when used as directed and efficient.
People all over the world have been using kerosene heaters, for centuries. We haven’t had any mass fires or die outs each winter that I’m aware of.
Candles are also dangerous, and some people use them claiming no problem - yet every year some people use them and die as a result.
Newer style quartz infrared heaters heat only the person sitting right in front of them, not the room around them. They are useless for keeping pipes from freezing, handy for keeping one or two stationary people warm. And to nitpick, quartz space heaters are no more efficient than any other electric space heater.
Back to the OP: For a breakdown of electric space heater costs go here. It gives you a nice visual of what costs what, in a general way.
Here is another site that helps you decide which type electric space heater might be the best for you.
Another good breakdown of what type heater to use in what situation.
central heat keeps pipes from freezing yet the air be well below the human comfort zone, that is what seems to be the topic.
radiant infrared quartz heaters are more efficient for heating people in their vicinity because you are feeling the radiation directly. you can feel warm and still have the air temperature well below the human comfort zone, the room can be 40F and you would feel warm.
there are people who die every winter, from nonlife supporting air, in the USA from using local indoor combustion for heat.
people elsewhere in the world who have only local indoor combustion have lived with it for generations and have dwellings that it can be done in and know how to do it without dying.
open unattended candles are a hazard, people do die from that situation. yet people can live a long life while being stupid and hazardous because of good luck.
Ok, so if I’m irrationally afraid of liquid/gas fueled heaters, what is the next best thing for heating a whole room, rather than just what’s in front of it?
We have one of those parabolic dish heaters, and we have something kind of like this with white tubes/bars in it that heat up and glow orange, but both of those heaters are very directional. When all three of us are in the living room, we would need a heater with a 180° range to hit all of us, based on where we sit.
Also, if you can take into account how much it would cost to run the heater, that would be good. We can’t afford something that’s an electricity hog. Right now we dress in layers, use throw blankets, wear hats, and I wear fingerless gloves while I’m on the computer.
i have something similar though a taller unit with 2 tubes. it has a high (1500W, both tubes) or low (700W, one tube) and a continuously adjustable thermostat control which controls how long the tube provides heat (from continuously on to on for part of a minute and off for part of a minute). set it to give the amount of heat that keeps you comfortable.
i find it good being 2 to 6 feet away in front of it. if people are farther away or multiple directions then you may need more than one.
dressing as you do is a help. lightweight long underwear worn indoors is a help.
thermally reflecting socks (shiny fabric woven in, no thicker than a usual sock) is a great help. felt boot liners (for snow boots) can be used indoors for great effect.
That sounds just like ours. It has the same features–I’m just not sure what the numbers are for mine. I’m not sure if it even says (but I’m at work so I can’t look at it now).
If you’re only looking at electric resistance heat, everything is exactly the same, efficiency wise. Whether its a lightbulb, a toaster, the television, an oil filled radiator, the electric stovetop on the oven, or a space heater, they all put out (almost) exactly the same heat for the amount of power that they draw. So there’s really no need to worry about which one is an “electricity hog” - as they all waste exactly the same. Some may be more powerful than others, but that just means that you’ll need it less.
The only thing that separates them is the amount that they concentrate the heat -a parabolic dish or a fan work well for this. They’re still putting out the same amount of heat for every watt that they draw, but just focusing it on a smaller area. This works well if everyone is stationary in one area, but not so well for heating a whole room, ceiling to floor. But even if you have multiple people, buying a parabolic dish heater or (even better) electric blanket for everyone is still going to be better for your power bill than buying one big space heater, as the heat is still concentrated only where its needed.
The only things that are generally going to be more efficient than electrical resistance heat are heaters that burn fuel directly, or a heat pump (A/C operating in reverse).
I have a little heater that I got at Lowe’s for about $80. It looks like a small freestanding woodstove, with fake flames and everything (cracks me up), and has a small fan that circulates the warm air. It heats my small living room (12x14) quite well, even with the vaulted ceiling (which opens into the kitchen). I can only run it for short periods of time until it gets too warm. Certainly worth checking out–it’s nice to have the heat circulate enough that you don’t have to sit right in front of it to stay warm. I wasn’t able to link to it but someone else may be able to…
Numbers like this are only relevant if the unit doesn’t have a thermostat or the thermostat is set so high that the unit will never cycle off. Otherwise, the actualy consumption will be lower, as a factor of the “duty cycle” (on/off ratio).
If you have to set the thermostat that high, you need a heater with higher output (or one that can direct its output to where you are instead of the whole room).
