Space heaters for comfort, overall savings

Dear Jim: A couple of rooms in my home are always chilly. I want to use two small efficient electric space heaters instead of turning up the thermostat. How can I determine which designs are best and safest around my children? - Sue R.

A: Dear Sue: Using small electric space heaters is a good idea and the new ones are safe and convenient. Even if you have a gas, propane or oil furnace, using a few electric space heaters instead of cranking up the thermostat can cut your overall monthly utility bills. It can also improve your comfort because you get heat to the rooms where you need it the most.

The fall and spring are particularly good times to use electric space heaters instead of your central heating system. With the milder weather in the fall and spring, starting the furnace or heat pump will surely overheat most of the rooms in your home when only a couple of them are uncomfortably chilly. Also, if you run your central system less, it will last longer with fewer maintenance expenses.

When you are shopping for an electric space heater and see the myriad of designs, styles, sizes and prices, it can be mind-boggling. Even though most space heaters have a maximum heat output of 1,500 watts (so they can be plugged into a standard wall outlet), there actually are significant differences among them. Don't just buy the cheapest models on sale.

The heating element design, heat/temperature controls and the heat distribution method have the greatest impact on the electric space heater's safety and your family's comfort level. Just the heater's shape can impact its tip-over resistance around children and its area of heating/comfort coverage.

Before buying an electric space heater, think about how it will be used most often. This determines the best heating element design and important features to consider. The basic heating element design types are convection (fan), low-temperature radiant (oil-filled) and high-temperature focused radiant heaters. You will probably use different models in various rooms depending on your activities.

To heat a large area, standard convection, baseboard or tall oil-filled radiator types of electric heaters are effective. They circulate the air to heat an entire room area. For smaller areas or a specific spot, such as an easy chair or computer stand, a high-temperature radiant heater focuses the heat more effectively without wasting

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excess energy to heat the entire room.

Within the basic types are many design variations and features. Since you mentioned safety around children, some of the newer convection models use either non-glow elements or ceramic elements. These reduce the chances of a hand getting burned or having a child ignite a piece of paper in the heater. Even though the elements do not glow red, they are still effective for heating the room air.

Ceramic heating elements are unique in that they self-regulate their heat output. As the room air gets warmer, so does the safe ceramic heating element. As the element gets warmer, its electrical resistance increases so the current flow is reduced and less heat is produced. The newest ceramic heaters have programmable heating controls and use digital displays for simple adjustment.

For the most precise temperature control in a room, select one of the new convection heaters with a true temperature dial. Instead of the unit just switching on and off when the temperature setting is reached as most space heaters do, it stays on but the heat output is automatically reduced. If the room begins to cool down, the heat output increases. This maintains very even room temperatures.

Quartz heaters use elements that glow red to radiate heat like the sun does to target a specific area. Most of them have two long glass heating elements to provide three heat outputs (typically 600 watts, 900 watts and 1,500 watts on together.) Some models also include a tiny, quiet fan to gently circulation and mix the room air. Select one with a child-safe, snap-off grill to allow you to replace the bulbs and clean the reflectors for high efficiency. The plug tongs are used as the key to open the grill.

Technically, all electric heating elements are 100 percent efficient, so do not let the packaging hype fool you. All of the electricity consumed by the space heater is converted into heat, as opposed to a furnace where some heat is lost up the flue. Check the packaging information for these features-adjustable thermostat, several heat settings, automatic freeze guard (automatically turns it on when you house gets very cold to avoid freezing), and timers.

Write for (instantly download -www.dulley.com) Utility Bills Update No. 706 - buyer's guide of 10 electric space heater manufacturers listing design types, heat settings, thermostats, comfort and safety features, a savings chart, and safe usage tips. Please include $3.00 and a business-size SASE. James Dulley, Illinois Country Living, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244

James Dulley is a mechanical engineer who writes on a wide variety of energy and utility topics. His column appears in a large number of daily newspapers.

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