There’s a mixed bag of opinions on the energy efficiency one can expect from portable heaters. When it comes to saving money with portable heating, the lack of a clear and definitive comment on the subject isn’t due to a lack of research but due to variables in every home and intended use. I could tell you today that a particular portable heater is energy efficient only to have you come back in a couple months to tell me how horribly wrong I was. The fact is that many modern portable heaters are energy efficient, providing you apply some critical thinking to their use.
To get the most bang for your buck, start with the one element which will sabotage even the most efficient portable heater by thinking about insulation. Efforts here will save you money down the road regardless the heating solution you adopt. Failing to properly insulate your home or the room in which you will be using your heater is like opening a window and tossing some money into the wind every day.
Efficient Portable Heaters
Next, get the right tool for the job. If you want instant heat cascading throughout the room a few minutes after you turn on your efficient portable heater then you need a model with a fan to quickly move that hot air throughout the room. Realize right away that there’s a substantial drop off in savings by going for this option. Yes, your room will warm up more quickly but you’ll have to keep the efficient portable heater on all day regardless and with a model that moves air, you’re operating both a heating element and a fan. More juice required equates to less money saved. For your real savings, opt for a passive efficient portable heater.
Efficient Portable Heating
Passive efficient portable heating models which radiate heat take longer to heat a room but offer the benefits of quiet operation and notable savings in heating costs due to the lack of an additional electric component to power. No fan. It’s important to understand what you’re getting here. You’ll want to turn the unit on thirty minutes or so in advance of expecting a cozy room. Options in this regard include radiant heat panels and oil heat. The latter look like common apartment radiators but are wheel-mounted and completely self-contained.
Sticking with the right-tool-for-the-right-job motto, also ensure your heater is adequate for the space you want to heat. A heater designed for a 10 X 10 room isn’t going to be adequate for a 16 X 20 room with open doors. Read the specs before you buy and get what you need. Buying less isn’t going to save you more. You’re better off purchasing a heater designed for the space you are trying to heat and running it on lower power once the room is comfortable rather than buying two units which aren’t adequate for your space and running both on full power.
Ultimately, your greatest savings in cost come from using your portable heater to warm the room you occupy and keeping your main central or gas heating unit turned down dramatically. In my own home, my wife and I often occupy separate floors of the house, her in her craft room, me in my office. We each have small, portable heaters for our separate rooms. As the rooms are fairly small, the heaters do a fine job on low settings. The remainder of the house is left comparatively cool giving our central heating and our checking account a nice break.
By being sensible, using the right tool for the job, keeping our main heating unit set low and ensuring we have adequate insulation throughout our home, we realize savings in the range of several hundred dollars a year since adopting our own portable heating solution and you can too. Just ensure your portable heater is adequate for the job and use it where it will have the most effect.