Portable Heater Selection Guide

Portable heaters can add warmth to a specific area that is unreachable to heat by a fixed HVAC system. It is important to familiarise the heating methods, and power sources to better select the right product for the application.

Heater Type

There are two ways heat can be generated, convection and radiation.

Convection Heating warms the air space when the heating element is in contact with a moving air stream, usually requiring a fan. This is why you hear the word space heaters. The advantage of a convection heater is the ability to raise the temperature of the room much quicker than a radiant heater.

By contrast, Radiant Heating warms people and objects in an area via thermal radiation (not the air space). Thermal radiation relies on electromagnetic waves same as what sunlight does to the metal surfaces. A radiant heater is heavily impacted by a line of sight and distance away from the source, that is why you hear the word spot heating. However radiant heaters do not require a noisy fan and can deliver warmth quicker than conventional heaters. It is more energy-efficient as it is not heating the space to heat the required object.

Heater Fuel

Heaters can be powered by either electricity or combustion (LPG, diesel, kerosene). An electric heater is preferred for homes, offices, and warehouses, while combustion power is most suitable for higher heating demands and well-ventilated environments.

When it comes to heating, capacity in kW is the key. The higher the capacity the quicker it heats up the area. For fan-forced, airflow L/s is also important, as it indicates how quickly it can spread the warmth.