Electric heating

meow2222 · 2009-02-05T03:56:44+00:00

The Wiki strikes again... another one for reviewThis article compares the various types of electric space heating.==All types==A few things apply to all of them.All electric heaters are 100% efficient, none of the heat goesoutdoors.All are exempt from the annual inspections required of gas appliancesin rented properties.==Plug in heaters===These are all much more expensive to run than all other mainstreamheating options, at around 3-4x the energy cost of mains gas.Thermostatic models prevent room overheating, which wastes money &energy.Plug-ins are best suited to just occasional use, where their high runcost and zero installation cost makes sense.===Fan heater===High energy cost, usually fairly high power, fast heating, small,noisy, fire risk if covered.===Convector===High energy cost, medium power, medium size, no noise, less fire riskif covered.===Electric Radiator===High energy cost, lowish power, slow, large. Some only reach amoderate temperature, and are touch safe, no fire risk, and can beused to dry clothes. Some get hot enough to burn things though.Relatively good around kids and the infirm, though they're heavyishand can be knocked over. More tolerant of minor water spills than mostother portable heater types. Some have a radiator temperature control,some don't.===Bar fire===These radiate heat from a red hot bar. Older models tend to bedangerous, with an exposed red hot live bar, inadequate guarding, andthey tend to catch fire if something falls on them. They also seem toattract naughty kids that like to experiment. New models have improvedguarding, but no other benefit.Replacement heating bars are available if one fails, but a betterheater is usually preferable.===Halogen heater===A more modern version of a bar fire, these use a red halogen lamp inplace of the bare bar. The lamp is insulated rather than bare & live.The heat density isn't as high (400w per bar is typical), reducing thefire risk.The halogen lamps last far longer than visible light lamps, but...

Electric heating

Feb 05, 2009 20 Replies

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True. It depends precisely how those switches work; if they live up to their name, they're exactly right. I'd assumed a certain design, which is probably wrong!

Incidentally, the cheapest on that page is under £15.

I suspect the reason I got the wrong idea is that what I'm looking for myself is a slave socket arrangement like the ones on dust extractors, so that I can DIY a dust cyclone and have it turn on with the tool. I can find ones intended for PCs (daft: just get a distribution board with one big switch), but haven't found the info to show whether they're rated for the amount of current a power tool + vacuum take.