How to Choose and Use a Space Heater Safely

A space heater is the most power hungry appliance most homes plug into a normal socket, so both the choice and the placement matter.

Types and what each is good for

  • Ceramic fan heater: heats a room quickly, good for short bursts, audible fan.
  • Oil filled radiator: slow to warm up, holds heat long after switching off, silent. The best choice for a bedroom.
  • Infrared or radiant: heats objects and people rather than air, felt instantly, only warms what it faces. Good for a workshop or a draughty corner.
  • Convection panel: even gentle warmth, quiet, suits a small well insulated room.
  • Micathermic: a mix of radiant and convection, slim and fast, a reasonable all rounder.

Wattage and room size

The common rule is about 10 watts per square foot for a reasonably insulated room. A 150 sq ft bedroom therefore wants roughly 1,500 W, which is the maximum a standard household socket circuit is designed to run continuously. Draughty rooms, high ceilings and poor insulation all push the requirement up, and at that point a bigger heater is not the answer, a supplementary source or better insulation is.

The safety rules that matter most

  • Keep 3 ft of clear space on every side, from curtains, bedding, furniture and paper.
  • Plug directly into a wall socket. Never an extension lead, never a power strip, never a multi plug adapter. This is the single most common cause of heater related fires.
  • Place it on a hard level floor, never on carpet pile if the manual says otherwise, and never on furniture.
  • Switch it off when you leave the room and before you sleep, unless the model is explicitly rated for unattended overnight use.
  • Check the cable each season for cracking, and stop using any heater whose plug feels hot.

Features worth paying for

Tip over shut off and overheat protection should be considered mandatory rather than optional. A thermostat saves real money because the heater cycles instead of running flat out. A timer means you can warm a room before you enter it. A cool touch housing matters in any home with children or pets.

See our home appliances range.

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