Using electric heaters to heat your home

In the off-season, the central heating system of apartments or the boiler room of a private house cannot provide full heating. Ancillary equipment is used to maintain normal temperatures. A high-quality electric heater will allow you to maintain a comfortable temperature until the heating starts.

Is it possible to heat the house with electricity

For a private house located far from gas mains, electric heating will be a viable solution. Alternative heat sources have several advantages:

• no need for fuel combustion;
• reducing the cost of replenishing stocks;
• no time is wasted on laying fuel resources in the furnace;
• electricity is a ready-made fuel, which is already equipped with a building.

Electric heating has several disadvantages. They consist in the increase in prices for housing and communal services, shutdown in emergency mode and the cost of purchasing an autonomous generator.

Taking into account the fact that electric heating can be turned on at any time, it is advisable and cost-effective to purchase a heater.

Types of electric heaters

The modern type of heating devices is economical and energy efficient. Manufacturers produce several modifications, so the owners of a private house can always find the right option.

Oil heaters

Devices that are a housing with technical oil inside must be selected according to their power. The heating element is responsible for the heating process, which is in an oily environment.

Oil type heaters have several positive qualities:

• the presence of a built-in thermostat that allows you to set the desired temperature;
• comfortable adjustment with one or two handles;
• ease of transportation - a device the size of a standard radiator can be moved using wheels;
• inexpensive price - no need to spend money to heat a summer cottage or a country cottage during a vacation;
• good heat storage capacity - the oil cools down for a long time, therefore, after turning off the device from the network, residual heat can be used.

Oil versions take a long time to warm up, when you touch the red-hot body, your hand can be burned. Due to their heavy weight, devices without wheels are not mobile.

To reduce the heating time of rooms, models are used that have a thermal fan.

Infrared heating systems

Infrared heaters are equipped with lamps that emit waves at a frequency invisible to humans. The device operates on the principle of solar heat. Long IR waves heat walls, furniture, from which heat enters the air.

The advantages of operating the devices include:

• minimum noise level in operating mode;
• insignificant power consumption;
• Fanless design that does not emit dirt and dust;
• uniform and gradual heating of the installation area;
• the possibility of operation in street gazebos and on terraces;
• the air humidity does not change, since oxygen is not burned during heating.

Infrared devices can be wall, table or floor mounted.

Depending on the type of lamps, an infrared device can be purchased:

• halogen, inside which there is a glass flask with a special thread filled with an inert gas;
• quartz, where the coolant is tungsten wire;
• carbon fiber, heated by thin strands of carbon fibers.

The disadvantage of IR devices is the high price tag.

Convection models

This type of installation works on the convection principle. Cold air is sucked in by the bottom of the heater and fed through the heating element. After heating, the air flow exits through the top ventilation and enters the ceiling. Convection is a cyclical process in which air masses are cooled and descend, re-entering the heating element.

A convection electric heater has several advantages:

• does not make noise during work;
• the case heats up no more than 65 degrees;
• built-in thermostat allows you to adjust the thermal mode, automatically start or stop the system;
• the presence of emergency protection against overheating.

The disadvantages of convectors include problems with self-assembly and minimal heat transfer, which makes it difficult to warm up a large country house.

Ceramic heaters

Ceramic types of heaters are designed for an apartment or a house. The devices are a heat-reflecting screen and a heater itself. They are manufactured as panels with an explosion-proof solid metal enclosure. Devices work on the principle of convection or infrared radiation, transfer heat to the air or to objects.

Depending on the installation method, the following modifications can be found and installed:

• For wall mounting. The wall-mounted electric heater is similar to an air conditioner, it is distinguished by its large dimensions. It can be used as a split system thanks to ionization, blade speed or temperature control options.
• Outdoor. The ceramic device is suitable for installation in any area of ​​the room, heats air masses in any direction. The floor heater is equipped with a timer and a built-in thermostat. Relevant if you have a wooden house without central heating.
• Tabletop. A small and compact device that is placed on a table, windowsill or other object with protrusions.
• Ceiling. They form a warm air flow with a large dispersion radius. They can be used as the main heating of the building with electricity. The built-in thermostat ensures a comfortable microclimate.

Ceiling ceramic models are only of the infrared type.

Quartz heating devices

A quartz heating source is a block where a heating element made of an alloy of chromium and nickel is located, it can be infrared and monolithic. In the first case, quartz sand is used for a glass tube, in the second - as a material for casting panels. The heating apparatus is characterized by:

• uniform heating - heat is generated within 20 minutes after switching on;
• full-fledged heating of a space of 10 m2 with a ceiling height of 10 m, because rated power is 0.5 kW;
• parallelism of the heating process of the nichrome spiral and air convection;
• lack of a thermostat - the sand panel holds the temperature for a long time, but you need to turn it off yourself;
• high efficiency factor - 99%;
• the ability to create a modular system from several installations.

A quartz apparatus is a good way for organizing auxiliary communications or independent operation.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Heating

Electric heating provides for the receipt of heat by direct (transformation of electricity into heat) and indirect (use of heat pumps) methods. By the type of arrangement, the system can be local (energy converters are located in a room next to the house) and central (remote electric boilers).

Electrical communications are a good option if you have a summer cottage, private or country house. They have a number of advantages:

• Ease of organization. If you have the skills and equipment, you can make a system yourself.
• No need to equip a boiler room and chimney.
• Safety for health and life, because no carbon monoxide and combustion products are emitted.
• Reliability and quiet operation, because no fan and external installations are used.
• No need for constant monitoring of fuel and temperature sensors.
• High efficiency parameters. Electrical installations provide quick heating of individual rooms in private houses.

Electrical devices in the form of communications have several disadvantages:

• Large amount of consumed energy and high charges for its use.
• Volatility of the structure.
• Risks of unstable voltage without an autonomous generator.
• Additional costs for the generator.

Heating with electricity is only possible with good wiring, a three-phase network and knowledge of the power consumption of the devices.

Specificity of energy-saving heaters

An energy-saving heat heater with a power of up to 1000 W heats rooms with an area of ​​6-15 m2 with high quality. Manufacturers produce energy-saving home heaters of the following modifications:

• Ribbon-needle. They have a simple design and inexpensive cost. The disadvantage of technology is a high energy consumption, the absence of heat preservation systems, the impossibility of installation in wet rooms.
• With protective cover. Thanks to the external aluminum fins, the electric heater is protected from moisture. The casing is filled with materials with high thermal conductivity. The moisture-resistant housing makes it possible to install equipment in the bathroom or kitchen. The disadvantage of devices is the cracking of the case due to the different expansion coefficient of aluminum and steel.
• Monolithic heaters. Efficient in terms of heating and economical type of appliance. Dielectrics are inside the case with aluminum plates. Monolithic models are durable and quiet, but expensive.

In comparison with standard models, energy-saving electric radiators intended for the home save about 50% of energy.

Features of the use of electric heaters

The correct operation of electric heaters for an apartment or house requires compliance with a number of requirements:

• The device is connected only to a working socket without auxiliary devices. Failure to do so may heat the contacts and melt the wiring.
• The minimum distance of the device from other objects in the room is 50 cm.
• The heater is not installed next to windows with curtains.
• Before leaving home, you need to expose the automation unit.
• Do not dry towels and wet linen on the thermal heater.
• Connection is made only according to manufacturer's instructions.

An additional line is laid for the electric heater from the switchboard.

Device selection rules

Before purchasing an electric heater, you need to pay attention to the following parameters:

• The type of device and its capabilities. Convectors do not emit odor during operation, they are quiet and economical, but they dry the air. Oil devices are silent, but take a long time to heat up and require operating costs. Infrared models have two drawbacks - lack of inertia and high price.
• Heating area. All heaters, with the exception of IR, with standard ceiling heights should emit 100 watts per square. For infrared models, the indicator of 100 Wx1 m2 is not the minimum, but the maximum.
• Dimensions.Wide and low units are installed next to large windows and stained-glass windows. Tall and narrow devices are suitable for rooms with limited quadrature.
• Control type. Mechanically controlled heaters are cheaper, but their functionality is minimal, and the temperature error reaches several degrees. The electronic controls are precise, but the constant backlight is irritating to the eyes.
• Safety. Oil radiators without a thermostat heat up to 150 degrees, and when you touch them there are risks of burns. Ceramic and micathermic models are the safest, suitable for educational institutions and families with children.
• Heating rate. Fan heaters or oil heaters will quickly warm up a room. Models with thermostats keep the temperature constant, but dry the air and make noise. Infrared ceramic devices heat up the space pointwise.

For comfortable use, it is better to choose accessories with a remote control.

A household electric heater is an alternative to gas heating. The device is not connected to the network all the time, which saves on electricity bills. When choosing it, you should pay attention to the type of coolant, the area of ​​the room and mobility.