All electric heating is essentially the same: watts in > heat out.
There’s a small degree of variation depending on what you choose but don’t be convinced that there’s truly better or worse options overall.
With that being said, here’s some tips for heating:
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Oil heaters and panel heaters are good for maintaining a stable temperature over a long period because of how they work - this is good for places that get below freezing during winter. For anything else, they aren’t ideal because you’re better off heating your space when you’re in it and switching the heating off when you leave.
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Radiant heaters can be more effective overall but they come with some risks
The risks are to pets, the elderly and the infirm. They can also start fires if you aren’t careful when using them.
Don’t use them in spaces where there’s risk of something like a towel, a blanket, or curtains coming near them or falling on them - that can start a fire.
Radiant heaters lose a bit of efficiency because they also put out light but it’s fairly minimal and it depends on the type of radiant heater you use.
Where they shine is in how they immediately heat whatever they point at - this is instead of heating up the air and then that air heating you up. This makes them ideal for places where there is a lot of air space or a draughty house. They’re also good in bathrooms because you can heat yourself up without losing a lot of energy to air circulating because of a ceiling fan.
- Direct heating is the best
Yes, there’s the watts in > heat out equation that is largely the same. The difference with direct heating is that you’re only heating the space that is right next to your skin rather than trying to heat a whole room or house.
Electric blankets and throws as well as heated vests, heated foot warmers, and hot water bottles are all examples of direct heating. Where it’s safe to do so (check your instruction manual) you can heat beneath a layer of insulation like a winter jacket or a thick quilt. This means that you will get a lot of the direct benefit of the heating and you will trap a lot of what would otherwise escape, making it even more efficient.
As a general rule I think it’s safe to assume direct heating is worth about 10x that of what you’d get from indirect heaters; if a typical heater works at around 2000w on high and 1000w on low, then 200w from a direct heating source is roughly comparable to what you’d get from a typical heater on high. This depends on different factors though.
One downside of direct heating is that it doesn’t heat the air which can be a problem for people who are sensitive to cold air, such as asthmatics.
You can definitely set up an arrangement where you have a space heater to take the chill off the air at the lowest tolerable air temperature then use direct heating to make yourself warm and you’ll still save a lot of money.
I haven’t discussed the role of heat pumps because that’s a very complicated matter and it depends on the real-world conditions that it’s operating under - when it was last cleaned, what the ambient temperature is, whether it’s ducted or it’s in a single room (hopefully the one you’re spending your time in!) and considerations like the cost comparison between gas heating and electricity prices.
As a general rule, heat pumps are more efficient and without sitting down doing a lot of maths I’d hazard a guess that it’s your best option, if you happen to have it.
Also don’t take this guy’s videos too seriously with regards to DIY evaporative cooling seriously - in theory they are useful but in a practical sense they generally aren’t and depending on the conditions they are operating under they can actually be counterproductive. I can elaborate on this if anyone is interested but basically I wouldn’t waste my time or money on making a DIY evaporative cooler (nor would I buy one of those little personal evaporative coolers).
Amazing work, comrade!
I have no fucking idea what’s going on but I’m so impressed. This is gonna save some lives, you know that right? I don’t need to tell you how this project is going to put permanent hair removal within reach for people who BIPOC and who have darker skin tones, which makes it extra neat.
I think you should start an online tip jar. I’m not saying that you should monetize this for your own profit but I’m sure that some people would want to chip in some change in appreciation for your efforts. If you do take this advice on board, I’d recommend that you don’t release information about your progress on this project directly since you may be in a gray area with regards to the ToS of whatever platform you use, possibly even government regulations. If it’s generic online tip jar that doesn’t have anything specific attached to it (or at least not this project) then you’re going to be insulated from all of that bullshit. There is a risk that it would make your project traceable to your personal info via the government getting warrants or some shit, if they were going to take it that far, but if you are careful with your wording and it’s just a “Hey, check out this cool DIY project that I’ve made - here’s the step-by-step of how I did it” or an “for educational purposes only” sort of deal then you are probably out of reach of the long trotter of the law. Not a lawyer tho.