Electric Heaters

Electric heaters were first invented in 1905 when Albert Marsh discovered the alloy chromel that facilitated the creation of the first electric heaters.

Traditional heating systems have evolved over thousands of years from simple fires to Roman underfloor heating (hypercaust for the history geeks). The majority of modern homes are heating using gas powered central heating systems but electric heaters are becoming more common because of their increasing efficiency and a growing desire to be less dependant on fossil fuels.

They also allow you to heat newly built areas of your home without having to connect them to your heating systems such as conservatories or garden rooms.

Fan Heaters – Fan heaters blow air across a heated element into the room. The advantage of this is they can heat up rooms quickly, the downsides are the noise generated from the fan and when the fan is turned off the rooms tends to cool quickly as well.

Convection Heaters – These heaters channel air through the casing of the heater and then out into the room. The positives of this design are they are less noisy and often a more even warmth throughout the room. The downsides are they can take longer to heat  a room.

Radiators – Electric radiators heat up oil or other substances inside them, then the heat diffuses into the room in the same manner that a traditional radiator works. The advantages of electric radiators is that they hold the heat longer than fan or convection heaters and they are great at providing constant background warmth.

Halogen Heaters –  Halogen heaters are derived from the old two bar electric heaters, they radiate heat directly on to the object in-front of them.they are good for warming things in close proximity to them not so useful for heating an entire room.

We generally recommend that you install an electric radiator in any room that needs to be warmer. This is because they offer the best energy efficiency and the can easily be plugged into an existing socket or we can run a new line from an existing socket. This reduces the amount of wiring in your home.

They come with smart thermostats that will maintain the room at a specific temperature (which saves you electricity) and they are reasonably priced at between (£100 – £200).

Electric heaters output are measured in watts (w) or kilowatts (kW). We generally recommend a minimum of 900W for smaller rooms or rooms where your central heating isnt quite warm enough. Or at least a 1.6kW radiator for larger rooms or rooms with no central heating like a conservatory.

We offer a wide variety of electrical services in Hertfordshire & North West London. If you need help with installing a bathroom fan or other electrical work in your home then get in touch using our contact page or give us a call on 07963 560 776. If you want to find out more about electric heaters read this great article by electrical safety first about the history of electric heaters.