Energy Efficient Heaters
by diywealth on Nov.30, 2009, under diy
Gas wall heaters can be either vented or ventless. Oxygen from outside is carried into the vented heater via a vent at the bottom of the heater in order to carry on the combustion process. Harmful carbon monoxide that is created as a by product of the heating process is then moved out of a vent at the top of the heater and then carried through an exhaust pipe to the outside to dissipate harmlessly in the open air.
Unlike vented wall heaters, the ventless heater draw oxygen for combustion from the air in the room. The heated exhaust is then vented back directly into the room through convection or radiant heating. This process actually make the ventless wall heaters extremely fuel efficient as all the heat created are confined within the room.
Modern ventless wall heaters have the built-in safety feature of an oxygen depletion sensor that automatically shuts down the heater if it detects unsafe levels of oxygen in a room. Most importantly, it is only safe to operate a ventless gas wall heater in well ventilated rooms. All said and done, gas wall heaters are excellent heaters as they can provide even heat and operate even when there is no power available.
The installation of a gas wall heater is often difficult and should in fact be handled by a professional. Dangerous gas leaks can result if there is improper installation.
Being easy to install and being used wherever electrical power is available makes electric wall heaters popular.
Electric wall heaters can heat a single room without heating the entire home and help save you energy and money. These heaters occupy little space and are inexpensive cum easy to install than most heaters.
The downside to the electric wall heater is the expense of running it. Electricity is more expensive than natural gas. If you’re thinking about using wall heaters in more than one room, you’d probably be better off simply turning up your central heating thermostat a couple of degrees. But if that’s not an option, a gas wall heater would certainly be a more economical choice.
If you need to heat bigger areas, baseboard heaters traditionally have 500 watts to 1500 watts of power can cover anywhere between 50 to 150 square feet. They often have a circuit breaker to prevent overheating. The heating element inside electric baseboard heaters has no moving parts, and therefore need very little maintenance. The only maintenance is cleaning off the dust and lint from the grill of the heater.
