Buying guide
Portable Heaters
Things to consider when buying a portable heater
Portable heaters are great for keeping the chill off a room in the warmer seasons when it's not quite cold enough to put on your heating, or are ideal to use in a pinch if your heating starts playing up in the depths of winter. But considering what type of heater to purchase can quickly become overwhelming. This handy guide will help eliminate the jargon and help you decide what heater is best for you and your family.
Where are you going to use it?
Where you are planning on using your portable heater will determine which type to purchase. For example, if you intend to use it in a garage or workshop, you will require a more robust product that has a dust filters like those incorporated in the RUG3TS. But for small bedrooms, a compact heater like the Eco Chico is ideal. If you’re after a heater for general use in living areas, you have a wide choice of all around heaters: fan and ceramic, convectors and radiators.
What type of heat do you want?
There are three main types of heat produced from portable heaters: fanned, radiant and convicted.
Fan heaters draw air over a heating element quickly by using a fan to then propel the warmed air out. Radiant heaters create rays of energy that convert to heat once it hits and is absorbed by the body or object, similar to the warmth you feel from the sun, whereas convector heaters heat up the air around you and push it out into the room. The optimum heat type for human comfort is actually a blend of 80% convected and 20% radiant heat, so look for a heater that features a mixture of both technologies like our oil-free eco portable radiators.
How can the Zeroth Energy System overcome the challenges of overheating in large residential developments?
The Zeroth Energy System uses an ambient loop designed to operate at 25oC. This reduces heat losses through the distribution network that could otherwise result in overheating occurring in corridors and communal spaces.
Zeroth Energy System and district heat networks
The tightening timescales for reaching the 2050 net-zero carbon target require us to accelerate our efforts at the decarbonisation of heat. Ambient loop systems, such as the Zeroth Energy System, are being increasingly specified for multi-occupancy developments due to their high efficiency and capability to reduce a building’s CO2 emissions.This raises the question: can the Zeroth Energy System be specified in a district heating priority area, and can it connect to the district heating network?
Will the outcomes of COP26 significantly speed up the uptake of low carbon technologies?
We are all waiting to see what the real impact will be from the climate summit COP26 for the construction sector, specifically with regard to the decarbonisation of heat. One of the insights that came out of the second day of the summit, which featured a session on clean technology and innovation, was delivered by UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson:
‘By making clean technology the most affordable, accessible and attractive choice, the default go-to in what are currently the most polluting sectors, we can cut emissions right around the world’.