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Gas space heaters
| Summary |
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CON's |
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BUY |
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running cost
heat output
appearance
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installation
altitude
moisture
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Buy here
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Running cost of gas space heaters.
Gas space heaters are dollar for dollar the cheapest type of space heater you can get - if you live in a cool enough climate.
Why word it like that ? For every dollar you spend on heat from a natural gas space heater you'd have to spend nearly twice the money to get the same heat from an electric heater, but the gas space heater costs more to buy and also costs money to get installed, so you need to use it to notice the cost savings.
A natural gas space heater is still the cheaper option over time even if you live in Florida, but the mid and northern states can save enough money in the very first season to make the gas space heater effectively free.
Heat output of a gas space heaters.
Gas space heaters put heat out faster than electric space heaters.
A small unit (10,000 BTU) will put out heat twice as fast as a 1500W electric model. A large unit (30,000 BTU) will put heat out 6 times as fast as the 1500W electric.
Gas space heaters reduce clutter.
Even the smallest gas space heater you can buy puts out twice the heat of a standard electric space heater. By the time you get multiple electric units scattered around your home to give you the same amount of heat, your house looks cluttered and pets, young children and less active people have to spend the entire winter season dodging them. A well located gas space heater gives you the warmth you need and keeps your home clutter-free.
Installing gas space heaters.
Get a professional to install the heater. Yes it costs money, but it's worth the peace of mind. You can save yourself some money by purchasing the installation kit yourself but get a certified installer (such as a man from your gas company or acertified local plumber) to do the rest.
Gas space heaters at high altitude.
Vent free gas space heaters are by far the most efficient form of gas heating. But... if they detect that the air is running low in the room they are heating, they shut down in case there is a problem. This is exactly what you'd want them to do, but the thinning of the air experienced at higher altitudes means that the heater gets continually confused thinking it should shutdown for safety reasons and no matter how many times you restart it, it will keep going out. Switching to a vented unit sounds on the surface like the answer to your problems, but... vented units cost 3-4 times as much as vent free heaters so be a little cautious before jumping stright in.
Moisture from gas space heaters.
One of the by-products of burning natural gas (or propane) is moisture. If you live in an incredibly well sealed home (some modern homes are, older homes and some modern homes are not), you could see moisture building up inside your home. For those of us who live in a home built before Year 2000 though, this doesn't become a problem. And for those who do experience it, a great workaround is to open up a doorway to another room to make the area the heater is heating effectively larger - alternatively you can open a window slightly although the open window somewhat defeats the purpose of having the heater in the first place...
If gas is not for you, click on the buttons on the left for the pros and cons of other fuels, or to go back to our home page for an overview of space heaters in general.
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