What is the best, most money saving space heater? Infrared, ceramic, mica, oil-filled
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Check these affiliate links for the current prices. Mica is my favorite style: geni.us/pivquuL (Amazon)
Mica Panel Heaters: geni.us/UIChlW1 (Amazon) || Oil Filled Radiator Heaters: geni.us/x0AR (Amazon) || Ceramic Space Heaters: geni.us/DbnBg23 (Amazon) || Infrared Heaters: geni.us/KGLJyL (Amazon)
Here are the rooms/applications I recommend for the different types of space heaters:
Ceramic Space Heaters: geni.us/DbnBg23 (Amazon) - Small ones are good for personal spaces like an office desk or cubicle. Larger ones are good for large rooms like family room, living room, garage etc. The fan can be loud so keep that in mind.
Oil Filled Radiator Heaters: geni.us/x0AR (Amazon) - Use this type of space heater in a small to medium sized enclosed room that you are in for long periods of time like a bedroom. It is noiseless and ideal for maintaining a temperature. Good for when you are sleeping.
Infrared Heaters: geni.us/KGLJyL (Amazon) - Use these in larger or open areas. Make sure to point it to where people are. These type of heaters often look like furniture so they work well in a living, family, or dining room. They usually have a fan so you will have noise as an issue.
Mica Panel Heaters: geni.us/UIChlW1 (Amazon) - Because of its versatility, this is probably my favorite style of space heater. It is noiseless, and lightweight. This will work well for any room and for large open spaces (though a parabolic heater, or heater with a fan is probably a better candidate for open spaces).
Parabolic Space Heaters: geni.us/QKVKHw2 (Amazon) - The room type/size does not really matter much for this; use this for when you don't plan on moving around a lot. Watching TV, working on a workbench, etc (Note: I did not talk about this type of space heater in my video but I did use this type primarily when I was living in China. It is quite bright, so I would use this as a double for a light bulb. It heats up you and not so much the room, so if you move around the room a lot, this probably would not be the recommended style of space heater).
This is the Amazon list of my favorite space heaters: a.co/8UehfTC
The Experiment: Over the course of several months, I tested the room in the morning using various heaters. I tested the increase of temperature over an hour.
The Results: The results were varied and a bit surprising. Basically, the more energy the heater used, the more it would heat the room (I guess that is your basic common sense). I found that heating a room as fast as possible is the best way to minimize cost. The best heater you can get for saving money is the one that gets the room hot the fasted. For me this turned out to be the mica and infrared heaters.
Conclusion: Basically, there is no best heater. You need to find a heater that suits your needs. For me this was the mica heater. This is quiet and hot and was able to heat my room as fast as the infrared heater which is also good. I have seen ceramic heaters that work just as well as this.
Here is the spreadsheet I used: docs.google.co...
A note about the spreadsheet. I used the spreadsheet to organize my data and I don't have all the notes and readings that I originally had; hopefully this spreadsheet helps explain what I was testing though.
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Music Credit: Santo Rico by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommon...)
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Intro Credit: / alexbau01
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![Electric Heaters vs Oil-Filled Heaters [In-Depth Comparison]](/img/n.gif)
It took me 15 minutes to learn months of research. Thank you so much for doing this! I did watch the whole thing by the way... where's my sticker!?
I appreciate your comment. I will work on getting that sticker for you!
here you go🥳
O
I came here to learn something but I found that it is this youtuber that needs to learn some things from me.
He did not mention that the infra red heaters heat up the body rather than the air. This is an advantage because it means you can use them outside. It also means they use less energy as they don't need to heat up the whole room. They only need to heat up the body. They don't dry out the air too much either. All of these things should have been mentioned plus a lot more in the video but they weren't. It's really disappointing.
I wanted a guitar
Infrared, ceramic, mica or oil-filled are ALL standard electric room heaters. They're ALL designed to pull roughly 12 to 13 amps from a standard 120V outlet (roughly 1500 Watts). At 1500 Watts it's producing roughly 5115 BTU's. It doesn't matter if it's oil-filled or infrared or whatever, 5115 BTU's is 5115 BTU's on this planet or any other planet. Since each will produce nearly identical BTU output for the same electrical energy input NONE are any more efficient than the others. Don't be fooled by those Amish infrared space heaters claiming to save you money, it's all advertising hype. The only difference is how quickly those 5115 BTU's get transferred to the air. For each of these heaters, every BTU generated will eventually make its way into the room's air. It's just that the delivery method is different for each of those heaters. If you're in a hurry to feel the warmth don't go for the oil-filled heater, select a heater with a built-in fan. If you want to feel the heat everywhere in the room you may not like the infrared heater. If all you want is to heat the room and you're not in a hurry then all will do essentially the same job. Avoid the hype, the bling and gadgetry. Read the label especially the one that ALL electric equipment are required to have. For ALL standard 120V room heaters the label will state power consumption which will typically be 1500 Watts for its highest setting. If it's a resistive element or infrared type electric heater and it's pulling 1500 Watts then it is producing roughly 5115 BTU's of heat. If either claims to be putting out more BTUs then look at the label, its almost certainly doing so at a higher wattage (drawing more current). There's no free lunch with resistive element or infrared electric heaters.
All true. But not at all what his video is talking about
There are cheaper lunches over time but that means getting a fancy heat pump heater/air conditioner, though there are also cheaper lunches imedietly like an electric blanket that focus on just heating your body.
But long term unheated rooms are bad for the building anyway and can lead to damp and mold damage.
If you can set house temp to 55 and you can feel like its 68. You can save money
The best space heater is an old PC. You not only get heat, but you can also entertain yourself.
@@cyrilvankeirsbelk7299 fr, my room is hot af after an hour of gaming
If you plan on being in the room for a while the oil filled heater is by far the best option for even, constant heat and the safest. If you are say taking a shower, something that heats the room quicker may work best. I think the oil heater is the safest space heater out there.
On the thermostat, I've found that the digital ones will burn out due to the circuit board getting too hot while the simple, no frills button style ones will last much longer.
I totally agree with the oil-filled heater.
Another advantage is that they are completely silent.
Two excellent posts!! 👏👍👍
@@reddawgrup1779 I keep coming back to oil filled!!
@@michael5089 that is all I have and I have three of them, only used as needed. Two large ones and one half size
@@jeffreybaker1725 Yes. I've currently got a couple of 9 fin ones but think I'll buy a larger 11 fin one. I also have a cheap converter heater and gas central heating but I'm limiting the usage of gas as much as I can 👍
You missed one of the main points of heaters "Comfort". An oil filled heater takes a while to heat up but keeps the room at a constant temperature without kick on and making you hot and then off making you cold. It's a constant temperature, giving you a more comfortable room...
I wasted hours reading/watching videos about heaters when all I needed was to watch this video to get all the information I needed. Great work
I and everyone who watched this video appreciate you sir !
I love oil-filled heaters because they're quiet AND, once you have the temperature dialed-in, they radiate nice, even heat without drying out the air.
they will dry out the air equal to any other electrical heater, and much more so than a open flamed gas, kerosene heater or open fire ...eg log/coal type heat
also probably the only type you can safely dry your wet socks on
@@pjo2386 Technical thats true, but heating has alot to do with how comfortable it feels.
I to like the oil filled ones as well,. For the same reasons but also while it may take longer to heat up once you get it to where you want you can turn it off and it'll continue heating, leaving the room warmer for longer
Only problem with the oil filled ones they might claim to be 1500 watt but they'll max out at around 600watts before the oil boils and cuts off and constantly cycles the over-heat cut off switches which are not really intended to be cycled as much as they are so they have shorter life spans unless you know how to replace the sensor.
So yes they are quiet because the loudest they'll be is the bubbling oil as it over heats but no they don't dry out the air less, they just heat the air less since as the higher the temperature the lower the humidity that can stay in the air... But it does have the perk of staying warmer and radiating heat even after it is turned off but that can be a down side too.
This is the best review I have seen so far of anything in UA-cam thank you very much
This is the best comment I have received so far in UA-cam. Thanks!
This is a genuine and generous compliment. This video can make a difference in how people live and conserve energy.
@@TutorialGeek can you plug an oil heater into a surge protector
I used to have night storage heaters that were really expensive to run and pretty useless as they were cold by the time I got home from work. One of them broke down last year just as winter was starting. I did a bit of my own research and found out about mica heaters. So glad I did, I was so impressed I bought two! I've now got 2 x 2000 kw Laptronix mica panel heaters that heat the whole of my small 2 bed house. Unlike the ones shown in this video mine actually look quite nice and have extra features. They have a digital control panel and remote control (which I don't need to use). I just set the thermostat to the temperature I want the room to be and that's it. They have proven to be so much cheaper to run than the old clunky storage heaters because they are not on all the time. The thermostat is so efficient. It only heats when it senses the room has dropped 2 degrees below the set temperature and then switches off once it's back up again. On days when I go to work in the office, I can set the timer so they only come on when I am home. I have had the big old heaters removed this year, which has given me some wall space back too. Win Win!
Oil filled electric heaters produce the most even and comfortable heat. The only drawback to them is that they take a little while to warm up. However once up to temperature the heat is even and very quiet as well.
Yup, My experience also!
No, all electric heaters produce the exact same amount of heat per watt.
@@randybobandy9828 he didn’t say it produces more heat…. Just more even and comfortable
@@rossmacleod4245 and they are great for grow rooms
Something most people don't realize as well is that the Thermostat on the Oil Filled Heaters(analog) do not measure the room temperature around the heater. It is a thermostat for the Oil. This is why it is so challenging to control temperatures with them.
(Simplified Example) Heater set to med high heat (100). Oil temp reaches 100, heater turns off. Radiating oil heat continues. Oil temp drops to 95, heater turns back on.
If you are trying to hold lets say 70 deg temps but the heater is set to a high temp, you will actually exceed 70 deg in the room. It is a balancing act between High Oil Temp, room temp, and outside ambient temp.
Oil might need to be at 120 deg if the room is not well insulated and cooling faster to keep a steady 70 deg, or to even bring a large temp change as quick as possible. And yet once the room is warmed up with a well insulated room oil temp could be at around 71-72 deg to keep a room at 70.
I grow up at Malaysia that don’t have winter . 365 days every days is summer . This year move to Turkey during winter and don’t know anything about heater AT ALL . Thanks to your video a lot for sure cause it’s does give me the info that I needed most . Thanks .
Hope you can learn to enjoy the cold! It is not great all the time but sometimes it is super nice!
That is great.i do the winter thing and hate it.england.
My apt has baseboard heat so I bought an infrared heater. Heats a large room quickly and creates a heat that doesn't dry out my air or me. I love it!
wow... this man is a gift to humanity, true dedication for the greater good and for KNOWLEDGE.
I bought a Mica heater thanks to you. I didn't know such a heater existed.
Wow, when I typed in the search bar I didn’t expect to get some home grown data, I expected to see a bunch of reviews and basically advertisements for particular sellers heaters, thank you so much for this!!! I too watched it all 😬
I’ve never seen such a thorough review and I look for reviews on everything! This has given me real help, answered questions I had, and now I know which heater to buy. Honestly I’ve never been helped by a review so much. Thank you 🙏 from 🇬🇧
very different now with oil/price/global supply chain issues/ukraine/russian shit
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
GREAT VIDEO! Lots of hard work and it will be appreciated by many!
To the readers:
This may cut yours bill in half or more. It did for me.
We have heated our entire house with 3 oil heaters ( 3 bedroom, 2 bath, large laundry room, eat in kitchen, living room & den on a single level floor plan) Our air vents were located in the ceiling and the fuel to fill our tank cost $300+ for a month and with the oil heaters was $125 or so a month for the cost of electricity. And that was with them running on high around the clock even during the coldest months.
The ceiling fans did not help with the fuel but did help the heaters. Sold us for sure because it was cheaper and cozier.
You have to leave all inside doors open so that the heat can fill the house. We would close bedroom doors at night while sleeping and the room would cool to a perfect 65° for sleeping.
We did this for 8 years but now have moved.
If you have ceiling vents and high fuel cost, this may be an option for you.
I use an oil heater, and living in the mountains have found that the heat from the oil heater is comfortable and heats a room at an even temperature. If you heat during low energy hour times, they don't cost much to use if you put them on a low setting. My kids are grown, so I don't have to worry about someone knocking it over. I can also keep my room warm during the night when I am not using the room by leaving the oil heater on a low setting to keep the air temperature tempered and not too cold, making it easy to heat the room in a few minutes when turned up higher. I don't care for heaters with a fan that blows heated air because I have allergies and don't want to keep cleaning a filter. The oil heater seems to burn off the dust accumulated and requires less maintenance.
Good idea about keeping it on super low overnight
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
CERAMIC WITH FAN would have beat the fanless mica, if he had used the full 1500 watt setting. Ceramic fans heat-up rooms very quickly
.
Seems like most people prefer the oil radiator
I am a fan of oil filled radiators! Quiet (maybe too quiet, I have forgot to turn off a couple times) and mine is 30 years old and works like brand new. When I see the electric turn off and still feel the heat radiating from the fins I sleep like a baby!
I’m with you as a ac heating tech the radiator works great for me 😊
i love my oil filled heater it goes on n off and keeps me warm on low .
I use it as a permanent fixture near the window of an exterior wall to combat heat loss thru the poorly insulated wall and window.
Due to the poor insulation of the home and constraints of the furance ductwork design, the second floor doesn't heat well.
My oil radiator helps keep an even temperature in the space 11ftx12ft, on the lowest setting 600W.
Even on really cold days where the temperature in the room would otherwise be 3 or 4 degrees below the thermostat (located on main floor) setpoint, the radiator makes it comfortable and consistent.
Don't know that I'd use it to be the soul source of heat for the room (especially a larger one), in the instance where there was no furnace heat.
The middle and high settings cut out intermittently on the high temperature limit switch at higher integral thermostat settings, and such safety switches are not intended for controlling regular operation.
which is nice heater 1200W or 2400W which is better the higher w or the lower w?
I have an oil heater from the 1990s. Still works well! Unbreakable!
You seem to be sad.
Please don't be
You give joy and hope to folks who have little to spare for comfort......
What a blessing to help so many and to ask for so little..... You are admired for this shared effort you have given, even though it was difficult to do.
Blessings to you.
This was a great service to all people looking to buy an electric heater. You satisfied my inner geek/comparison shopper wanting to buy a simple heater for my bedroom. This time I'm going to get a small ceramic, at the end of winter I think I'll buy another oil heater. Thanks for your months of research!
CERAMIC WITH FAN would have beat the fanless mica, if he had used the full 1500 watt setting. Ceramic fans heat-up rooms very quickly
.
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
It's nice to see a UA-camr actually calculating costs based on simple mathematics. I always get asked to do the same where I live in the Uk and most people don't understand, or care to understand the maths required to make an informed choice based on the real costs. Welll done for that..!
Thanks for your comment! I am definitely a lover of spreadsheets!
I like when a normal person does and extensive like testing....it makes it seem real and not a commercial....I do appreciate all your work.....TY...
Took your advice and bought myself a micathermic heater... Best decision ever! Thanks a million for doing all the research and providing a real solution!
Btw, there is no noise at all! That's the most important feature for me 👍
Great info..I just bought an oil filled radiator to heat the hall and washroom areas in my condo. It works great, is safe and it has wheels so doesn't matter if it's heavy. I like them because we used them all winter long 24/7 in the cottage without any problems 👍
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
Good video. I drop the house temperature at night 10 degrees and use an oil filled heater in the bedroom. I turn it on medium an hour before I go to bed and the room gets quite warm, then I put it on low and lower the thermostat to the around 20 percent of max so when the room temp drops, it kicks in at some point. When I wake up, the room is still quite warm.
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
Probably more efficient to leave the house temp at normal, but close all the vents. The rest of the house will get cold, but your bedroom still hot
In my house I really only heat two rooms: Bed and TV room during daytime. The other rooms rarely get used, so those vents are closed
Great video! I'm a fan of oil filled. Gives off heat between cycles, and no noisey fan going on/off.
Yeah but they take all day to heat up the room.
Been using the oil filled heater for years and very happy with the performance and safety of it.
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
Thank you so much. My electricity bills during the winter make even buying enough food difficult, and now that I'm able to work from home, it's safe for me to use a space heater, so I'm hoping this year I can keep my place at an okay temperature and not be in debt at the end of the season because of it.
Not sure how cold place you live in, wear more warm clothes. Good socks, one boxer brief and one boxer and other warm clothes.
Can’t believe I just sat here and watched the whole video but so glad I did. Thanks for taking the time to educate me with sum need to know tips and advice👍definitely need to do more study videos 💯
I have an oil filled heater that seems to work fine - slow to heat up, but can have a steady output. Drawback - mine seems to have been painted in an oil based paint, that out-gasses when hot. 3 years later, it still smells.
Thats the oil burning slowly, thats the smell not the paint lol
@@TechwithSTONE4 How do you refill it? Is it just 10W40?
I've used Oil Filled heaters since 2006 and cut my electric bill in about half and never when back to using forced air/central heat since. 4 of then heat my home all winter. they store away spring summer and fall and only come out when it gets cold. They work so much more efficiently and your not blasted with cold air like central heat . My choice will continue with the oil filled heater until something comes along that's even better.
I just commented the same thing and then I read yours.
Like you, I will never give mine up.
@@shannon6352 I dont have a favorite brand, they are all made the same or equally as good. I will say when I turn mine on I turn on let the room warm up when it's comfortable i lower temp till it clicks off. then i leave it alone after that i don't really mess with it unless i have to. and there will be times you will need to adjust just not often. they are not instant heat it's radiant heat if you turn it off an on when it's cold u will have to wait a while for things to warm up. so it's better to set and leave alone and up if gets colder down if gets to warm but do it in small amounts till your happy and comfy :)
You're
I bought the oil filled radiator this year to replace the infrared (because they are not as good for as long as they used to be) and because I have a German Shepherd service dog and the fan in the heaters collected her fur so bad that it was blowing a lot of allergens into the room. The radiator type holds the heat. The sides of my long ranch house stay colder than the middle and keep the house comfortable and turning down the HVAC thermostat at night and just use the radiator in the BR.
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
I heat an entire 425 sf home with a Delonghi brand analog mica panel heater. It does a great job for very reasonable cost. I use a small fan-type heater for a few minutes to warm the bathroom before I shower.
How much mould are you housing with that simple concept?
Thanks for your advice. I use oil filled radiator and sit inside a see through sports tent. Best way. Warms up in minutes.
you are so original .. so unique .. so informative... so helpful ... Bless your soul.
Love my oil filled electric heater.
Well done. Easy to understand, covered all points I am interested in.
Honest, fair comparison, no biasing.
Thanks for the video. I have an oil heater in my bathroom. I have it at 1 1/2 dial. It does keep my bathroom comfortable. I have 2 infrared heaters. One in the kitchen and one in the living room. Considering that we are going through an ice storm, I only keep my kitchen heater on for 5 hours on low. After that, I shut it off. I do not have my living room heater on. This helps to keep the electricity cost way down. I do wear a jacket and a hat. We can save money with these heaters, We just need to be resourceful. Throughout the day I only have my bathroom heater on, until the next morning, I start the whole routine again.
Much appreciated!! I've been going in circles online looking to buy a couple heaters. My apartment isn't well insulated & windows r terrible. The work I have to do on them every winter isn't fun. So I thank u for saving me lots of time
Spend your first money on sealing the windows. You can lose half the heat from leaky windows. There are a lot of youtube videos on window sealing and building inside storm windows.
@@kkarllwt inside storm windows? expensive?
better check with your land lord most do not allow these type of heaters
There are oil radiator heaters with digital readouts which makes easier to set. Plus, I put a fan behind mine to warm up room faster and stir air so more consistent heat in room.
Fan idea probably helpful......had one for a time....not much warmth unless right next to it....1500 watts...most of these heaters....thats all your going to get is 1500 watts worth.....not a whole lot,...
Ceiling fan works best to move the heat that rises to the ceiling and circulate it around the room. Plus it's cheap to run.
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
I use a Pelonis oil filled heater on low [600 watts] all weather long here in north Idaho. no fans, no fire danger AND it's 100% efficient. twenty five to thirty five dollars on e-bay AND my coffee cup rests on top of it nicely. works for me. Doesn't eliminate all the humidity out of the room so my guitars don't get dry and crack. can't beat it. has more advantages but don't come to mind. good luck with your choice
how do you know this?
@@dufus2273 Ignore him, he's what's known as "a moron"... Bay Area electricity rates run 15.59c per kilowatt/hour (I found some San Francisco rates at 18.9c per kilowatt/hour) and Northern Idaho rates are about 8.67c per kilowatt/hour, if anything since he's a moron HE is paying nearly DOUBLE what you would have to pay for the same usage of power.
These are very efficient and definitely longer lasting than quartz infrared but take longer to heat and the thermostat on mine doesn't stop until around 70+ which bugs me. A timer used with one of these to turn it on an hour before waking up would be max efficient for space heaters. Just bought a quartz infrared to try them out but I'm just gonna fire up the wood stove. Lots of work and it's 80 degrees or nothing but it doesn't use any juice
Every electronic Heater is 100% efficient
Just so you know no sticker is needed when the video is as informative as yours was and for that I thank you. Details mean everything, charts help immensely, stay warm out there!
I first watched this video over a year ago and as a result purchased a mica panel heater. I’ve been very happy with it and actually just purchased two more for other parts of my older, not very well insulated, two story home.
Anyway - I came across this video again when trying to organize my Favorites folder and decided to re-watch it. I love your friendly, direct style and your attention to detail (great spreadsheets!). Your blue eyes are pretty nice too! Thank-you for going to the trouble to share your research!! Looking forward to checking out some of your other videos!!
1500 watts equals approx 5600 BTU, that is all you can expect from ANY space heater. The real determining factors are the cubic feet of the area to heat and how well you can hold that heat in that area, ie insulate.
I think that is the key. Understanding your room and making sure you heat fast and don't lose that heat. Thanks for your comment!
this was going to be my comment - thanks for beating me to it!
So a small plug in heater in a small room is not so bad? 🤔 Oh well. I only use it when taking a shower. Otherwise, it's cold in there :/. I close off rooms.
Thank You so much because I needed this information because we cannot wast any money
Thanks for the video. When I had a small apartment I loved my oil-filled radiator. It was certainly cheaper than the baseboard heaters. Pro tip- get a DeLonghi or other Italian radiator. Why? Italians know how to make boilers and pumps. (The city of Venice; Italians invented espresso machines). I bought a cheaper one several years ago. It worked well until it failed within a week of purchase and leaked oil all over the floor.
Would it heat my 400sq ft home?? Thanks
@@silverhustlin1390 Yes. Easily.
The oil filled heater is my favorite and is the safest. I put it on low range, 800 watts, and put it next to the couch where I will spend time on my laptop. I throw a blanket over it and myself and let the heat build up under the blanket. The thermostat dial is marked and set to1/3 of the high setting. This combination makes for a very comfortable time in a cold house. I plugged it in to the EcoFlow during a power outage and it tends to be easy on the battery state of charge. I hear only a click from thermostat once in a while and otherwise it makes no sounds at all.
This guy is awesome! Great video and information. I’d prefer the mica heater but my wife likes to drape her towel over a heater while she showers, so we have to stick with the oil heater…or burn down our house. Our oil heater has lasted almost 20 years now.
1500 watts (120vac) can only give you 5100 Btus no matter what heater it is. The btu load loss is determined by how well the room is insulated. Other than that very good info.
Right. The amount of heat delivered by all types of heaters is exactly the same. The only real difference is how it is delivered: by convection, infrared radiation, or forced air.
Thanks I needed the info and not from the companies that make them.
One of the most useful videos I've watched, and I don't say that lightly. Subbed!
2021 ...From the U.K....Very helpful and interesting to watch .Gave me enough information to make a personal decision .
Good video. As a former HVAC service technician with some knowledge of electrical, i will try to explain something to everyone. All electric space heaters are 100% effecient. By this I mean that pretty much 100% of electricity is being converted into heat and sent into the room. If you heat your house with a gas or oil furnace a percentage of the heat is lost up the chimney or out the exhaust. Your average space heater is rated at 1500 watts. The formula is volts x amps=watts. An average US household outlet is rated for 15amps and has 120 volts which is approximately 1800watts. This is why you almost never see a household space heater rated for more than 1500 watts otherwise it would trip the breaker. He is correct in saying that they are all pretty much the same efficiency wise. As far as how they distribute the heat, I guess that's a matter of personal preference. Just don't be fooled by claims of high efficiency electric space heaters. Look at the electrical rating, if it says 1500 watts it's going to use the same amount of electricity as the cheapo space heaters sold at Walmart.
I like the sounds of an oil heater, snap, crackle and pop.
Thank you for generating data, presenting it logically and being concise. Good job!
Outstanding! Great work! I can't thank you enough for all the time you put into this effort, not to mention on the superb way you delivered your results.
I use space heaters in two rooms of my home where the 1950s era forced hot-air duct system doesn't work well. I have used milk-box, oil filled, infrared, and ceramic heaters - all with varying degrees of results (forgive the unintended pun).
Your observation / conclusion of turning the space heater to its highest setting to heat a well insulated room as quickly as possible for maximum efficiency (least cost) was a true revelation for me.
I agree with you, what an outstanding work, really good results!
I knew a firefighter who fought a fire that originated in the oil filled heater. Apparently, the thermostat stuck to the on position and the heat range was set to high, or 1500w. The oil heated up to the point that the pressure inside burst the casing, squirting hot oil onto the floor, causing the fire. I would suggest using any oil heater at the low, or 600w position. If the thermostat sticks in the on position, it would not likely get hot enough to cause a fire.
Thats a lie. Thats a definite lie.
All kind of heaters should have a safety thermostat
@@louisfriend1851 Agreed...
Great help. I always wondered about my oil-filled heaters, and now I know. Saving money on heat is really important to me since I am a terrible person to be around if I am cold. Thanks again for all of your hard work!!
Don't be fooled by sales nonsense.. The amount of energy is excactly the same, never mind which source you are using!
Try study insulation possibilities, instead of following physical nonsense.. ;)
@@OmmerSyssel
The oil itself becomes a heat sink. Once that oil is heated it will cycle off and come on to keep it heated where as others run a fan and the element pretty much constantly.
Electric heating is 1:1. Burn 1500 watts electric and get 1500 watts heat.
Oil heating adds the inefficiency of heating 2 different things: Oil & then the air. Ceramic heats the air directly without the extra step.
Adding a fan improves efficiency by heating the whole area. Without a fan, the heat stays concentrated in one spot (not great)
Thanks for the work you did on this.
One problem with heating the room very fast is that the walls, furniture, etc. don't absorb all the heat so the room cools faster and the unit has to cycle more until the room reaches mean temps. This is why oil filled may be the best overall solution.
tf are you talking about? It doesn't matter. People really need to understand electrical and thermodynamic sciences better. Most of these ceramic heaters actually heat the air really fast. Over time the heat will transfer from the air to the furniture and walls. Conversely an oil heater also does the same thing just incredibly slower because it must heat up the mass of the oil first. There's no advantage to that. Who cares if it cycles more times? At least the ceramic heaters will heat the actual air in the room. The oil heaters will cause most heat to slowly travel upward toward the ceiling, you know, where most people aren't, and cause most of it to be lost unless you leave it on for ridiculous amounts of time. At least with the ceramic, it's 1) fast at heating the air, and 2) spreads the heat around more quickly so that it CAN actually transfer some of that energy into the furniture and walls and floors, instead of just going up the ceiling until hours later when it finally fills the entire room. Therefore, you're more likely to save more money with the ceramic as you run it less overall and the heat is in a place you use it and is not being lost thru the ceiling as much. Ultimately the best are probably all the radiative style heaters because they heat "black bodies" or YOU and your furniture directly. instead of your house.
@@johnjingleheimersmith9259 Both have a COP of ~1 so it depends on the amount of time you are in the room, the size of the room and what you're looking for. Ceramics cycle on and off, that's not a constant room temp, it depends on the hysteresis of the heater. You're not at a constant temp until the room approaches the set heat level, the human body senses that difference. Cycling with oil filled is different because the heat doesn't stop instantly, there's residual temp and you don't have a large temperature differential, it's also easier to control the temp. So, yes, until the room itself absorbs the heat oil filled is a more comfortable option. Over a long period where the room absorbs both systems they're the same and consume relatively the same power.
If you're sitting in a room with an oil radiator next to you I think you're better off than heating the whole room room with air blowing around. My wife likes the fact that the oil radiator doesn't make noise and blow air and dust around or at her. No filters to clean either, so there are pluses and minuses to both systems, they're both inefficient, you need a heat pump before you begin to realize a higher COP.
"tf"? Clean up your act and learn to be civil.
@@mosfet500 Don't make inane statements that induce such a reaction and you'll get less of them
@@johnjingleheimersmith9259 I clarified and supported my statement, address that.
@@johnjingleheimersmith9259 tbh both of yous can get fked.
I love my Mica Panel heater in how fast the heater works. The down side is that the power cord get's hot and causes the outlet wiring to get red hot and melts the insulation in side the wall outlet and poses a fire hazard. If any one has one do not leave yours unattended as the wall outlet could become so hot that it starts a fire inside the walls before you even notice smoke seep thru the outlet holes.
dude; are sure you didn't just get a lemon? I've used a mica style for 2 winters now and my cord never gets hot - and i added a 6' appliance cord to it.
Now i Did have a very old oil filled melt like that but after replacing the plug i haven't have the issue...yet
Great video!
Thank you for all the work that you did, you answered so many questions I had. Going to go buy a new oil heater. Thank you again for sharing.
Amazing analysis. So many options out there and in 15 min you taught me how to buy a space heater. Kudos from one excel guy to another.
The BEST analysis on YT. Great job.
With all electric heaters, it's all about the wattage. If 2 devices are both using 1500 watts, they are putting the same exact amount of heat into the room, the only difference could be the delivery of that heat. For example, the oil filled radiator is just using convection while one of those small brick units may use a fan to blow warm air around. So from a whole room perspective any 1500 watt heater puts the same amount of heat in the room.
I agree, except that a fan, and to a much lesser extent, a lighted control, convert some of the wattage to light, rather than heat, so they are less efficient.
Precisely. It doesn't matter what type you use, the wattage is the only factor.
@@backcountyrpilot you are talking .00001% of the power used for a light or fan since the fan and light also produce heat.
Right? I had a good laugh when he pulled out the spreadsheet and tried to claim heating a room hotter/faster is more efficient. Anyone who knows basic electricity and thermodynamics should realize the efficiency is solely determined by your house's insulation and sealing if you want to heat a room since producing heat is the one process that is 100% efficient. That being said, if you want to heat yourself and your seating area then a heater with a dish radiator pointed at your sitting position is almost certainly the most efficient since you don't need to warm the entire room in that circumstance.
Not quite right, the oil- filled heaters come on and off to a thermostat so if the heating element is on only a third of the time, your heater rated at 1500 Watts is consuming 500 Watts. Please see UA-camr Mathias Wendell’s video on the topic. 😊
Awesome research and analysis work! Very kind of you to share the spreadsheet so others can generate their own scenario. Sending you a warm room full of good karma.
True
I found that a ceramic heater under my desk dried my eyes the heck out. I use a 700w oil filled heater under there now- much better. No fan.
I know this struggle. It's real.
I like oil filled too for the same reasons. The plants in my office prefer it too.
I love the way u did the thorough analysis with supporting data.. thank you so much
We have been using our oil filled heater in the living room for the recent cold spells. 400 sq/ft room stays at 75 deg.F on High/3.
We have a fan assisted quartz heater in the bedroom. Heats up fast on high, maintains comfortable temperatures on low. We usually turn it of around midnight.
What model?
It's like taking a class with a very professional textbook science teacher. Amazing look at space heaters, and so thoroughly tested and researched. This is why geeks are really the coolest, and Big Bang Theory is so popular. Fantastic job and thanks for all of your work! Fantastic, now I can make an educated choice. Safe travels!
How you doing Dan?👍
I found the oil heater to be the most efficient and effective in my front room of my house and I got a 300 square foot front room.
That is not how it works... They all use resistive elements as the heat source. The elements are 100% efficient, so it not possible to get more efficiency out of any of the heaters. So no, electric oil heaters are not more efficient.
@@Mr_Wh1 it is if your talking about human comfort!!
@@reddawgrup1779 Resistive load is 100% efficient.
Good job. This took a lot of time and effort. I liked the way you discussed the pros and cons.
Exactly!
Thanks for your comment!
this is one of the best surveys I've seen. very well done. thank you for clearing up the ceramic heater 'scenario'. well done.
Don't know about the U.S but in th the UK electricity prices has home crazy this last year.
A good guide. Thanks
From Scotland
Thank you so much !
This is one of the best reviews I have ever seen on UA-cam !
Good job! Everything is a trade-off. Just depends on how much heat you need, how quick you want it and how much you want to have to spend on it. Good research! Thanks!
Agreed. All the heat is basically the same. Just depends on features you are looking for. Thanks for your comment!
@@TutorialGeek Thanks for a fine video and so is wood or oil. Just depends
on who you want to deliver your heat. The power company, the oil truck or
maybe go out and get some dead wood yourself and maybe build a fire if
you have a place to build one. We're still going to have to pay someone or
use our time, the most precious commodity of all. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for this. I recently purchased an electric fireplace and I love it! Looking to buy something smaller and more easily portable for another bedroom. You really helped me out here! Thanks again!
Thanks for a plain speaking easy to understand video. Love the instruments in the background.
Thank You , I was using ceramic heater heating my room and it cost so much. Glad I see this report and help me to decide what to buy "and" how to use it efficiently.
That was an excellent review-in that it is very helpful and time well spent to understand the specific strengths and weaknesses of each type. Thank you.
Very thorough research. Thanks for taking the time
Love the careful and thought out scientific processes! Thank you for the work you’ve put into this video
SPLIT or DUCTLESS heat pumps cost ~$800 and most efficient at single room heating. Then can produce upto 6 times more Watts of Heat than they use. (The units in the vid are only 1 time efficient.)
That’s because they don’t actually make the heat. They just “pump” it from the outside air to the inside air (thereby concentrating the heat inside your building).
CERAMIC WITH FAN would have beat the fanless mica, if he had used the full 1500 watt setting. Ceramic fans heat-up rooms very quickly
.
The first 40 secs - So assuring, just what I wanted to hear 😃
I really like the well thought out spreadsheet. Although I’m not a spreadsheet person, you were able to communicate the point across with substantiation
The oil filled heaters are by far the best, the are the most safe and by far the cheapest. I tested 2 oil filled heaters set on 600 watts against an edenpure quartz set at 1500 watts. The two oil filled produced more heat, even though they were using 1200 watts versus 1500, and they would occasionally cycle off, using much less power at that point. They are the most inexpensive to buy and operate. I use them to assist heat in cold rooms and even heat outside buildings (well insulated) to a normal living temperature. I always run them at 600 watts, the most efficient.
Agreed . the oil heaters I hated beacuse I never had before! About 3 years ago I bought one than I reailzed they are very good and safe especially with thermostat and last year I got another one..best time to by heaters is end of the season
@@swift4311 One of my family members had one and ran it for 18 hours as a test, it warmed up a large room from 15c to about 19c, but cost almost £6!
that's physically impossible
Hello. Can you recommend a brand pls?
I found that using a ceiling fan set in reverse along with an oil heater, infrared or probably any space heater for that matter will circulate the heat and move it from the ceiling around the room. Helps the heater to heat a large room more effectively, quickly and uniformly, and it's extremely cheap to run.
insulation is key
@@pjo2386 excactly, unbelievable how many people is unaware of this simple fact.
We started insulating all housing in the late 70'ies and building regulations has been increasing in demand every ten years or so..
Many in UK still has zero clue about this topic, and prefer dealing with extraordinary expenses and unhealthy living places!
@@OmmerSyssel yes, even a bookcase against a wall will insulate
You are right. Hot air goes up and cold down. Thus, a ceiling fan in reverse helps moving the hot air downwards.
It's not only cheap to run the ceiling fan, but it is absolutely free when you are heating electrically. The fan motor gives off some heat also to the room. Lights are also free. You don't save any money by turning them off.
I wish everybody did reviews and tests like this!
Very helpful, thank you.
A mate of mine go back and forth about what kind of space heater works best and your experiment answered all our questions.
I would think any company that manufactures or markets heaters would be foolish not using your study.
Wow. That's how you do a review. Data. Fact. Research. This guy needs to do budget oversight for the federal govt. This is the most in depth review I've ever seen. Thank you for helping me decide what space heater to buy. Da y um....
Fantastic information. Well done. Appreciate your work . thanks a lot.
In my well-insulated home, the oil filled heaters are my only source of heat. I have the main one that stays on all winter, in the bathroom with a quartz heater that I turn on when I take a shower because of the infrared instant heat . That one heater on low heats the whole house to about 64 degrees F. for most of the winter. I find that a constant heat to a certain level is more efficient than trying to quickly heat up a room unless I am only going to be in that room rarely. My home is only 950 sq ft so it isn't difficult to keep warm enough for me. If I bake things, the gas stove heats up the house even more while cooking. For women, I suggest warm socks, slippers and a quartz heater extra as women seem to be cooler than men.
@@shannon6352 The oil filled heaters are all pretty similar as far as I can tell. I suppose some are made with higher quality switches but you can't tell that unless you take it apart. I don't like to leave heaters on that have hot coils like ceramic heaters because of the fire danger. The oil filled heaters are great even with little children because they can't burn themselves or turn a knob and make it dangerously hot.
Thanks for taking the time to make this excellent video. I got precisely the info I was looking for. You saved me alot of time and hassle
Glad this helped. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks so much! You have no idea how glad I am that this video exists
I've owned every type of space heater there is....and honestly though I didnt think it would be in the beginning but the oil filled was my favorite! I could feel the heat better and longer with it!! I could also shut it off and still feel the heat from the heater/it stayed hot awhile! Also one time I had a baseboard type heater(it was long and not high at all.I forgot what they were called but it always too heated the room up faster and the room stayed hotter!! I havent seen one of those in a long while! And both used less electricity!!
I share my 900 sq ft home with my teenage son. I find that it's cheaper to simply heat the rooms we occupy rather than heat the entire home. It's also cheaper to conserve energy rather than produce it so make sure any/all drafty windows and doors get addressed. You also don't include gas heaters in your group, only electric. Naturally propane, kerosene and even butane heaters are far more expensive to use but are obviously ideal for power outages and emergency use. In my home I have at least 3 different sources of heat I can utilize if necessary. I love my Mr. Heater portable buddy and only need to run it for 15 minutes and it gets the room I'm in up to 70 degrees, then I shut it down for an hour or two, then repeat until bedtime. They're great not only for supplemental heat but also for camping, RVs, vanlife, ect.
I use an oil filled radiator heater in my well insulated shop bathroom and I’ve been very happy with it. I have tried a couple of different electric radiant fan forced heaters, but they never could keep a consistent temperature in the space. With the oil filled heater, the temperature always feels the same and you can’t even tell when it’s on or off. Don’t know about whether it’s cheaper to operate than the other heaters I’ve tried, but it seems like it should be as it doesn’t have a fan to run, and I can set it to a lower wattage and still maintain a comfortable temp. Now that said, I have tried that heater in larger areas that were not well insulated and it was a waste of time to run. There, a large fan forced radiant heater was the better answer. It all depends on your application........
infrared heaters reduce condensation (and eventually mold) since it doesn't warm the air (moisture carrier) but objects.
So which do you recommend please
This sounds like another loaded claim of the manufacture....similar to how a lot of companies would claim "efficiency". It's probably somewhat true, but they are putting a spin on it to make it sound impressive. All heaters technical would help prevent condensation by not letting the area get cold enough to the dew point. Warming the air or an object would not matter because a warm object will heat the air around it ...and everything is surrounded by the same air as we don't live in a vacuum. If you really have problems with moisture then you might want to looking it the reducing the humidity of the air.
Phenomenal research, my friend! Wow! Well done! I'm going to share your data with my data science bootcamp students, and we will visualize your work, and send it back to you. If you like it, feel free to use it as you see fit. Thanks again, for a wonderfully done experiement on a fantastic topic!!! Cheers!
BRAVO. You EXPLAINED things. I watched 3 different vids from 3 different guys showing off the oil radiator type. "It has THREE power settings." And?????? Idk what that means or what that does. All 3 said nothing more than "It has THREE power settings" except "Low, Med, & High". And?????
So thank you for 1) reviewing FOUR different types; 2) being so thorough with the features AND the pros & cons AND the expense differences.... Much appreciated.