400w Energy Saving Panel Heater
Comes with a stand or can be wall mounted.
Arlec Energy Saving 400w Panel Heater $29 @ Bunnings
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Have the same questions. Wounder if it would be worth putting the the bedroom with a timer to turn on before we wake up
Good for smaller rooms, no larger than a double. And oh, for well insulated house would be more ideal.
This is a 400w panel. A $20 fan heater can do 2000w
Low-wattage electric panel heaters are advertised as cheap options but they do not provide a lot of heat. Energywise warns that they usually do not give off enough heat to bring a room to comfortable and healthy temperatures.
Some only produce as much heat as a couple of lightbulbs.
A test by Consumer showed a panel heater took 21 minutes to raise an insulated room's 8C temperature by 2C. An oil column heater took just 8.2 minutes.
Panel heaters are fine if all you want to do is take the chill off an already warm-ish room. If you want real heat, you are better at looking at other options.
A test by Consumer showed a panel heater took 21 minutes to raise an insulated room's 8C temperature by 2C. An oil column heater took just 8.2 minutes.
If it's 400w vs 2000w in that example, then you are getting better efficiency (Heat/$) from the 400w heater. Did they not think of testing 2 400w heaters at either end of a room vs a 2000w heater? That's still well under half the energy consumption, but could be close to as quick using their test method.
I'd imagine people don't want to buy multiple heaters - the panel heater is IMO more a space saving solution than a proper heating solution. Also this panel heater doesn't have a thermostat.
All electric space heaters have roughly the same heating efficiency, but a 400W panel heater will take ages to heat the room especially when you compare it with a fan heater that circulates the hot air around the room. And if the room isn't well insulated the heat loss over time might just overwhelm the panel heater.
Yea, can't really argue with that. Although, most people don't just run a heater for a few minutes. So, if it took 20 or 30 minutes to heat a room with either a $20 400w panel heater or a $20 2000w fan heater, and you were still running it 30 minutes or an hour later, the room would in theory already be the same temperature, according the the Consumer study anyway. This would mean that over longer periods of time, in a smaller sized room, the panel heater would save one a fortune in electricity bills.
@Shaw: A 2000W fan heater has more than enough power to heat up a small room, and with a thermostat it will turn itself off when it reaches the desired temperature, so you're technically running it in ~10 minute bursts. Whereas a 400w panel heater will have to be run continuously to heat the room. And in a very cold day, the room may not reach the desired temperature.
A fan heater is great at heating a small space quickly, but it's rather loud. An oil-column heater is quiet and the oil retains heat, but it heats up slower and the heater is bulky. A panel heater saves space but it's not powerful enough to heat anything more than a small room, and the heating is very slow due to the low wattage.
@Avantime: yes you are right, it takes a long time to heat a room so it's more ideal to have a separate timer on or knowing that you'll be in the room later and switching it on in advance (like how you'll turn the electric blanket on much earlier before laying in bed). Similar concept, just the perfect timing is needed.
And as mentioned in my 1st comment, no larger than a double sized room then there wouldn't be an issue. There are more powerful ones of 600w to 800w which are meant for larger areas.
@bigbosssnake: You also have to think about the uneven distribution of heat in a large room, if the panel heater is placed next to a wall. As hot air rises the heater will create hot spots on one side of the room, and without a fan it will take time for air to circulate, meaning the other end of the room may stay cold for a while.
IIRC If you have a large room, placing a convection or oil column heater in the center of the room will assist air circulation (the hot air that rose to the ceiling will spread out on all sides) and heat the room faster. Or you can simply use a fan/radiant heater and point it at yourself.
Exactly - these heaters don't have enough heat output for efficient reasonable time heating.
For small rooms these are fine.
Aren't these low wattage heaters normally used in linen closets etc? To keep towels etc dry.
I think those are much lower than these. We had one in a damp wardrobe, it was tiny.
That's 60watts usually
I have used these in small rooms, especially small bedrooms, and they are great for that. A nice warming effect and very low electrical wattage consumption. (Not the harsh heating of an electric element type heating, which burns - drys the air your breathing badly). They are not designed for - dangerous - to dry clothes on!.
This particular deal is a real bargain folks for 2 reasons: 1) This offer has the special heat resistant feet addons included, most don't so you end up with no easy ability to move the heater around. (It requires a wall type mount arrangement). And 2) the pricing on this type with the feet is usually around $70 + standard pricing, and this at only $29 is the lowest pricing ive ever seen, brand new. Only draw back is this is the basic model type so no variable thermostat or timer built in, but you can plug it into a cheap wall power socket timer, so no problem. These will probably sell out fast, so suggest folks grab one or few asap.
The one with a timer is $49. Do you think its worth the extra 20 over the basic one?
Hi Gpig. Thats abit of a tricky question. On the one hand you have the convenience and extra amenity of a buit in timer. But it means the likelyhood of cheap chinese electronics of the timer, means that after the warranty period that heater timer could go bad and then the heater may not switch onn at all without a competant fixer. As cheap manual plug in timers are available for as low as $7, i personally would not pay the extra $20. Hope that helps. (Oh' for those who are watching this listing conversation: the info displayed on this product's carton is a little confusing, as it does not indicate it has the feet / stands. I believe they are in the box, marked in smaller print as "…includes the free standing kit… " sort of wording. I got myself one of these heaters late yesterday as an extra for my place, but havnt had chance to unpack/check it out yet. Enjoy….
I would have to agree with Robdee, just get the normal and get some manual timers, i got a 2pack from mitre 10 ~4 months ago for around the $10 mark and they work primo.
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed but ican be converted from one form to another.
In electric heaters electrical energy is converted into heat energy. The better a heater is at converting electricity to heat, the higher the efficiency. Most electric heaters are over 99% efficient. So definitely a 2000w will dissipate more heat tham 400w.It all depends on where you want to use, do you want quick heat, do you want dry air, do you want to save space etc. As far as energy saving is concerned, its a myth.
+1 my pet hate is "energy saving" panel heater. Such a crock of shit. The only energy saving devices are heat pumps, all other heaters are all 100% efficient. A panel heater does not save you money, infact you could argue it cost you more because you are having to pre-heat up your room for longer period of time before you can enjoy the desired temperature.
400w…. Has anyone got one of these? Are they any good?