2000W/2200W Electric Ceramic Tower Heaters $59/ $79/ $99 @ Bunnings

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  jackvdbuk on 07/05/2019 - 17:49

  These any good? Fancy the 59 one if it can heat a bedroom

  • 

    Huntakillaz on 07/05/2019 - 18:33

    I've got one similar to the $79 one I bought 3-4 years ago Moretti brand, it works well in my studio apartment. The oscillation stop working though but heating works fine.

    Gonna pickup the $99 one to replace the old one. I'm assuming its slimmer and lighter.

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  doubledippps on 07/05/2019 - 19:52

  How energy efficient is these?

  • 

    phillq on 07/05/2019 - 20:36

    They all use around the max a household plug can handle, therefore a LOT of power, however ceramic heaters are the next best after heat pumps.

    • 

      Senior Mouse on 07/05/2019 - 21:57

      +1

      Hi, would you kindly explain how ceramic heaters are the next best thing to heat pumps in terms of efficiency? It is my understanding that all electrical heaters that make heat via resistive heating are fundamentally the same i.e. 1 Watt of electricity creates 1 Watt (1 joule) of heat. Not sure how ceramics create any advantages for these heaters (maybe in heat retention?)

      • 

        manual0103 on 07/05/2019 - 22:30

        you would be correct and is what my research returned when I was looking for the 'best' electric heater for my son when he was born. heat pumps are the only electric heater that gives greater return per unit of energy used, due to compressors with volatile gasses >.>

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          Huntakillaz on 07/05/2019 - 22:51

          @manual0103: Yeah when i researched few years back it was heatpump>Ceramic>mica thermic

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            Huntakillaz on 08/05/2019 - 00:29

            @Huntakillaz: added some links to read if you want to know more about heating types

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          Mykey on 08/05/2019 - 00:42

          @manual0103: What are volatile gases?

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            Avantime on 09/05/2019 - 00:20

            @Mykey: @Mykey Air conditioners can leak, but it's rare if installed and serviced correctly, especially in a static home environment. The refrigerant gases are toxic, and contribute to global warming if released.

            The air con industry is trying to keep ahead of ever-tightening regulation by switching from R410a to the R32 refrigerant, which is better for the environment. However R32 has a higher fire risk.

      • 

        Encounter Ekambaram on 08/05/2019 - 08:34

        That's true. But what needs to be accounted for is how the heat is dissipated- conduction, convection and radiation.

      • 

        phillq on 08/05/2019 - 09:04

        Consumer magazine did a study, I no longer have access to the online portal's report, but ceramic heaters were the highest on the recommended list compared to all others.

      • 

        Avantime on 08/05/2019 - 23:10

        All electric space heaters are practically the same in heating efficiency.

        Fan heaters (like Ceramic heaters) are a little bit more efficient as it helps to distribute the heat around the room quickly, at the expense of noise. The issue with non-fan heaters is that they just create a hot spot around the heater until there's enough heat to get the convection going (might never happen if the room is too big) which may not be where you want it to be. That's why many convection heaters also has a built-in fan.

        The ceramic is just a fancy material that can get the airflow heated up a little bit more quickly, compared to old-fashioned resistive wire coils. I mean someone's gotta sell those premium ceramic & micathemic heaters, it's in a product category where efficiency gains over the last few decades have been practically nil.

        Electric space heaters are generally considered inefficient, and no one uses them (Alternatives are usually Oil/Gas/Biomass central heating and district heating) unless the electricity price is low, or for the occasional cold night.

  • 

    manual0103 on 07/05/2019 - 22:28

    +1

    TBH most electric heaters are pretty efficient these days and are much of a much-ness, as in you get out what you put in, regardless whether it is oil/ceramic/element. the scam is the marketing on the "eco" panel heaters, as these will only help maintain a room temp not actually heat a room. again because you get out what you put in, so if you only drawing 200w it is only gonna do a 10th the heating of a 2000w heater. only electric heating that is truely efficient is a heat pump as you get out more than what you put in.
    Personally I run oil heaters on timers in the bedrooms over winter as i find they retain the heat between the timings better than others. However everything comes with a trade-off, electric heaters that heat up quicker cool down quicker for example.
    and most heaters like ceramic and oil have different thermostat functions so it may do a 600w on low/1500w on med/2000w on high type scenario, so you don't always have to pay for the full 2000w power draw if it isn't a particularly cold night for example.

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      phillq on 08/05/2019 - 09:06

      You are totally correct, the difference between heaters with fans in them, however - is that the fans distribute the heat much more evenly and quickly totally around a room compared to a non fan-powered heater like a oil fin heater.

      • 

        Nil Einne on 09/05/2019 - 20:59

        +1

        Yeah normal electric space heaters are all more or less equally efficient at converting electricity into heat since it's a fairly simple process. (Remember that when people talked about something wasting electricity, it mostly means in the form of heat.) How well they get that heat to where you want it varies on several factors including what how much of the heat is transferred in what form (infrared vs convection). Generally having a fan is best but it does depend on your precise requirements.

        IMO while consumer report type things can be simplified it's well worth reading a NZ focused on for heaters. Oil filled heaters tend to have a very poor reputation due to the way they take ages to heat a room so people often turn them on long before needed and then stay hot often long after people have left. They might be useful in bed rooms if you're planning to turn them on in the evening and keep them off for the rest of the night, but I wonder with modern thermostats and timers whether some alternative might be better even there.

        Heatpumps/ACs are a different category since don't primarily operate by converting electricity into heat. Instead they mostly move heat from one location to the other. (In hot weather from the inside to the outside, in cold weather from the outside to the inside.) Because of that, the way to measure the performance is not in efficiency but their coefficient of performance and they also can't operate so well if the gradient is too great. (So air source heat pumps work particularly well in NZ since our weather is fairly mild. In very cold places, ground source heat pumps can be worth it despite the added cost.)

        Also given the wet climate of a lot of NZ, if you aren't using a heatpump it may be worth operating a dehumidifier depending on various aspects of your house design and heating system. It could potentially reduce your heating bill by more than the added cost of running the dehumidifier.