Room Heater Buying Guide – Know Everything About Them Before Buying

Looking to buy a new room heater? Well, your purchase cycle will not be as easy as you might have thought. The mark of a good consumer is understanding your requirements and making sure the appliance you put your hard-earned money into serves its purpose. To help you make the best decision and to buy the best room heater in India, here is a comprehensive room heater buying guide. Buying a room heater will be much easier, if you simply understand what exactly you are looking for. We discuss the types of room heaters, what to look for, and how to get the best appliance possible.

Let us take a look at our room heater buying guide.

Room Heater Buying Guide – How to Purchase the Best Room Heater

Room heaters are a great appliance, especially if you live in colder regions. Most people living high up, generally keep a durable and high-quality room heater to make sure it lasts years on end. However, unlike other home appliances, room heaters strangely do not last a long time. You would be very lucky to find something that lasts you more than 3-4 years even. Or, you could take our word for it, and check out our our room heater buying guide to know the best room heaters available in India.

Taking note of this room heater buying guide can also provide you with a lot of information about how to look for a room heater. Let us see what to look for. Starting with types of room heater available.

Types of Room Heaters Available – Understanding which Room Heater is Perfect for You

The first thing you witness when looking for best room heaters is the sheer amount of room heaters on the market. There are just so many types with different brands putting their spin on it, that it becomes almost impossible to find the right one for your needs.

Well, this is what we are here for. There are different variations of room heaters that are available within these formats. The three mentioned above are the ways and methods room heaters use to heat the room. Within these, there are different kinds of room heaters that are categorized.

Primarily, room heaters work with either radiant heat, conduction, and convection to heat a room. Heaters that use a mix of these methods to help you last the winters with ease also are readily available on the market. They are more devised towards people living in colder regions however.

Besides that, there are also multiple sub-category of room heaters that use different methods to heat the room. You can find a mix of these different styles of room heaters, or find some appliances that work only on one method to help you heat your room.

• Fan Heaters – Ceramic heaters, convection heaters, blowers
• Infrared Heaters – Halogen heaters, radiant heaters, quartz heaters, outdoor heaters
• Oil Filled Heaters (OFR) – Oil heaters, oil filled radiators
• PTC Heaters – Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters

Comparing Different Types of Room Heaters

Bonus: Hot and Cold Air Conditioners

There is another type of appliance you can use for heating your room during the winters. It is the hot and cold air conditioner. If you do not know about these, hot and cold ACs are a new addition to the market. They are exactly what they sound like, an air conditioner that can cool your room in the summers and heat it during the winters.

There aren’t many models available on the internet yet, but the ones that are, are actually quite good to be honest. They are perfect for people living in a place that sees harsh summers and similar winters. Delhi basically is the best place to use this kind of appliance.

You can easily find the best hot and cold AC in India either online, or even in retail stores. Check them out to see if that are really for you.

Now that you know about the types of room heaters, you need to understand what are the feature points that should matter to you, and ones you should not. There are quite a few different features a room heater can offer, and finding the right appliance for yourself is understanding which one will provide the most use.

Factors to Consider when Purchasing a Room Heater

So, now you know most things about what kinds of room heaters there are, and what they bring to you. Now, we shall understand the feature points to look for when purchasing a room heater.

As a rule of thumb, here are the few things you should always give a note to when purchasing a room heater.

• Thermostat control: Temperature control is a must have in room heaters. If you live in a place which sees less then 2-3 months of winters, you can get away with a heater with minimal functions. However, if your heaters sees use most of the year, a thermostat will be really useful to allow for a much better, more comfortable experience.
• Portability: Room heaters are portable appliances. Come to think about it, only OFRs are tricky to move around, not impossible however. Tower heaters can also be difficult to move, but you can still manage.
• Wattage and heating capacity: When it comes to heating capacity of a room heater, check its wattage. Higher the wattage, more heating it can perform. Do remember – more wattage also equals higher electricity bills.
• Heating time: The time it takes a heater to heat up a room is crucial and kind of objective to be honest. If you want your room to get warm asap, get yourself a fan heater, tower heater, or an OFR.
• Auto turn off: Automatic shut off is a very important feature to have in your heater. Check twice for this feature and if the one you choose does not have it, find another one.
• Energy efficiency: Heaters can be power hungry appliances. You can easily get really bogged down by electricity bills if you are not being careful. If you wish to conserve electricity as much as possible, get yourself an OFR, they use the least amount of electricity amongst all the different heaters. Or, you can get yourself a radiant heater. They also do not take a lot of electricity, but also function slower.
• Noise: Noise can be difficult to work with especially if you are planning to leave your appliance on at night. Oil based heaters do not make any kind of noise, radiant heaters are also almost noiseless, while every heater that uses a fan, will make noise.
• Price: Room heaters are relatively affordable to purchase. Only OFRs, outdoor infrared heaters, and tower heaters are expensive.
• Aesthetics: This part is totally objective and depends on how well do you wish to design your living space. If you think of room heaters as simple basic appliances, skip this part. If not, you should understand that radiator-based heaters, tower heaters, and low-key blowers look great within most décor.

Tips on Purchasing a Room Heater – How To Buy One That Fits Your Requirements?

Now, how to go about looking for and purchasing the right room heater for your needs? This is something you would have to give note to to make sure your purchase is not only informed, but also provide the best possible outcome for you and your family.

Here are a few things to consider when buying a room heater.

• Children or pets at home? Avoid infrared room heaters.
• Radiant heaters are great for people living in a smaller apartments.
• Fan heaters work great in most conditions. They might cause allergies, so do be aware of that. They also take up a lot more electricity due to the heating effect as well as due to the running fan.
• If energy efficiency is what you are after, check infrared or radiant heaters. They require the least amount of electricity right after OFR room heaters.
• OFR heaters take some time to heat the oil inside. Once it is heated, you can turn off the appliance and let the appliance use the heated oil to help warm your room up.
• The time required to heat a room differs with the kind of room heater. The fastest is using a fan heater. Tower heaters work really well as well, while blowers are great to heat up one room then move to another.
• Room heaters can also alter the humidity and oxygen levels in a room. For heaters that come with an element or multiple elements that lights up, oxygen levels will drop. Make sure you leave the door open when using heaters that use a heated coil or an element.
• Fan heaters, large heaters, and blowers also cause the humidity in the room to be altered. They can also sometimes cause allergies, especially fan heaters and blowers.
• Safety should also be a primary concern. Always buy room heaters that are branded and listed with a warranty.
• If you need any additional features, make sure you take a look at your desired heater. Adjustable temperature control, automatic shut off feature, and a timer are basic features your room heater must have.
• Portability is a huge aspect of a room heater. While all kinds of room heaters are easily portable, OFRs and tower heaters can be a hassle to move around. Tower heaters can still be moved, OFRs are more geared towards – set down in one place forever.
• If you have a large room, consider buying either a tower heater, or a fan heater for maximum heating potential. OFRs are great for large rooms too, but get those only if you see more than 6 months of cold weather.
• If you have a smaller room, a radiant heater might help you save money, both during purchase and during operation. In smaller rooms, blowers also work really well.
• Most room heaters function with some amount of noise. Radiant heaters and OFRs however work in an almost noiseless approach.
• Finally, there is the price of a room heater. Room heaters are actually quite affordable appliances. If you wish to know the cheapest to the most expensive, here it is. Halogen heaters < radiant heaters < blowers < fan heaters < tower heaters < OFR heaters.

Room Heaters For Different Room Sizes :

• Room Heaters for Large Rooms: The best room heaters for large rooms are either fan-based heaters, tower heaters, or OFRs. If you are the allergic kind, or have kids or pets at home, we do not suggest getting fan-based heaters. They cause a lot of allergies and reduce the amount of oxygen and humidity in the room. This can cause a lot of respiratory issues. OFRs are by far the safest and best room heaters for large rooms. They use less electricity, last incredibly long, and are completely safe to use. If you live in the colder regions, an OFR is a must have.
• Room Heaters for Small Rooms: For smaller rooms, a radiant heater is more than enough. Radiant heaters are relatively safe to use, and provide a lot of convenience throughout. Radiant heaters are not very durable and will ask for a lot of maintenance if you wish to continually use it. Fan heaters can also be quick to heat a small room, which means they are a very economical appliance for small rooms. However, the environmental effects of fan heaters still stand a problem for people with allergies.
• Room Heaters for Medium: RoomsHonestly speaking, for room heater for medium sized rooms, you can essentially use any kind of heater and be pleased with its functionality. We suggest getting radiant heaters for the best experience, fan heaters too, and OFRs if you would need a room heater for the majority of the year.

Best Room Heater Brands – How to Choose the Best Brand for Room Heaters?

This can be another part of the problem with buying from the best room heaters in India. There are a few brands to choose from, and that actually works in your favor. The room heater market is huge and brands fiercely compete with each other to win the consumer favor.

Different brands offer different features, and some are even known for being incredibly durable in nature. From the many different brands in the market, we suggest buying strictly from Bajaj, Usha, Orpat, Havells, Morphy Richards, and Crompton.

Crompton and Morphy Richards sadly do not have a lot of options available in the Indian market, however the ones that are present are pretty effective at their job.

On the other hand, the 4 massive brands in the Indian room heater scene are Bajaj, Usha, Orpat, and Havells. Here is a quick comparison between these brands.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

So, here is a comprehensive guide on how to buy a room heater. There are a lot of things to keep in mind, and understanding what you want is the first and most important step of them all. Choosing the right heater is more about personal preference than it is about functionality. Each heater is good for its own capabilities and can easily be used in most spaces as well. You need to choose between which room heater would provide you with the most amount of convenience. The room heater buying guide above is sure to help you out.

Stay warm, and happy shopping.