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Wall mounted or free standing electric convector heating...

Convection heaters

In a convection heater, the heating element heats the air next to it by convection. Hot air is less dense than cool air, so it rises due to buoyancy, allowing more cool air to flow in to take its place. This sets up a constant current of hot air that leaves the appliance through vent holes and heats up the surrounding space. They are ideally suited for heating a closed space. They operate silently and have a lower risk of ignition hazard in the event that they make unintended contact with furnishings compared to radiant electric heaters. This is a good choice for long periods of time or if left unattended. They are very safe heaters and there is a very low chance of getting burned.

Environmental and efficiency aspects

The efficiency of any system depends on the definition of the boundaries of the system. For an electrical energy customer the efficiency of electric space heating can be 100% because all purchased energy is converted to building heat. However, if the power plant supplying electricity is included, the overall efficiency drops. For example, a fossil-fuelled power plant may only deliver 4 units of electrical energy for every 10 units of fuel energy released. Even with a 100% efficient electric heater, the amount of fuel needed for a given amount of heat is more than if the fuel was burned in a furnace or boiler at the building being heated. If the same fuel could be used for space heating by a consumer, it would be more efficient overall to burn the fuel at the end user's building. Not all fuels are suitable for building heating; for example, emissions controls required for coal combustion are too expensive for household-scale furnaces.

In Sweden the use of direct electric heating has been restricted since the 1980s for this reason, and there are plans to phase it out entirely - see Oil phase-out in Sweden - while Denmark has banned the installation of electric space heating in new buildings for similar reasons.In the case of new buildings, low-energy building techniques can be used which can virtually eliminate the need for heating, such as those built to the Passive House standard.

In order to provide heat more efficiently, an electrically driven heat pump can raise the indoor temperature by extracting heat from the ground, the outside air, or waste streams such as exhaust air. This can cut the electricity consumption to as little as 20% of that used by resistive heating and thus reduce the environmental impact.

Electrical space heating can still be economic where electricity supplies are low-cost. Where the primary source of electrical energy is hydroelectric, nuclear, wind, or other carbon-free source, it may not be practical to exploit that resource directly in heating applications but grid electricity can be conveniently used. Electric space heating is useful in places where air-handling is difficult, such as in laboratories.

Choosing the best heating solution is an important decision which is why, at Dimplex, we try to make it easy for you. So whether it’s a large new build, refurbishment project, or heating for a single room, you know when you select Dimplex you are choosing from the largest range in the UK.

One of the benefits of Dimplex heating is that it’s suitable for any type of house, with a solution for just about any type of room. We offer solutions for whole house heating with central control and hot water, through to portable products for localised heating.
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