Electric Bathroom Heaters

Experts: Save energy while keeping your cool

Seguin’s Utility Director William Bissette said one of the keys to saving money is keeping your home at a steady temperature.

“In the summer, raise your thermostat to 78 degrees and in the winter lower the thermostat to 68 degrees — this will save you approximately 18 percent of energy,” he said.

GVEC spokesperson Tammy Thompson echoed Bissette’s sentiment adding that constantly changing the temperature could cost more money.

“Don’t try to cool off your home quickly by lowering your thermostat excessively,” she said. “Your home won’t cool any faster, but you will waste energy — especially if you forget to turn it back up.”

Both also suggest changing the air filter on the AC unit at least once a month to keep an optimal airflow.

“It’s also important to have your system checked for refrigerant levels and other maintenance issues that, if left ignored, could cost more in the long run than the initial cost of a checkup,” Thompson said.

Sometimes the problem isn’t the air conditioner, but the room it is cooling. Thompson suggests checking for leaks.

“Plug leaks to keep cool air from leaking out,” she said. “Take the time to caulk and weather strip window and doors, confirm that fireplace dampers are closed tight, and make sure openings in the walls and ceilings like attic doors are sealed and insulated. The relatively low cost of materials you’ll use will provide a lot of bang for your buck.”

And don’t forget to close the door, Bissette said.

Another way the experts recommend to maintain a cool home is to make sure all windows are covered.

“Close the blinds or shades to reduce heat gain in windows that receive direct sunlight,” Bissette said. “On cooler days, use fans and open the windows instead of using the air conditioner. Also use exhaust fans in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry areas to remove heat.”

Light bulbs can mean the difference in saving a couple of dollars, Bissette said.

“Use lower wattage and compact fluorescent bulbs and turn off lights when not in use,” he said.

Running major appliances in the middle of the day can be costly, Bissette said suggesting waiting until the early morning or late evening before starting them up.

“Use the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer during non-peak hours,” he said. “Wash and dry full loads of laundry, instead of smaller loads that require more frequent use of the washer and dryer and clean the filter after each use. Also use the microwave rather than your oven whenever possible.

Bathroom heaters

When it comes to the bathroom, heating is every bit as important as it is in the hallway or living room. However, it is also a very different room with different demands. In most homes, it is one of the smallest rooms, while the presence of high levels of condensation, moisture and humidity in the air can make some people hesitant about which type of heater to choose. For this reason, bathroom heaters have traditionally tended to be the safest rather than best.

While contemporary designers have created more stylish heating items for the bathroom, such as the towel heater, the demands of the more practically minded home owner tends to lead them to the same fan heater options that have been around for years.

What they overlook is the fact that there are night storage heaters and electric panel heaters available that fit the bill, so to speak. And just as a Triton electric shower has made showering a luxurious experience, these heater options deliver an equally satisfying performance, with a certain amount of style.

Of course, it is understandable that a storage heater would be considered unsuitable for the bathroom. Typically, this type of heater is large and bulky, so much so that their heating output is too much for the needs of such a small room.

After all, a bathroom can get close and stuffy very easily when it is subjected to regular family use, with hot water creating a humid atmosphere and the closeness of the four walls serving to make the room that little bit claustrophobic.

Not only would the bulk of a normal storage heater only add to that claustrophobic feeling but the cost of running such a heater would be too great given the actual needs of the room itself. The small, light fan heater, therefore, seems like the perfect solution, hanging on a wall just above head height and operated with a cord to create a hot breeze within seconds.

However, there are versions of the storage heater design that are significantly smaller than those that we are so familiar with. The range of Dimplex mini storage heaters, for example, take up significantly less room than their full sized versions, with widths of just 330mm. That is roughly a third of the size of the larger living room options, and half the size of the smallest heater on the full sized range. The heating ability is also proportionately smaller, at just 850w input load, compared to 3.4w for the largest version and 1.7w for the smallest full sized option.

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