Everything about Space Heating totally explained
Space heating is the
heating of a space, usually enclosed, such as a house or room. A
space heater keeps the air and surroundings at a comfortable temperature for people or animals, or even plants in a
greenhouse. Space heating generally warms a small space, and is usually held in contrast with
central heating, which warms many connected spaces at once. Space heating doesn't include
water heating, unless it's used for
hydronic heating.
Heater types
While central
boilers that heat buildings and houses heat space, the term space heater is normally used to refer to relatively small heaters, especially those that are portable or wall-mounted. These space heaters may use
natural gas or
propane, but they're most commonly electric.
Electric heaters are safer because there's no danger of
carbon monoxide poisoning. They are also cheaper to buy. However, they're often far more expensive to operate, because electricity is typically more expensive per unit of heat energy produced than gas or propane.
Modern electric space heaters usually have
ceramic heating elements rather than
nichrome wires, and are fan-forced with a
blower or
squirrel-cage fan. These distribute heat much more evenly, and allow them to be encased in
plastic, nearly eliminating the chance of
burns or
fire. Window and wall units, often seen in
hotel rooms, are permanent space heaters. These often employ
heat pumps, which use reverse-cycle
air conditioning to provide heat to the inside rather than the outside.
Propane space heaters are generally one of two types, radiant (infrared) or circulation-type space heaters. Infrared propane space heaters function to heat objects which in turn heats the surrounding air whereas circulation type space heaters heat the air directly using a fan or convection. Additionally, propane space heaters are either vented or unvented. Unvented space heaters are low capacity heaters used to heat living areas but are not allowed in bedrooms, bathrooms or confined spaces due to fire danger and the possible accumulation of flue gases at high levels.
Kerosene heaters were once common, but may easily cause a fire, and must be completely cooled before being refueled.
District heating
In some countries
district heating is a major source of space heating. This is especially the case in
Scandinavia. District heating systems make it possible to distribute all of the energy for space heating as well as
water heating from waste heat from industries,
power plants,
incinerators,
geothermal heating and
central solar heating.
Efficiency
In most areas,
fossil fuels are burned to create heat, which is used to boil water and create
steam to turn a
turbine that turns a
generator that produces electricity. The
efficiency for the process ranges from about 20 to 60%. Another 5 to 15% is lost in
transmission, depending how far the
power plant is from the user.
Gas heaters on the other hand, use the heat from combustion to directly heat the space through
convection, which is much more efficient.
The energy lost in for example turbine driven power plants is utilized for
district heating in
combined heat and power (CHP) plants. When space heating is supplied by district heating from CHP plants, the total energy efficiency approches 100 % (and may even exceed 100 % based on the
lower heating value of the fuel).
CHP is a major part of the strategy for
energy conservation and
global warming prevention in
Scandinavia - and increasingly in the rest of
Europe.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Space Heating'.
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