Which radiator is better?

Portable radiators are an option recommended to heat small apartments or second homes.

If the climate isn’t too cold, a removable heater has several advantages:

1. They are cheap
2. They can be moved from one room to another
3. You don’t need any type of construction or installation

To these three advantages, you could also add that it affects your spending. If you're going to use it to heat during specific times, you can save a lot on electric consumption, especially if you contract a rate that allows you to choose the times at which electricity is free for you.

We present you with the most used types of radiators so that you can choose according to your needs.

Butane heaters: cheap but inconvenient

• Work with: butane.
• Advantages: they quickly heat any room and consume relatively little, and so they end up being cheap.
• Disadvantages: you need to change the canister when it runs out, and so you always need to have a replacement handy. In addition, they consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide, and so they are not recommended for small spaces like bedrooms and bathrooms.

Paraffin heaters: fast but with little autonomy

• Work with: liquid paraffin.
• Advantages: ideal for large bedrooms. They heat up very fast and include air safety systems. Plus, because they don’t weigh very much, it is easy to move them from one place to another.
• Disadvantages: they have much less autonomy than butane heaters. If the fuel of a butane heater can last 60 hours, paraffin runs out in 18 hours. It is very important to verify that they have both an anti-spill system and a filling alarm. After the fuel runs out, they must be refilled with paraffin. Even though it is more simple than with a butane canister, it is still a hassle.

“The problem with the butane and paraffin heaters is that they have to be refilled every certain hours of use.”

Electric heaters: comfortable, but they dry out the environment

• Work with: electricity.
• Avantatges: these hot air heaters provide a fast and intense heat. They are perfect for small rooms (for example, heating the bathroom before showering). Small, manageable and extremely simple to use.
• Disadvantages: to generate heat, they consume oxygen, and so if they are turned on for several hours, the environment substantially dries out. They can also end up consuming significant electricity, unless you concentrate their use on the free hours that are part of the Happy Time Rate.

Convectors: silent but contraindicated for people with allergies

• Work with: electricity.
• Advantages : fast and powerful like their cousins, heaters, but are more silent, because they are based on radiant heat (infrared). Some models have a fan that helps to distribute the air around the room. Cheap and recommended for bathrooms, kitchens or small rooms.
• Disadvantages: they tend to accumulate dust on the vent, and so they are not an option in a house where people with allergies live.

“Electric heaters and convectors are a good option in small rooms that need to be heated quickly”

Halogen radiators: only for reduced areas

• Work with: electricity.
• Advantages: the heat they emit is from radiation, similar to sunlight, and so they are very pleasant. They fit practically everywhere.
• Disadvantages: they are created to heat specific areas and not an entire room. They only heat the area toward which they radiate, and not the air in the room. They reach high temperatures, and so it is not recommended for them to be near furniture or children.

Oil radiators: long-lasting heat, but they are slow.

• Work with: electricity.
• Advantages: : ideal for prolonged use and to heat dining rooms or living rooms. They don't make any noise, and their good thermal inertia makes their consumption moderate. They also don't generate waste or inconvenient changes of fuel: the oil is inside the coils and so they do not burn or need to be replaced. Once turned off, they conserve heat for a while.
• Disadvantages: they heat slowly and are bigger and more cumbersome than other options.

“Halogen and oil radiators share the virtue of being very silent.”