A Guide To Choosing the Most Energy Efficient Heater in 2023
With the cold snap of June-August Aussies faces yet again the challenge of remaining warm & cozy while keeping our wallets full. Heating and cooling represent 20 to 50% of the energy used in Australian homes, so correct managing of your heating appliances is crucial if you want to make the most out of your energy usage without compromising your hard-earned savings. In this article, we will delve deep onto energy-efficient heaters, their types and what should you consider before purchasing an energy-efficient heater.
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Why Should You Purchase an Energy Efficient Heater?
Winter is one of the harshest seasons for our energy bills, and solely relying on our natural gas for our heating can be both unnecessarily expensive and inefficient.
Fortunately, there are plenty of options we can follow to ease this burden. One of the most popular choices to do so is by relying on our old trusty heaters. After several months of gathering dust in our storage, it’s time for these bad boys to shine again.
Other heating systems like ducted heating or underfloor heating can be extremely power-heavy, so finding a good heater and using it appropriately can be the cheapest way to heat a room.
However, you should be careful about choosing your heater. Non-energy efficient heaters and portable heaters can also be power-hungry beasts and significantly increase your electricity bill.
For this reason, it is extremely important that when you chose your heater, you go for an energy-efficient heater, that is, a heater that is highly efficient in producing heat but that consumes little energy. The easiest way to find the best energy-efficient heater is to pay close attention to the Energy Efficient Rating.
What Is the Energy Efficient Rating?
Most appliances in Australia follow a simple star-rating system. The more starts, the more energy efficient they are, and the cheaper they’ll be in the long run.
Since the 1970s and 80s, the Australian government has been keen on promoting a conservative approach towards energy consumption whereby different energy-consuming products and appliances are rated to measure their efficiency.
Back then, this initiative was simply called “conservation”, today, we call it The Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) program. It’s quite the mouthful, but it’s actually very simple. Different appliances are labeled according to their energy efficiency and then given a score.
How To Read The Energy Rating Label
When going on a hunt for the most energy-efficient heater, always pay close attention to the Energy Rating Label.
In the label, you will find two main pieces of information:
- The energy consumption figure
- The star rating
The Energy Consumption Figure
This is a number that gives you an estimate of how much energy (kWh) the appliance will use over a year. Of course, this will vary depending on how you use the appliance, but it will give you an idea of what is the average consumption for that product. You should always look for low numbers, as low-energy heaters will also be the cheapest in the long run.
If you are looking for reverse cycle conditioners, you will find a slightly different label that doesn’t contain any kWh numbers but is instead divided into three different categories that represent Australia & New Zealand climate zones. The blue stars indicate cooling efficiency and the red stars indicate heating efficiency.
NOTE When looking for an energy-efficient heater, the price tag is just the first thing you should consider. An expensive heater that is highly efficient can be cheaper in the long run than an inefficient heater that will drain your electricity.
The Star Rating
The star rating of a product is calculated through algorithms based on an output/input model. In other words, the energy efficiency of an appliance vs the energy it consumes.
Of course, the data that is taken into account is different depending on the appliance (with a television, for example, you take into account parameters like the screen size). When looking for energy-efficient heaters, you are looking at the heating performance (capacity output) vs the kWh needed to reach that performance (power input).
Depending on how energy efficient the heater is, it will be ranked on a scale of 0-10 stars, with the 7 to 10-star heaters being considered the most energy-efficient.
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Types of Energy Efficient Heaters
Whether you are looking for the cheapest way to heat a room or a small energy-efficient space heater for tight spaces, you will find plenty of options in the market.
Below is a list of some of the most popular energy-efficient heaters in Australia. Select the energy-efficient heater you are interested in for a drop-down list of its pros and cons:
Fan Heaters
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Heats up quickly | Noisy |
| Affordable | Slight risk of fire if in contact with fabric |
| Precise | Only for small spaces |
Radiant Bar Heaters
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| You can mount them on floors & walls | Targeted heating |
| Quiet | The bars are a fire hazard and hold a burn risk for pets & children |
| Does not circulate the air | They are power hungry if used for long periods |
Convector Heaters
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| They heat the air in a room evenly & quickly | Less energy-efficient than fan & radiant heaters |
| Safer than radiant & fan heaters | Can take some time to heat a room |
| More affordable than radiant heaters | Noisy |
Oil Filled Heaters
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Good for heating large rooms | They take longer to heat a room |
| Quiet | Does not distribute the heat evenly |
| Very low risk of fire, good to use overnight | Less energy-efficient than other options |
Gas Heaters
PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| They heat up fast | They are the most expensive option |
| They are the greenest option | Potential risk for a carbon monoxide leak |
| They can heat very large spaces | Shorter lifespan than electric heaters |
Which Is the Best Energy Efficient Heater?
There is no such thing as the best energy-efficient heater, but you can always find the best energy-efficient heater for you.
Some energy-efficient heaters can last for decades if they receive proper maintenance, so finding a good one is always an important choice.
Make sure to ask yourself the following questions before purchasing an energy efficient-heater:
- What is the size of the room (or rooms) I want to heat?
- How many rooms do I want to heat?
- Do I need to carry my heater around?
Which Energy-Efficient Should I Buy? Ultimately, choosing the best energy-efficient heater for you depends on your needs, but always look for the most energy-efficient options. After choosing what type of heater works best for you, consider the cost of running it in the long run. Sometimes, a heater with a steep price can be cheaper in the long run than another one that is less energy-efficient, so don’t forget to read the labels and compare the power usage of the different heaters.
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