tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878590899839339556.post3819854745975937388..comments2014-12-17T17:03:43.209-08:00Comments on The Energy Don's Blog: Cold Shoulder for Patio HeatersEnergyDonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784721883384550027noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878590899839339556.post-72018949329919294222013-03-14T02:05:13.019-07:002013-03-14T02:05:13.019-07:00That's a good point, @plumbing. In a room, a 1...That's a good point, @plumbing. In a room, a 1.5kW heater will over time warm up the room because the warm air is effectively trapped inside (OK, some may leak through doors, windows etc.). Indeed most of the perceived heating effect is by coming into contact with warmed air, rather than by direct infra-red radiation from the heater.<br /><br />However on a patio, there is nothing to trap any warm air and so you can only get a warming effect by standing directly in front of an infra-red heater. This makes it even less efficient as a way of keeping warm. Arguably, if there are a group of three or four people all standing in a huddle in front of the infra-red heater, they will get as much benefit from the heat being generated by the other people, and a shelter effect from any reduction in wind chill from standing in a group. <br /><br />The logical conclusion is that maybe someone should sell a dummy infra-red heater (a bit like a dummy speed camera); people will stand in front of it and feel warmer because of the effects of each other, and also because they think they are are being warmed by it!EnergyDonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784721883384550027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878590899839339556.post-88462343382798988082013-03-13T22:12:16.006-07:002013-03-13T22:12:16.006-07:00It is warmer in direct sunlight than in the shade ...It is warmer in direct sunlight than in the shade because the shade blocks out a lot of the light, and like our natural big outside heater, infrared heaters in your home will only warm areas directly in front of it.plumbinghttp://www.plumbingsuppliesandfittings.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878590899839339556.post-65182302871713787992013-03-11T09:28:47.214-07:002013-03-11T09:28:47.214-07:00Sneakily, @heater_patio added a link to his site s...Sneakily, @heater_patio added a link to his site selling these devices. However in the interests of free speech I am leaving it in place. This gives us the opportunity of seeing just how much energy these guzzle. Firstly, the electric ones appear to use 1.5kW - that's half the level of a traditional 3 bar fire for indoors, and I don't think that these would actually make much impact on a cold evening (apart from on your energy bills, but even there they may be manageable). <br /><br />The LPG ones are another matter altogether, going up to a massive 13.48kW. Sure, they'd keep you a bit warmer outside (a fleece might do the same, of course) but assuming perfect combustion, they'd emit CO2 at the rate of 2.9kgCO2/hour - that's about the same as driving a modern supermini car about 14 miles. OK, individually it's not going to destroy the planet, but I don't think that the damage/reward ratio is especially good. And it does help place this in context: if you can persuade your visitors to cycle to your barbecue rather than drive their Chelsea tractor, perhaps you can feel smug about having a high power patio heater.EnergyDonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784721883384550027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8878590899839339556.post-86600155108377988232013-03-08T04:24:51.027-08:002013-03-08T04:24:51.027-08:00There's been another small victory in the batt...There's been another small victory in the battle against energy waste, as British leisure retailers are falling over themselves in a rush to stop selling <a href="http://patio-market.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">Patio Heaters</a><br /><br />heater patiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03540018789626600278noreply@blogger.com