Types of heat explained

Understanding the different types of heat and how they work is a great way to decide on the type of heating products you want to use in your home, but often the technical terms can get confusing. We are here to clear the air on the three main types of heat provided by household heaters: convection, conduction and radiant - helping you to make a more informed decision.

Convection heaters

Convection heaters work by pulling cold air through the bottom of the heater and passing it by a hot element (thus warming the air up) and pushing this warm air out of the top of the heater. As the hot air rises, it pushes any cold air downwards. This cold air then gets pulled through the bottom of the heater and the process repeats until the air in the room is at the set temperature.

Radiant heaters

Radiant heaters work by warming people/objects and not the air. They create rays of energy that will only convert to heat once it hits and is absorbed by the body or object. A great example of this is the sun. On a cold day, when you stand in the sunshine, you still feel warmth on your face, but when you stand in the shade, you no longer feel the radiant heat it produces.  

Conduction heaters

Conducted heat is that which travels through a solid object. For example, if you heat a bar of iron at one end, the other end will eventually become hot. This is a relatively slow process, so most modern heaters do not rely on this technology.

 

What type of heat is better?

The optimum heat type for human comfort is actually a blend of 80% convected and 20% radiant heat, ensuring both you and the air around you are warm, so look for a heater that features a mixture of both technologies. An excellent example of this is our range of oil free eco portable radiators.

 

 

Want to learn more about the types of heat? Check out our video below.