Panel heaters or skirting heaters?

Ivy_Green

Hi all

I feel like I'm being a bit dim here-whats the difference? Is it purely the size of the things?

Farway

Purely size, visual appearance & convenience
Both cost same to run, Kilowatt for Kilowatt

matelodave

Effectively, yes although skirting heaters tend to circulate heat by convection - heat rises up through the grills and heats the air so the whole room tends to get warm as the warm air circulates.

Panel heaters heat by radiation and a bit of convection - you can feel heat from them when you stand back a bit and air passing over them will be warmed but not in the same way as with a convector heater. You might feel warmer when standing close to them but they'll take longer to heat the whole room as the air doesn't circulate like it does with a convector heater. It's a bit like being in front of a fire - your front is warm but your back is cold.

However heaters of the same rating will produce the same amount of heat and generally cost the same amount to run although you may feel that one might be a bit warmer than the other