Space heating

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Space heating is the heating of a space, usually enclosed, such as a house or room. A space heater keeps the air and surroundings at a comfortable temperature for people or animals.

[edit] Types of space heating

While central furnaces that heat buildings and houses heat space, the term space heater is often used to refer to relatively small heaters, especially those that are portable or wall-mounted. These space heaters may use natural gas or propane, but they are most commonly electric. Electric heaters are safer because there is no danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. They are also cheaper to buy. However, they are far more expensive to operate. Space heating does not include water heating, unless it is used for hydronic heating.

[edit] Efficiency

In most areas, fossil fuels are burned to create heat, which is used to boil water and create steam to turn a turbine that turns a generator that produces electricity. The efficiency for the process ranges from about 20 to 60%. Another 5 to 15% is lost in transmission, depending how far the power plant is from the user. Gas heaters on the other hand, use the heat from combustion to directly heat the space, which is much more efficient.