Edenpure heater
Sun Twin heater
Beware of that heater. It's extremely overpriced, and the advertising is misleading and incomplete. From the information supplied, it's an electric heater that uses a quartz heating element to generate heat, and is housed inside a cabinet that does not get overly hot. It uses a fan to circulate hot air around the room and aids in keeping the cabinet cool. The fact that the outside of the cabinet stays relatively cool is a plus, since burns and fires can indeed occur from electric heaters that have hot outer surfaces, or are placed too close to combustible materials.
Also, fires can occur when clothing and sheets are draped over heaters by accident.
The advertising for the EdenPure does not state the wattage or BTU rating, which is suspicious. They apparently don't want potential buyers to comparison shop based on the wattage rating and price. However, since it does plug into a "110" volt household circuit, the power consumption (and heat output) is probably no more than 1500 watts, which puts the amperage draw at about 13 amps, (assuming an actual 117 volt circuit.) Most household 110 volt devices draw no more than about 13 amps, since more current will start blowing fuses and tripping circuit breakers. At $397, that's a very expensive 1500 watt electric heater, since other types are priced between $20 and $65. There are other electric heaters that stay relatively cool on the outside; small units with ceramic heating elements and fans stay cool, and will only overheat if the air flow is blocked by furniture placed too closely, or by clothing draped over the unit. All electric heaters have thermostats that should keep them from overheating, although you have to trust that the thermostat will function quickly and reliably.
The type of heating element is actually not significant for a convection heater, whether it's a Ni-Cad hot wire, ceramic, or quartz. (For a purely radiant spot heater, the quartz heating elements do work well.) All electric room heaters are essentially 100% efficient, although radiant heaters are best for spot heating, and convection heaters, with or without fans, are better for room or area heating. (Convection heating means that warm air circulates around the room, either by a fan or by hot air rising without a fan.)
The advertising for the EdenPURE also implies that their heater alone does not reduce room humidity, does not use up room oxygen, and does not generate carbon monoxide. Actually, no electric room heater does any of those things. Room absolute humidity is not affected by a heater, but relative humidity (dependent on air temperature) will be reduced by all heaters. No electric heater uses up room oxygen, as can propane, natural gas, or kerosene heaters that draw their combustion air from the room. No electric heaters generate carbon monoxide, as can propane, natural gas, or kerosene heaters that are not vented with a chimney to the outside.
So, for nearly $400, you're not getting anything special with the EdenPURE. I use electric oil filled radiators for keeping small areas warmer than the rest of my house. They're a bit bulkier than most other electric heaters, but they're completely silent, and the surface temperature stays low enough to avoid burns and fires. They should not be covered with clothing or other objects, however, since that may cause them to overheat. A radiator unit with 600,900, and 1500 watt settings costs about $60. A ceramic element heater with a fan of the same wattage rating is priced at about $20 to $30.
This unit is also offered in full-page ads by Biotech Research.
Http://www.edenpure.com/product_info.php
Http://www.suntwinheater.com/home.html
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