A nice outdoor space becomes an extension of your home or business, so why not enjoy it longer into the cooler months with the addition of an outdoor patio heater? Whether you are entertaining friends and family for a night on the patio or hosting an evening event at a bar, restaurant or other establishment, an outdoor patio heater is the perfect accessory to add comfort and warmth even on the chilliest of nights.
Outdoor Patio Heaters add more than just warmth to your outdoor space. They can be an attractive centerpiece and bring ambiance to your space. Unfortunately summer cannot last forever, so learn more about the benefits of adding a patio heater to your deck, patio, or terrace.
1. Patio Heaters Extend the Outdoor Season
Patios are a great place for cooking, entertaining guests, and relaxing so why cut it short just because the weather is changing? Outdoor patio heaters will extend your outdoor season by providing a blanket or radiant heat allowing you to enjoy your patio or other outdoor living space for a couple of extra months or in some cases year round.
2. Outdoor Heating Placement Options and Styles are Virtually Endless
Just can’t seem to keep one side of your outdoor space warm? Heating with an outdoor patio heater offers many versatile placement options, a few different fuel options and an array of stylish designs. There are three fuel types when it comes to patio heaters; natural gas, propane, and electric. Certain fuel types are more portable than the others. Outdoor heaters that use propane or electricity are available in portable and table top, standup, hanging and ceiling or wall mount models. Natural gas outdoor heaters are a little more permanent and are available in standing, in-ground, and hanging models.
Portable
Portable full-sized patio heaters have no fixed fuel line; they can be moved from place to place as the need for warmth arises. Most are designed with a compartment for their fuel tanks.
Tabletop
The tabletop heaters are compact, portable, inexpensive options perfect for providing warmth over a small circle. Many are designed with bases that house small propane fuel tanks.
Ceiling mount
Don’t want to clutter your space? Opt for a ceiling-mount model, which provides all the power and heating capability without getting in the way. These models are built for permanent installment; they are commonly either natural gas or infrared.
In-ground
Built for permanence, power, and stability, in-ground models generally heat a broader radius than portable models. In-ground units are usually built to tap into an established natural gas supply. They are ideal for commercial establishments.
3. Outdoor Patio Heaters are Safe to Operate
No worries about children or pets getting too close to the heater! Outdoor patio heater manufacturers are pioneers in establishing safety standards. Patio heaters do not produce an open flame and the base of outdoor heaters stay cool to the touch so there is no real danger to pets and children being around them. The only part of the outdoor heating unit that will get hot is the emitter screen and the dome at the top of the patio heater since they come in direct contact with the heat source.
Most outdoor patio heaters also feature a safety tilt valve that will automatically shut the outdoor heater off if it is tilted more than a set degree or if the patio heater is tipped over during outdoor heating.
4. Outdoor Heaters are an Affordable Luxury
There is no need to spend an excess of your hard earned money on heating your outdoor living space. Outdoor patio heaters provide all of the outdoor heating benefits that you would expect at a fraction of the cost. Generally an outdoor patio heater can be purchased at prices anywhere between 100 to 900 dollars and are fairly inexpensive to operate.
Based on a 40,000 BTU outdoor patio heater, the average cost of natural gas usage is estimated at $.476 per hour.
Based on the required (3) 4000 Watt (4KWh) for 40,000 BTUs the average cost of electrical usage is $1.316 per hour.
Based on not only the operation of the outdoor patio heater itself but also the average cost of filling a propane cylinder which is about $16 for to fill a 5 gallon tank that will provide approximately 10 hours of heat in an outdoor heater, propane outdoor heaters that produce 40,000 BTUs per hour will cost on average $1.60 per hour to operate.