Three Things to Consider When Buying Building Heaters

There are some professions that come to a seasonal halt with the arrival of autumn and winter, but construction is not one of them. Because of the constant demand for new housing and expanded commercial and industrial spaces, construction must keep going year-round, rain or shine. This can make for a very uncomfortable worksite in the dead of winter as the high winds and low to freezing temperatures kick in, especially in uninsulated half-built buildings that are in constant exposure to the elements. That’s where a building heater comes in.

It’s for the safety and the comfort of your employees to invest in a worksite building heater. An industrial building heater is designed and constructed to work against the onslaught of low temperatures, even in a windy space, but since building heaters can be costly, you want to know the most important matters to consider when buying a building heater. Here are the three most important things to consider.

Size of Space – Size of Heater

The first variable you need to know is how big your space is. Your site may be many thousands of square feet; however, your crew may only be concentrated on a relatively small space at any given time. In this case, it’s obviously more worthwhile to save with a cost-effective building heater that doesn’t need to be strong enough to heat multiple rooms.

In order to know what size of building heater you will need to warm your space, there is a formula you can plug a few variables into to determine which size is optimal. First, measure the three dimensions of the space (height, length, width) to determine the cubic feet. Next, determine how many degrees Fahrenheit you want to raise the temperature by. Finally, multiply the cubic feet by the degree of rise by 0.133, and round to the nearest thousand. This will give you your desired BTU rating.

Type of Heater

The next factor to consider is the type of heater you will use—simply put, whether you think it’s better to go with a kerosene, propane, or electric heater. Kerosene and propane building heaters can be efficient, and the fuels are relatively low-cost, but there is the constant safety matter of possible ignition of fumes or too much exhaust in a closed-in area. These can only be used in highly vented places.

Electric building heaters tend to be much safer, eliminating the ignition and exhaust hazards. However, an electric building heater often requires an accompanying fuse panel, particularly if you are using multiple building heaters.

Energy Requirements

Once you know your BTUs and the type of building heater you’re going with, you need to know what the energy requirements of your building heater are. In the case of kerosene and propane heaters, you need to know the consumption rate per hour so you can be prepared with ample fuel reserves to make it through the day. In the case of electricity, knowing the amount of watts your building heater will consume (whether it’s single-phase or three-phase) will determine the size of the wires and connectors you will need for a safe and efficient hookup.

Best Selection of Building Heaters

What you want in a building heater can be highly variable, and you need to choose from a wide selection of building heaters. For the best selection of highly efficient, cutting-edge design electric building heaters, contact KCD Energy.