Few things are as lovely as getting to spend as much time as you want on your patio.
With a patio, you’ll have a place to enjoy the outdoors without leaving your property. You can use it to receive guests or unwind by your lonesome after a hard day at work.
For a patio to become more inviting, it has to be comfortable at all times. It needs to have cozy furniture, the right amount of shade, fans for the summer, and ample heating during the colder months.
Setting up fans for the patio is easy enough, but deciding on outdoor patio heating options will require a lot more thought.
If you’re torn between electric outdoor heaters, gas-powered heaters, and other types of patio heating, here are some tips that might help you make your choice.
Wood-Fired Patio Heaters
If you want to go old-school, then a wood-fired outdoor heater would be the perfect option for you.
Of all patio heaters, those that use wood as a fuel are the most affordable. Unless you live in the middle of a huge city where firewood is hard to come by, the wood you need for a fire pit or a chimenea will always cost you a lot less than electricity or gas.
While fire pits and chimineas do provide a great atmosphere and are cheap to operate, they do require a lot of maintenance. After all, the burning wood produces plenty of ash and soot, and you need to clean them out regularly for optimum operation.
Another downside of going for wood-fired heaters is the resulting smoke, which can affect one’s health. The open flames are also harder to control and could lead to an accident, especially if you have pets and little kids running around.
Electric Patio Heaters
When it comes to convenience, electric patio heaters are at the top of the list. After all, all you have to do is plug them in whenever you get yourself some patio time.
Electric patio heaters are quite effective at keeping the cold at bay. Electric outdoor heaters keep everyone warm through infrared heat, which they produce by energizing an emitter. Heating an entire area may take some time, though.
Electric outdoor heaters also come in a variety of designs. You can go for tabletop electric outdoor heaters or free-standing ones that you can place anywhere on your patio. If you want to save space, buy hanging and wall-mounted models, which require installation in specific spots.
While easy to use, electric patio heaters can be a bit more expensive to operate since electricity tends to cost more than gas and wood. They also need to be placed near electrical outlets, which can prove to be inconvenient.
Gas Patio Heaters
If you have a bigger patio than usual, you might want to opt for gas-powered patio heaters.
Once you turn them on, gas patio heaters heat up the area quickly with their flames, which are quite easy to control through their knobs.
If you’re going for gas patio heaters, you have two primary options: propane and natural gas.
If you want portability, propane patio heaters are the ones for you. Since each heater has its own propane tank, you can move them wherever you need more heat.
If you want a heater that’s more economical to operate, you should go for one powered by natural gas, which is generally cheaper than propane.
Keep in mind, however, that the upfront cost of a natural gas outdoor heater can be higher, from purchasing the unit itself to having it installed by a professional technician.
You will also be sacrificing portability since a natural gas outdoor heater needs to be in a fixed spot because it’s hooked up to your natural gas line. You cannot just move it to any other part of the patio whenever you please.
When buying a patio heater, you also need to consider several other factors, including the size of your patio, how cold it gets in the winter in your area, and how you intend to use them. That way, you should be able to make the right choice for your outdoor heating needs.
About the Author
Anna Fox is the Content Marketing Strategist of Señor Mist, a Phoenix, Arizona-based company that provides high pressure misting systems/fog effects, comfort heaters, patio drop shades, hvls fans and more. When not writing, she makes use of her spare time reading books and hiking with her dog, Blaze.
