Convective heat Convective heat is heat which is transferred from one object to another, using moving air or water. Convection heaters work by filling a room with warm air. Fan heaters and ducted heating are examples of convection heaters. Convection heaters are most appropriate if your rooms are insulated, well sealed against draughts and have average ceiling heights. They should be avoided in draughty rooms, rooms with high ceilings or areas with open stairwells.
Some heaters combine the effects of radiant and convection heating.
Hydronic radiator panels, wood heaters, storage fan heaters and many gas heaters function in this way. Firstly, it is important to establish which areas of the home you need to heat, how large the areas are, and how long you need to heat the areas for. Heating individual rooms with efficient space heaters, or installing a zoned central system, is preferable to whole house central heating which heats all rooms regardless of whether they are in use or not. Work through the chart opposite to identify the best heating arrangement for your home. A correctly sized heater is essential for comfort and economy.