Outdoor winter heating
The outdoor areas of your home are like an extra room on your house during summer, and with the right outdoor heating solution, it can do the same during winter. Whether you want a heater that does its job on the sly or wants to make your heat source the star of the show, there’s an outdoor winter heating option to suit you.
Heat your pergola
A great option if you’ve got some sort of roof structure is the electric strip heater. The slim and stylish bars are fixed to the underside of the roof and provide gentle warmth at the flick of a switch. The heaters are also surprisingly efficient, costing less than a dollar an hour to run. Adding clear bistro blinds around the outside of your pergola will enclose the space, keeping in the warmth and the winter chill at bay.
Patio heaters
Portable patio heaters are a good option to heat any area and can be moved to where they’re required giving you more flexibility. The tall heaters with large mushroom heads radiate heat down and out so can cover a wide area compared to their size. They run on either bottled gas or electricity. Small tabletop models are also available to heat an intimate gathering on a balcony or in a small courtyard.
Light my fire!
You just can’t beat the atmosphere and romance of an open fire and with a firepit, it becomes a feature of your garden too. A built in firepit made out of bricks or stone is a great DIY project for your garden while a fire bowl or braziers are more portable and great for paved areas or courtyards. They also come in a huge range of shapes and sizes, adding a sculptural element to the fire.
Chimenea
The pot-bellied chimenea gives you the charm of an open fire and the warmth of a radiant heater in one unit. They work by creating an intense flame fuelled by the natural draught caused by air exiting the chimney. As the fire burns, it heats the whole chimenea itself, which radiates heat to the surrounding area. They’re available in either clay or cast iron.
Stay warm and safe
As with any type of heater, safety to both property and people is of prime concern. Keep firepits and patio heaters away from anything flammable and make sure they are on stable ground. If using gas heaters in an enclosed space, there must be some source of ventilation to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide.
