Offices can be hard to heat in the winter if you have worked in an office environment before, you know how difficult it can be to get the perfect temperature for everyone in the office. There is constantly someone in the office who is cold or who is hot.
So, how do you even begin heating the office, so all staff is happy? Below are five tips to help you warm your office:
1. Determine Space Your Heating
When determining how to heat your space, you should consider different aspects of your office, such as whether employees work in separate cubicles, a large open office space, where the walls are, what size the central area is, and how heating will be used. You can hire a professional to assess your space for options.
2. Consider Space Heaters
There are options for heating an office, and you may want to consider space heaters. There is a different type of space heater options that each have their advantages and disadvantages.
- Ceramic (convection heater) – a ceramic heater uses a fan and heats the air in a space by circulating air through the unit and across the heating element, such as coils.
- Radiant & Infrared Heater – radiant and infrared heaters heat a person’s body by transferring infrared radiation out through electromagnetic influences or particles in the air.
- Mica thermic Heater – this type of heater does not have a fan and is a combination between convection and radiant heater. Eighty percent convection, and 20%radiant heat, by using a stonelike material called mica, which surrounds the heating element and makes it more operational without the use of coils.
- Oil-Fille Radiator Heater – oil-filled radiator heaters use electricity to heat the oil and space.
3. Heating Capacity
You need to determine the heating capacity of your heater and the space that needs heating. Typically, a 1500 watt heater can heat an area of 150 square feet. One way to determine heating capacity is to check the specs on the unit to see its wattage and figure out the math to see if it is strong enough to heat your office space. To figure out your wattage, divide the number of watts on the spec sheet by 10, and that is the number of square feet the space heater can heat.
4. Built In-Safety Features
When looking for added heating for your office, it is essential to look at the safety features, such as:
- Automatic turn off when knocked over.
- Cool to the touch, to avoid burning someone who might accidentally touch it.
- Automatic shut off if the room gets too warm.
5. Energy-Efficient Features
There are many newer models of space heaters that have features that reduce electricity use. Look out for the following to make sure you are getting an energy-efficient space heater:
- Programmable timer – the heater can be set to turn on and off at specific times of the day.
- Programmable thermostat – the heater can be automated to turn off after the specific temperature has been reached.
6. How Many Watts Can Your Office Outlets Hold
Before purchasing a space heater for your office, make sure to evaluate the spaces’ needs and the outlets’ wattage. Generally, most outlets are5-20 amps, which is 1800 to 2400 watts. You want to avoid lowing fuses or creating any other electric issues with space heaters for the office.
Final Thoughts
Typically, it is the simplest things that lead to the most problematic consequences when they are overlooked. Space heaters can help with heating the office but consider tasking one employee to double-check that all space heaters are switched off at the end of the day. You don’t want a fire started because a heater was plugged in all night.
You want to make sure before winter begins that you have the proper heating sources set in place in the office to keep your employees comfortable. You can choose many options when it comes to heating your office in the winter.