The Importance of Outdoor Heaters

The smoking ban has been in effect for a number of years now and most smokers are used to having to sit outside in order to smoke. This is one of the reasons that outdoor heaters are becoming more and more popular. Electrical contractors are now advising pubs, cafes, restaurants and hotels to think about heating there outdoor areas.

The reason for this is to try and make use of areas that were once not being used. As well as thinking about the cafe furniture, for example whether to by rattan chairs or aluminium tables, the area that surrounds them needs to attract customers, and no one wants to sit in the cold!

According to the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) around 400 public houses have been forced to close since the start of the smoking ban. Just before this happened, research showed that 48% of the people that were pub regulars smoked. It is therefore important that in order to maintain business, pub owners need to think about the areas outside, to not only provide a space for smokers to sit in the colder months, but to also expand the amount of space that they can provide in these months as well.

One of the things about outdoor heaters that should be noted is that there has been a significant change in the way that outdoor heaters operate. Until around 2007 and the Energy Saving Trust (EST) urged retailers to stop selling heaters that require gas to run them. The reason for this is that a lot of the heat produced from the gas heaters escapes into the atmosphere without heating the area meaning that the energy efficiency is poor. It is for this reason that electric heaters have become more and more popular, in particular the Infra-Red heaters.

Not only are they energy efficient, converting 95% of electricity into heat, but they have the ability to only heat solid objects and use only a third of the cost. This is the reason that they are becoming more and more popular.