Electric Heater update for 2023

Has Choice done a new review for Winter 2023 on Electric Heaters? I need to replace my old gas Rinnai portable convector. Thanks

The last update linked is June 2022 even though it shows 2023. (Member content)

The link on the Choice site is

The 2022 content is

@BrendanMays, is the error not linking the newer review or is the error in the link’s text?

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Thank you.

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All fixed.

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Reading through my latest (July) issue of CHOICE I noticed in the article about EV’s in the sub heading box Charging at home regarding level 1 charging it says,

“the car will usually need to be plugged in for hours, with the charger running at the maximum capacity of the power point. This can stress the power point and its wiring. An old or faulty power point may overheat or fail in other ways, leading to electrical and fire hazards.”

I assume this is because it is supplying the full 2400W, the same as some of the heaters in the Electric Heaters test in the same issue. But there is no caution similar to the above for heaters which in some locations will be on for extended periods of time.

Aren’t these two types of loads the same with regard to the power point and it’s wiring? Why caution one and not the other?

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Hi @omy005aw. Since your post is asking about why the advice for electric heaters is not the same, the post had been added to discussion of the most recent heater reviews.

It would be useful to hear of any in the community have had power point or circuit overload tripping issues arising from use of higher power electric heaters.

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I trust @BrendanMays will see this one and get a response from the team.

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I expect you are correct for 2400W rated heaters, however, heaters operate on thermostats and usually don’t draw 2400W continuously for the same length of time as an EV charging. The thermostat kicking in and out allows cooling of the wiring…an EV wouldn’t.

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Hi @omy005aw,

Thanks for your question, that’s a really good observation about the differences between devices and what cautions apply.

As mentioned in the comments above, there can be a difference in the way electric heaters are operating compared to EV chargers. Still, even though the two are working differently, we make a number of recommendations related to heaters overloading power points such as avoiding power-boards when using a heater (heaters should go directly into the wall socket), and we also advise to avoid leaving heaters on ‘high’ overnight or for extended periods for the same reasons. Electric heaters are still one of the main fire risks in the average home, including due to overheating and electrical fault.

Because there’s a number of considerations for heater safety, we’ve previously published this as a separate article (and that may not have appeared at the same time in the latest issue). However, appreciate your point about the consistency of providing these cautions, so we’ll take on your comments as feedback. I hope that reply helps answer the question, there’s more detail on heater considerations in this article:

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Thanks for the detailed response @BrendanMays. :+1:

So with the increasing uptake of more EV’s there may also be an unfortunate increase in fires due to load on electrical equipment and corresponding circuits. Does any govt department keep track of these trends? :face_with_monocle:

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I had an issue when I got my new Dimplex column heater. I’ve since had a new fuse box fitted but particularly in the winter try not to use more than two appliances at the same time that require a surge of power.