Electric Greenhouse Heaters

Installing and Using an Electric Greenhouse Heater

Using an electric greenhouse heater to keep your greenhouse warm in the winter months is one of the best options that you have to extend your growing season. Electric heaters allow you to control the temperature in the greenhouse more precisely than a gas or paraffin heater, and provides consistent warmth that allows the plants to grow more readily. Most electric greenhouse heaters are also equipped with fans that will help to provide heat that is evenly distributed throughout the greenhouse. This guide will help you learn more about using and installing electric heaters in your greenhouse to create an environment that is plant friendly and efficient.

How to Choose an Electric Greenhouse Heater

You will notice that there are several varieties of electric greenhouse heaters on the market that vary in their energy usage and heat output.

Often, a main point of concern for greenhouse owners is the need for a consistent temperature to ensure seedlings are warm enough to sprout and grow efficiently.
You will want to choose an electric unit that is large enough to warm the entire area, without using too much energy.
Larger units may be slightly more costly initially, but they will have to work less, and use less energy, than a smaller unit that doesn't have the needed power to warm the greenhouse.

Reducing Heating Costs

If you live in one of the cooler regions, then you will find that an electric greenhouse heater is a must have addition to your equipment. There are a few things that you can do to reduce heating costs, however.

First, make sure that the greenhouse and the greenhouse frame are fully insulated using high quality polycarbonate panels. The panels will help keep the heat inside, and reduce energy costs significantly. You may also want to use a few simple techniques that utilize natural heat to reduce energy costs.
Some greenhouse owners recommend that you fill several five gallon, lidded, buckets with water. You should paint half of the outside of the bucket with black paint, then point the white half of the bucket toward the center of the greenhouse. The water will absorb the sunlight and heat throughout the day, then slowly cool through the night. The black paint assists the absorption of sunlight, while the white half of the bucket works as a reflecting tool to spread the heat evenly.

How to calculate how large of a greenhouse heater to buy.

You can find a calculator online to help you determine the number of BTU's that you need to keep your greenhouse warm enough during the winter months.

For most, the standard calculations will use the following:

Square footage of your greenhouse
Expected outdoor temperatures during the winter
The temperature that you need inside the greenhouse to determine the number of BTU's you need inside.

Most Popular Electric Greenhouse Heaters

Big Buddy Greenhouse Heater

Mr Heater MH18B Portable Big Buddy Heater

Delonghi Heater

DeLonghi DFH132 SafeHeat Fan Heater

Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater

Greenhouse Garage Heater Greenhouse and/or Garage Heater

A portable electric heater that generates 1500 watts of concentrated heat. Special features include: audible alarm if overheated, power light indicator, reset-able thermal switch, 2 prong NEMA 1-15 plug and a tip-over switch. Perfect greenhouse heater for spaces up to 120 sq. ft.

How to Calculate Heat Loss

You will also need to know how much heat loss you can expect, a fact determined by the materials that have been used during the building of the greenhouse.

Types of Mounted Greenhouse Heaters Here are some standard calculations using a heating loss measure of about .5 BTU's per square foot of space:

A 288 square foot greenhouse with expected lows of 20 degrees during the winter will need approximately 5500 BTU's to stay 60 degrees Fahrenheit through the winter.
A greenhouse with 128 square feet of exposed space expecting winter temperatures to drop to 15 degrees Fahrenheit will need about 3600 BTU's to keep inside temperatures at 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
A 500 square foot greenhouse will need an electric greenhouse heater with 14,000 BTU's to have an average temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit inside, with outside temperatures falling to 15 degrees Fahrenheit

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