Buying a heater without burning through your money

Winter finally blew in, for a couple of weeks. Then it disappeared, leaving owners of electric appliance stores praying for more cold and rain.

"There's nothing we can do," says Lior Levy, marketing vice president for Sarig Electric, which imports Morphy Richards products. "The only thing that brings Israelis to stores to buy heaters is the cold."

Despite winter's delay, electrical appliance chain stores are raring to go, with radiators, fan heaters and other types of heaters lining the shelves and waiting for customers, who are in no hurry to buy.

Most of the major chain stores say that many importers are still stuck with merchandise from last year, and are now offering discounts of up to 25% off 2008 prices.

The air conditioner, the most popular means of heating, is also the most energy-efficient.

Simona Bartschneider, an engineer in the consumption efficiency department at the Israel Electric Corporation, says that most air conditioners are three times more efficient at turning electricity into heat than other types.

The two most popular types of air conditioners are wall-mounted and semi-central (mini merkazi) systems, which account for 46% and 36% of the market, respectively.

The index compiled by the Zap price comparison Web site indicates that since December 2008, prices of air conditioners in these categories have risen by almost 10%. Dror Riesenberg, marketing manager at Electra Consumer Products Israel, says that the economic crisis should have resulted in lower demand for air conditioners, and subsequently lower prices. But he offers two explanations for the price hikes: more expensive raw materials, such as steel and petroleum byproducts, and new regulations from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Employment.

The new regulations went into effect in early 2009 and raised the minimum energy efficiency requirements for air conditioners while banning the marketing of units with a coefficient of performance (COP) of less than 3 for semi-central systems, and less than 3.2 for medium and large split air conditioners.

"This increase in price is usually offset by competition," says Riesenberg, "but it is still around to a certain extent."

Even so, the prices of air conditioners and their installation fluctuate with supply and demand. In the depths of winter, as in the height of summer, prices rise sharply. About 65% of Israeli homes that have air conditioners use it to heat the main living space, so demand surges during the coldest weeks.

Riesenberg therefore advises buying an air conditioner now, when the weather is pleasant.

"Consumers who buy during the fall, when air conditioner installers are not fully booked, will receive better advice and service with maximum attention to the installation process, and will have more bargaining power," says Riesenberg, adding that off-season prices can be 10%-15% lower.

Most people prefer radiators over air conditioners for heating bedrooms, because radiators do not dry the air as much. Radiators are filled with oil, which is heated and in turn heats a number of "ribs" (usually 9-12), and consume 2-2.5 kilowatt hours of energy.

According to Zap's index, radiator prices are an average of 7% lower this year compared to 2008. Nir Hendler, trade manager for Newpan, which imports DeLonghi products, says prices have not dropped, and the difference Zap researchers found is between regular stores and online stores, which have not yet updated their prices.

Levy says some of the prices are lower because importers have surplus merchandise left over from last winter.

Basic radiators, which consume the most electricity and often lack a thermostat, cost NIS 199-NIS 450, depending on the brand and the number of ribs.

Fancier models, which are made with more sophisticated technology and are more energy efficient, are much more expensive. DeLonghi's Dragon brand radiators, for example, cost NIS 750-NIS 900, and their Rapido models, whose ribs are configured like a chimney, for better heat distribution, cost NIS 1,160-1,360. Morphy Richards radiators do not use oil and automatically turn off if tipped over.

Fan heaters are especially popular for heating small areas, but can use as much electricity as large radiators. Prices range from NIS 50 to NIS 200, and there are two basic types - floor and wall-mounted. The floor models cost an average of NIS 20 more, and the pricier models have a thermostat and automatic safety shut-off mechanism, activated when the face is covered.

Fan heaters designed for bathrooms have double insulation, to protect them from water and steam, and cost NIS 200-NIS 400.

Apart from the familiar models of fan heaters, there is a new type that has ceramic plates instead of a heating coil. The ceramic plates do not burn the oxygen in the air, or dust, which can cause bad odors if there's lots of it.

Ceramic fan heaters cost NIS 300-NIS 600 and are also for small areas, but can heat a larger radius than regular blow heaters.

The least recommended heater is the infrared variety, which cost NIS 100-NIS 250. They are not as safe as the other heaters, mainly due to the heating coil, and require constant supervision. They are also less energy efficient.

Another technology similar to the infrared is used by halogen heaters, which cost almost double, mainly because of the high cost of halogen gas and the heaters' fancy design.

A third alternative is the carbon fiber heater, which lasts longer and is more efficient than infrared or halogen heaters. Carbon fiber heaters use less electricity than coil heaters - 1,300 watts compared to 900 watts - to heat the same area, and cost up to NIS 300.