Outdoor Heating Options

There's no excuse not to fire up the barbie in winter if you have an efficiently heated outdoor area. The trick is to find one that suits the family's needs while giving maximum heat.

Buying a Heater
Size matters as a good heater warms the space without dominating it.
Mobility is best for moving from the front verandah to the back patio.
Cost and Quality varies a lot but you get what you pay for. A budget heater may not last as many winters.

Gas heating radiates heat up to five metres. A mushroom-style heater works best in a sheltered area where the wind won't blow the heat away. Most are run on bottled gas although a plumber can hook it up to the gas mains. Look for a model with castors for compact storage in summer.

Radiant Thermal Heating gives the same natural heat effect as the sun, warming people and objects rather than the air. After a short time absorbing heat from an external source people use less energy to keep warm. Panels can be mounted on an exterior wall or under an eave, giving up to three metres of radiant heat.

Open fire heating is a fire contained in a powder-coated steel basket on legs, called a brazier,which is small and easy to store when not in use, and can be fuelled with briquettes, wood, leaves and pinecones. The amount of radiant heat varies on the size of the fire and material used. They're hot to touch so be careful when using one around kids or pets.

For Eco Lighting
Solar-powered outdoor lights use photovoltaic cells to harness the sun's energy and rechargeable batteries to store the energy to power the LED bulbs at night