If you own a home or a business with a deck, patio, or terrace an outdoor patio heater is the perfect accessory to add comfort and warmth to outdoor entertaining even on the chilliest of nights. Whether you are entertaining friends and family for the night on the patio or hosting an evening event at a bar, restaurant or other establishment, Outdoor patio heaters offer great home and business owner benefits.

Outdoor Heaters Extend the Outdoor Season

Patios are a great place for cooking, entertaining guests, and relaxing. Heating your outdoor room with an outdoor heater will extend your outdoor entertaining season and allow you to enjoy your patio or other outdoor living space for a couple of extra months or in some cases year round. Not all patio heaters will run only off of gas or propane as some require a electrical outlet for the igniter.

Outdoor Heating Placement Options and Styles are Virtually Endless

Outdoor heating with an outdoor patio heater offers many versatile placement options, a few different fuel options and an array of stylish designs. Outdoor heating fuel options for outdoor patios heaters include propane, natural gas and electricity. Outdoor heaters that use propane or electricity are available in portable and table top, standup, hanging and ceiling or wall mount models. Natural gas outdoor heaters are a little more permanent and are available in standing, in-ground, and hanging models.

Outdoor Patio Heaters are Safe to Operate

Outdoor patio heaters are pioneers in establishing safety standards. Outdoor patio heaters do not produce an open flame and the base of outdoor heaters stay cool to the touch so there is no real danger to pets and children being around them. The only part of the outdoor heating unit that will get hot is the emitter screen and the dome at the top of the patio heater since they come in direct contact with the heat source.

Most outdoor patio heaters also feature a safety tilt valve that will automatically shut the outdoor heater off if it is tilted more than a set degree or if the patio heater is tipped over during outdoor heating.

Outdoor Heaters are an Affordable Luxury

Outdoor patio heaters provide all of the outdoor heating benefits that you would expect at a fraction of the cost. Generally outdoor patio heaters can be purchased at prices anywhere between 100 and 900 dollars and are fairly inexpensive to operate.

Based on a 40,000 BTU outdoor patio heater, the average cost of natural gas usage is estimated at $.476 per hour.

Based on the required (3) 4000 Watt (4KWh) for 40,000 BTUs the average cost of electrical usage is $1.316 per hour. Electric outdoor heaters are directional heaters meaning there is no heat loss and no upfront fuel costs.

Based on not only the operation of the outdoor patio heater itself but also the average cost of filling a propane cylinder which is about $16 for to fill a 5 gallon tank that will provide approximately 10 hours of heat in an outdoor heater, propane outdoor heaters that produce 40,000 BTUs per hour will cost on average $1.60 per hour to operate.