San Franciscans love all the character their old Victorians afford them: high ceilings, spacious flats with long hallways, hardwood floors, sweeping views from big picture windows. Often though, this Old World charm translates into Old World, unreliable heating systems. Since many of the flats and apartments in the City are older, their heating systems may be outdated and inefficient.

An alternative to installing an expensive forced-air heating system is to use space heaters and heat rooms only as necessary. Radiant and convection heating are the main types of space heaters and each has its own benefits for heating a room. You will find a variety of heaters in the marketplace, so you can choose one that best suits your needs.

Convection heaters directly heat the air. As cool air enters the bottom of the heater, it rises out of the top to the ceiling level and heats a room from the top down, unless a ceiling fan is used to circulate the room air. This type of heater is best used in a well-insulated room where you need a good amount of heat in a short time.

Ceramic heaters warm air by heating a ceramic element inside the unit and use a fan to either push or pull air over the hot element. Fairly portable because of their light weight, they tend to offer a smaller set of features than fan heaters but can still heat the air to a higher temperature.

Fan heaters warm the air by heating an element inside the unit and also use a fan to either push or pull air over the hot element. Fan-forced convection heaters are very effective as they blow warm air out of the bottom and can usually be moved easily from room to room.

Radiant heaters use infrared radiation to create a region of comfort in front of the heater and do not heat the air directly. Instead, these heaters will warm a room over time. Best used to heat poorly insulated or drafty, high-ceilinged rooms, some radiant heaters have a visible source of heat that glows bright red.

Oil-filled radiators are powered by electricity and are incredibly economical. The element inside the heater heats up the sealed thermal oil, which never needs to be replaced. The oil heats the radiator fins, which in turn heat the air, and although these heaters take longer to activate, the heat can last longer. These heaters are ideal for rooms that you want to heat for a longer period of time such as a bedroom, but can be less portable because of size and weight and usually take longer to heat up.

Baseboard heaters radiate heat upwards, heating the air directly above. These heaters are commonly used under a window or in drafty areas because they heat the cold air stream entering the room and spread the warm air. Baseboard heaters should never be used near draperies or flammable materials. Because these heaters tend to be three to four feet in length, the spaces where they can be used might be limiting.

No matter which type of space heater you choose, remember to keep heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn including furniture, blankets, curtains, and paper products. For extra safety, choose space heaters that turn off automatically if they tip over.

To get the most benefit from a space heater, make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible. Sealing window or door cracks and hanging curtains will help keep cold air out and warm air inside. You can also apply window insulation film for even more energy savings. The film is clear and installs easily with just a hair dryer.

Stay warm!