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A good greenhouse heater can make all the difference to your plants during winter to protect them from frost and ice. Fortunately, if you shop around, you can purchase a greenhouse heater relatively cheaply. Of course, 'relatively cheaply' is different for us all and dependent upon your needs. For instance, you can pick up a 2ft Tubular Hylite 80 Watt Heater for just over £20 if you shop around if you're only looking to put a bit of warmth into a small greenhouse. If you have a larger greenhouse or need a bit more humph, then the cost of a good greenhouse heater could run into the £100s. As you can see, you need to be pretty sure of what you need before dipping your hand in your pocket, otherwise you could end up spending more than what you really need to. Most plastic greenhouse coverings have a R-Value (Insulation value) of around 2 - which isn't too great - and as such, money needs to be spent replacing the heat lost through the plastic. When extra heat is needed to keep the temperature at the right levels, you're best off using a paraffin or electrical heater. In addition, a thermostat is vital to ensure you can accurately control the temperature within you greenhouse and- fortunately, most variants of heater come with one already installed. I'd rule out a gas heater as the initial cost in purchasing one can be a little too high. Don't take that as gospel though - gas heaters can, in the long term, turn out to be the most economical option of them all. Talking of which, you do need to consider the running cost of your greenhouse heating system. At the time of writing, the average electricity cost per unit is in the region of 14p which means a 1000w heater will cost about 14p a hour (28p for a 2000w etc). By the same token, a paraffin powered heater could cost double that for the same hour long period. Double? Well, yeah, but you need to be aware that a paraffin greenhouse heater keeps pumping out heat after its turned off and will do until the oil inside finally cools down. My own personal preference is an electrical greenhouse heater as I like the "cheaper now" option as I don't have a huge budget and with the inbuilt thermostats on most products these days, I can keep the temperature within my own greenhouse just right, but don't let that put you off a paraffin or gas heater if your need or budget stretches that far - each option does an excellent job of keeping the temperature of your greenhouse just right. Make sure to check out tips and advice on getting the best out of your greenhouse heaters.
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