The History of the Electric Space Heater: A Great Invention Right on Time for winter!

The invention of the electric space heater is one that changed the lives of people all over the world and gave them a new way to take their homes from cold and sleeting winter days to warm and cozy places. Electric heaters were first introduced to the American public in 1882 by Irving Langmuir, but they did not become popular and widely used until 1913 when electric heating became more affordable for Americans. It took only thirty years after its initial creation for this great invention to make it into most homes, thus changing people’s lives forever!

History:  

• The first step towards creating what would eventually be known as an electric space heater was taken when Thomas Edison invented his incandescent light bulb in 1879. The light bulbs that were created required that pieces of tungsten be heated to very high temperatures by electricity in order for them to light. The heat was necessary because without it the filament would not emit enough light. Irving Langmuir, a scientist from General Electric, took this idea and thought it could possibly be used on a large scale. To heat homes during the winter months when people needed heat most. In 1882 he designed a lamp that had an inert gas inside of its glass envelope. He then passed an electric current through the inert gas. Which caused it to conduct electricity at a much lower temperature than it had previously been able to do so naturally. This new process made heating homes more efficient allowing people’s homes to become warmer faster and at a cheaper price.
• As the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder. Even if summer was just around the corner not too long ago. Everyone is now anxious to find ways of keeping warm through the winter months. Heated rooms have been a common practice all over Europe for many centuries. But it wasn’t until 1882 that Thomas Ahearn installed electric heating in his home. Mr. Ahearn was a Canadian inventor who had developed an electrical generator and ran some tests on his own house. Before he took it public by having large buildings fit with electrical heating units.

• A short time later, American inventor Oreste Plath created his version of an “electric room heater”. Which he aptly called the Plath Electric Heater. This heater used a combination of both resistance and convection to produce heat. But the convection part did not operate at a very efficient level which made these heaters less popular. Shortly after this, Plath created a version that used pure resistive heating and it proved to be much more efficient.
• The next step in the development of electric heaters took place. When Thomas Edison invented his own version of an electric heater. However, he only produced four prototypes before abandoning the project. Because he believed no one would have any interest in electric heating. Due to all homes being heated by furnaces that relied on other means to function properly. Edison’s prototype wasn’t meant for residential use at all since it was capable of producing 1-5 million BTU per hour!
• The last major advancement in heater technology took place in 1922 when Max Gottschalk created the Convector Heater which used induction heating to heat rooms. Although his idea was a work of genius, it didn’t receive any recognition. Until many years later when induction heating became more common and less expensive. Because of its application in creating components for electric motors and generators.

• The first useful invention in this field that actually made it into people’s homes and sold well enough. To become commercially viable was the PTC (Positive Thermal Coefficient). Heater which was invented by General Electric in 1967. This heater contained an interesting feature known as “instant on”; once you turned the switch on, the unit quickly heated up without ever having to wait for any pre-heating phases.
• The most popular type of heater that’s available today is the traditional space heater. Which has been around since 1947 and was an invention by Milo Baughman. This handy piece of equipment is widely use in both homes and businesses all over North America. But it also has its drawbacks if not handled properly or used for extended periods of time without precautions. As with every household item, there are rules to follow regarding its safe operation. As well as some tips on how to make sure you get the best value from your electric space heater during those cold months.

Conclusion:

Thomas Ahearn was a Canadian inventor who had developed an electrical generator and ran some tests on his own house. Before he took it public by having large buildings fiting with electrical heating units.