A plinth heater is also called a kick board or baseboard heater. These small sized heaters are usually installed underneath cabinets and in baseboards. They are placed around this bottom area of a room where they provide constant, usually fan circulated heat. Though they do take a little time to actually heat up a room, they can be both energy saving and efficient.
Heat rises, thus heat generated at floor level will inevitably rise up to heat the entire room. There are many benefits to installing plinth heaters. They can be a great way to provide additional heating to a room. They are usually fairly unobtrusive and these days most are made in such a way that they actually look quite nice tucked away in the baseboard area. They are great to use in areas where space is somewhat limited or where you do not want to have additional portable heating, such as space heaters, standing around in your room either for aesthetic or safety reasons.
They are also fairly cheap to install as they do not need any ducting or insulation, and once installed they are also fairly cheap to run. They are usually powered by electricity and a small fan is used to push the warmed air out and away from the heater. They take a while to actually heat a room, however once the room is heated they do an excellent job of keeping it at a level and even temperature.
The main drawback is that they are very noticeable and they cannot be tucked away during summer. However, any portable heater is also very obvious when placed in a room so in that respect they really are not more noticeable than any other type of small heater. These days they are usually quite well made and designed to fit into a room without being immediately obvious. They usually have a grate covering which can easily be painted the same color as the baseboard if you so desire. Otherwise they can be left as is; many are made from stainless steel or painted a white color.
A plinth baseboard heater is not suitable for installation in a bathroom or any room where they may come in contact with water. While this does restrict their use somewhat they are still suitable to use for heating most rooms in a home, including bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens.
If you are looking for additional heating that does not take up a lot of space in a room, you may find that installing a plinth heater is your best option. They are small, easy to install and require very little maintenance once they are in place. They are also energy saving and do a fairly good job of maintaining an even temperature in a room.
