What type of heating system do I need for my greenhouse?
Printer-friendly versionYou have several options available to you for heating your greenhouse:
For smaller hobby greenhouses (under 150 sq. ft.), a simple electric heater is usually sufficient to heat your space. If you have 208/240v electricity available, it is possible to move upgrade to larger electric heater that will surely have no problem heating your greenhouse
Other options include heaters with kerosene for a fuel, all the way to small, forced air natural gas or propane heaters.
Large Hobby and Light Commercial Greenhouses
The most common type of heater for a house larger than 150 sq. ft. is a forced air natural gas or propane heater. These heaters heat the entire volume of air in your building. The warm air is typically circulated with the aid of circulation fans.
Large Commercial Greenhouses
For these larger buildings, the most common type of heating is also still forced air natural gas or propane, but in larger sizes than the hobby or light commercial greenhouses.
There are, however, other options:
- You can employ electric heating. The per hour cost for a single heater maybe less than gas or propane. However, most large greenhouses would require several electric heaters to maintain a certain temperature. This may make electric heaters cost prohibitive.
- You can employ radiant heat. This type of heating heats surfaces only, and indirectly through the heating of these surfaces the temperature can eventually rise. This type of heating is useful in large warehouses, particularly where workers are present, because it makes the temperature feel higher than it actually is. Radiant heat does not attempt to raise the temperture of the entire volume of air in a building, only the surface area. As such, for large warehouse applications it can be a real cost saver.
- You can use oil fired heaters. These are essentially the same as forced air natural gas or propane and are used in situations where fuel oil is a more sensible fuel option.
- You can use water or steam heat. These heaters are similar to electric heaters in that you may need several of them to maintain a temperature. Additionally, you will need a boiler and a plumbing system that connects all of these heaters to the boiler. This process can be cost prohibitive depending on your needs.
