Tiny House Heating & How to Do It Efficiently

Tiny houses are a modern phenomenon that seem to continue gaining popularity as time goes on. Many people appreciate having a home that is affordable and simple. In fact, it is not unheard of to find microcommunities that cater to tiny homes and those who love them. These tiny homes are often chosen by younger adults who prefer their own space to an apartment and don’t mind the smaller size. If you live in a tiny house, you already know all about this.

However, a tiny home still requires heating, just like any other type of home or apartment does. The difference is that the small space of a tiny home requires the use of an equally small heating system. You do not want to spend a fortune on heating, nor do you want a bulky option that takes up too much of space—which is already at a premium.

Choosing the Best Heater for Your Tiny Home

The first thing you need to know when choosing a heater for your tiny home is how much power you need from it. Thankfully, this is easy to determine, as most heaters should be able to tell you what size area they are capable of heating, granted that good insulation will help maximize your heaters efficiency. To give you an idea, the typical tiny home has approximately a livable space of 120 square feet and our 475 watt Envi heater has been specifically designed to heat an average room measuring 130 - 150 square feet in floor area with average insulation, to between 68 and 72 degrees, even in the coldest parts of the country.

Types of Heating Solutions for a Tiny Home

You clearly want to be safe in your own home, while also ensuring the temperature is at a level you are comfortable with. While you can choose to use a wood or gas heater, these emit fumes that can be dangerous. Electric heaters are the safest option , and the excellent thing is that they can also be small and affordable. For those who prefer to live off the grid, this solution can be coupled with solar energy to fit your lifestyle preferences, but in most other cases, it is the simplest way to heat your tiny house.

There are many ways to implement electric heating in your tiny home. One of the best options for electric heating of a tiny home comes in the form of a wall-mounted heater. The Envi heater , or those similar, will take up next to no space and are extremely affordable. These heaters can be as small as two inches thick and weigh only a few pounds. The advantage of the Envi Heater over other wall-mounted heaters is that its cool to the touch feature makes it entirely safe for kids and pets once installed, while also preventing any accidents if it touches furniture or other elements in your tiny house. Additionally, the installation is quick and easy, which can’t be said for underfloor electric heaters. Efficiency and safety are two vital qualities in tiny home heating, the Envi Heater provides you with both, along with super easy installation.

Another option you can choose, is to have radiant heating that is placed underneath the floors. This is an option that works well for those who do not want to give up absolutely any space and have little ones running around. This also ensures there is no risk of burns or fire, which can happen when using a wood or oil heater. However, if the tiny home is already built and placed on a piece of property, this could mean a whole lot of work. Furthermore, radiant heat tends to be less efficient than other types of heat so both installation and operating costs run higher.

Other Considerations

No matter what type of heater you choose, you should look for something that is thermostatically controlled. This might not be a requirement for every single person, but many of us enjoy coming back to a home that isn’t ice cold. With an electric heater featuring a thermostat, you can easily keep the home at whatever temperature is comfortable for you. You can also knock it down a few degrees while you are gone and still come back to a warm house which you can bump up a few degrees as needed.

Another thing to keep in mind once you have a heater in mind is what is in the owner’s manual. You can often find this information on the product page, and it will have additional information about the device. For instance, you might want to see whether vents are required and how those are set up. Does it require venting through the roof or can you use a wall? You can also look at whether the heater is intended for mobile homes or tiny homes, as that can give you peace of mind, as well.

Following these tips and tricks, you can easily find a heating solution that fits your needs and your style. We also encourage you to try an Envi as we designed it with space constraints, safety, aesthetics, and efficiency in mind. We are completely sure that just like thousands of our other tiny house customers, once you try one, you are going to love the Envi!