Lounge/family room areas need background warmth. Heat pumps are the best long-term choice, but panel and other convection heaters are also suitable.

You might also want some specific spot heating, say if you're watching TV or standing at the kitchen sink. A portable fan or radiant heater will do the job.

Bedrooms require less heat than living areas: you only need to keep the chill off. Choose from a panel or oil-filled column heater with thermostat and maybe a timer. A night-store heater in the passage is also an option.

Service or workshop areas are best heated by portable fan or radiant heaters.

What are the key features?

• Thermostats help maintain an even temperature and conserve electricity.
• Timers allow you to turn a heater on to warm up the kitchen before you get up, or to turn a heater off after you have gone to bed.
• Fans help a room warm up faster and distribute the air more evenly, by preventing heat build-up near the ceiling.

What are the safety issues?

All heaters can be dangerous, especially if they are used incorrectly or not properly maintained. Surface temperatures can be high enough to burn skin if contact is sustained.

Oil-filled column heaters have lower surface temperatures than most other types, especially the styles with wide or shielded fins. All styles of column heater are tall and heavy and can cause injury if falling on a child, but again, the wide-finned versions are safer in this respect.

All new heaters have to pass stringent safety tests to ensure that fires don't occur if the heater overheats due to air inlets being covered or blankets or towels falling on the heater. But these safety standards were not in place when many of the older types of heater now available in second-hand shops were made.

A tilt switch is a good safety feature: it will turn the heater off if it tips over.