How to Keep Your Patio Warm During Winter

We’ve been hearing a little bit of confusion in the minds of new customers on the best ways of keeping your patio warm during winter. To help, we gathered our outdoor heating experts and asked them for patio ideas for cold climates, and as usual they delivered.

Just because Jack Frost is nipping at your nose doesn’t mean you have to be a shut-in until May. By selectively outfitting your outdoor oasis with the best outdoor heaters for winter, you and yours can enjoy the glory of the season – the crispness of the air, the beauty of a lightly falling snow, the grandeur of a winter sunset – without having to resort to chopping up the furniture for an impromptu bonfire. The best outdoor heaters for winter will work is really cold weather (in fact, we’ve outdoor winter heaters that are effective to -31°F).

Like snowflakes, outdoor winter heaters come in a myriad of sizes, shapes, and capabilities… it’s just a matter of picking the right snowflakes for your outdoor needs. You may wish to add a firepit (running on natural gas, propane, or good-old-fashioned wood) to add a nice warmth to your winter patio. Perhaps you have a specific spot (think hot coffee watching the sun creep over the horizon) that could use a heater in winter – that space is perfect for a portable heating solution. Is your family like ours, and LOVES an outdoor kitchen and dining area? In that case, the best patio heaters for winter are permanently mounted gas or electric options designed to warm a larger area.

Okay, we know we’ll get more heat from outdoor winter heaters, but what can you expect? As always, it depends on your layout of your patio and your family’s needs. Infrared heaters heat things, like picnic benches, outdoor furniture, people, and not the air itself, relying on penetrating heat rays much the same way as the sun. As a bonus, because an infrared heater doesn’t heat the air, it isn’t affected by wind and is a welcome addition to a blustery day. Selecting a top-quality infrared outdoor winter patio heater will make your family feel 10° to 12° warmer, just enough to allow your outdoor festivities to carry on after the sun has dropped over the horizon.

To select the best heater for winter, sizing is of utmost importance – too big a heater and you’ll be too warm, then have to shut it off and be too cold. Under sizing your patio heater means that the chill you bought the heater to remove will still be there (albeit slightly reduced). Fear not, our experts have a solid rule of thumb on how to select the right amount of heat for your space.

You’re not going to want to hear it, but the best way to get the right size patio heater is by using math. Typically, you’ll need between 40-70 BTUs of heat (lower number for moderate climates, and higher number for those in the frozen tundra) for every square foot of space you wish to heat. For instance, if you have a 15’ x 30’ patio that you wish to heat, multiply those together (15 x 30 = 450 sq. ft.) and multiply that number by the 40-70 BTUs per square foot, giving you a range of 18,000 BTUs for moderate climates (450 sq. ft. x 40 BTUs) and 31,500 BTUs for more severe climates (450 sq. ft. x 70 BTUs).

Let’s take a look at some of our favorite solutions.

Best Budget-Friendly Fire Pit

Not all of us have Elon Musk’s budget, so when selecting lower cost fire pits we are drawn to the style of the Fire Sense 60859. Combining the antique bronze weave pattern in the fire bowl with the copper finish outer rails gives this inexpensive heater for cold weather a unique style.

Best Artisan Fire Pit

Imagine your closest friends huddled around the truly amazing natural gas or liquid propane fire pit – available in sizes ranging from 34- to 70-inches in diameter – popping the top off a cold one as the elements are held at bay. We love the low profile, sleek stainless steel and clean, modern lines of the timeless classic Fire Pit Art BELLAVITA34-FPA-MLS120-NG

Best Outdoor Winter Heater for Mild Climates

If you live in a milder climate, at the top of your list of best patio heaters for winter should be the Innova EF60240S. Medium wave infrared heaters like the Innova are perfect for milder climates, and we can’t get over how customizable this top-quality heater is (you can choose any RAL color for your heater, or even have a custom fascia/grill fashioned to create a true one-of-a-kind look).

When you’re finalizing your winter outdoor patio ideas, if more extreme cold is an issue in your part of the world we suggest you take a good, long look at the Solaira Alpha Series. Like most of the Solaira line, the Alpha works perfectly fine in temperatures as low as -31°F and runs at a super high efficiency, keeping your costs in line and your family warm.

As you can see, outdoor winter heaters work perfectly in temperatures that reach significantly below zero, warming and comforting all who draw near its warm glow. As winter sets in, you can now use your patio for outdoor entertaining, family get-togethers or to create your own Zen-like quiet time enjoying Mother Nature and all her splendor.

Here at Canada Lighting Experts, we pride ourselves on having the best patio heaters for winter with the selection you want at the price you need… but most importantly when planning your outdoor oasis upgrade if you run into a little snag, we’ve got the best patio experts in the industry ready to help. You can count on our decades of knowledge to help you select the right type of system and size it appropriately for maximum outdoor comfort. Winterize your patio and keep your family cozy with a new patio heating solution from Canada Lighting Experts.