Comparing a Dimplex wall mounted fan heater to a Dimplex infrared heater? Trying to figure out how a heat pump works before committing to an upgrade? Or debating a buddy heater vs an electric unit for a job site—while your Dewalt air compressor keeps tripping the breaker on a shared circuit?

I'm a facilities coordinator handling equipment orders for 8 years. I've personally made (and documented) 11 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $6,800 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors. Here are the questions I wish someone had answered before I started buying.

1. What's actually the difference between a Dimplex wall mounted fan heater and a Dimplex infrared heater?

Short version: a fan heater pulls in cold air, blows it over a heating element, and pushes warm air back out. An infrared heater radiates heat directly to the objects and people in front of it—it doesn't rely on moving air.

I learned this the hard way in October 2022. We had a workshop with high ceilings, and I ordered Dimplex wall mounted fan heaters, assuming 'any heater basically works the same.' Didn't verify. Turned out the fan units sent warm air up to the rafters while everyone still had cold hands at the workbenches. We swapped two of them for Dimplex infrared heaters aimed at the work stations, and the difference was immediate. The heat went where the people were, not toward the ceiling.

So: fan heater for a closed office or normal-height rooms. Infrared for workshops, garages, loading bays—anywhere you need warmth on people fast without heating the whole air volume.

2. How does a heat pump work? (And why should I care?)

This one confused me for years, so let me keep it simple. A heat pump doesn't create heat—it moves it. In winter, it pulls heat from outside air (yes, even cold air contains some heat) and releases it inside. In summer, it reverses and moves heat from inside to outside. That's it. It's an air conditioner that runs in both directions.

Think of your refrigerator: it moves heat out of the fridge even when your kitchen is warmer. A heat pump does the same thing, but on a building scale and in reverse when you need heating.

Why this matters for your wallet: moving heat is cheaper than creating it. A typical electric resistance heater produces about 3.41 BTUs per watt. A heat pump on a mild day can deliver roughly 8-10 BTUs per watt. The U.S. Department of Energy has been pushing this for years for good reason. If you're upgrading a whole workshop or office space, do the full cost analysis on a heat pump before defaulting to wall heaters.

3. Why did my breaker keep tripping when I ran a Dewalt air compressor and a Dimplex heater on the same circuit?

Oh, I feel this one. It was my own fault, and it cost me $890 for an emergency electrician plus a 2-day delay on a client job.

The setup looked innocent enough: one 15-amp circuit, a Dimplex wall mounted fan heater drawing about 12.5 amps, and my Dewalt air compressor plugged into the same circuit. I checked the compressor's running amps on the spec plate, saw it fit, and thought we were fine. What I missed was startup surge. A compressor can pull two to three times its running current for a split second when the motor kicks in. Heater base load plus compressor surge equals a tripped breaker.

Here's what you need to know: a 1,500-watt fan heater on a 120V circuit is already using most of a 15-amp breaker. Don't share that circuit with motor-driven equipment—air compressor, saw, dust collector, anything. Separate circuits, or put the compressor on a circuit with only lights. And add the surge rating to your spreadsheet, not just the running amps. That's on our checklist now.

4. Buddy heater or electric Dimplex heater for a job site?

Depends on the site, and I'm not going to pretend one is universally better.

A buddy heater runs on propane. It puts out serious heat fast and doesn't need an outlet, which makes it tempting on a job site that has no power yet. I've worked alongside crews who swear by them in cold shells. But it needs ventilation, adds moisture to the air, and you're burning fuel indoors—so a carbon monoxide alarm is non-negotiable. The small propane canisters also add up if you're running it daily.

An electric Dimplex heater (wall mounted fan heater or a portable infrared unit) needs power, full stop. But it's set-and-forget: no tank refills, no ventilation math, no CO risk. Plug it in, set the thermostat, move on.

Where I've landed: open shells and ventilated sites with no power—buddy heater wins. Enclosed spaces, finished areas, or anywhere clients or the public will walk through—electric, every time. A loud propane heater in a client-facing room sends exactly the wrong message about your operation.

5. Are Dimplex infrared heaters more efficient than fan heaters?

Strictly speaking, no. Both convert electricity to heat at basically the same rate. The difference is how the heat gets used—and that's where the savings come from.

An infrared heater radiates heat directly to people and objects in its line of sight. It doesn't try to heat the entire air volume. So in a big, draughty space, you can feel comfortable at a lower thermostat setting because you're not warming every cubic foot of air. That's why infrared units often feel more efficient. In terms of comfort per watt, they are. In terms of electrical conversion, it's the same.

Skeptical of the word 'efficient' in product descriptions? Good. The FTC's Green Guides (ftc.gov, 16 CFR Part 260) require environmental benefit claims to be substantiated. So look at the actual specs—wattage, BTU output, thermostat control—not the adjectives on the box.

Practical takeaway: a 750-watt Dimplex infrared heater uses less electricity than a 1,500-watt fan heater, but it only warms the zone it faces. Match the heater to the space, not to the buzzwords.

6. Is paying more for a Dimplex actually worth it?

Here's where I get opinionated. For our business: yes, on the heating equipment. Not because cheap units never work, but because the equipment you choose says something about your operation.

In my first year (2017), I bought cheaper portable heaters to stretch the budget. They heated the room, mostly. But they rattled, the thermostats drifted, and one smelled like burning dust every time it kicked on. A client asked me, 'Is that safe?' during a site walkthrough. That's when the quality-perception lesson landed: the environment you create for clients is part of your brand.

The Dimplex wall mounted unit we put in that same office cost about $60 more. Quieter, looks intentional on the wall, holds the temperature where you set it. There's something satisfying about flipping it on and hearing a quiet click, then watching the room stay where you set it. The $60 difference meant zero client safety questions and a noticeably more professional space. The lowest upfront price isn't the lowest total cost once you count reorders and downtime.

For a storage closet nobody visits? Buy the cheap one. I'm not saying premium everywhere. I'm saying think about who sees it.

7. What's the one mistake you'd redo if you could?

The 12-unit order. Every single unit was the wrong voltage.

We had a site running on 208V. I ordered standard 240V Dimplex heaters because '240 is the standard' and didn't check. Three went in, none heated—error codes on the control boards, one fried before we caught it. The rest went back. That's $1,200 in restocking and return shipping, a 3-week delay, and the joy of explaining it to the client.

So here's my hard-earned checklist, simple as it sounds:

  • Confirm the site's actual supply voltage before ordering. Always. Not 'usually.' Always.
  • Check wattage and circuit ampacity together—size the heater and the electrical supply as one job, not two.
  • If you need programmable weekly schedules, say that out loud. I once told a vendor 'thermostat,' and they heard 'basic dial control.' Same word. Different meanings. That was a 47-item order with the wrong controls, caught only at installation.

Take the extra 10 minutes to verify. It beats 3 weeks of waiting—and another entry in my mistake journal.