Firefly (Heatlab) 1.2kW Weatherproof Free Standing Electric Safety Patio Heater

This is a unique and portable free standing patio heater that is suitable for those with young children or pets! A great idea, but is it well executed? Read on to find out.

Featured in our best patio heaters for 2022 post!

Firefly (Heatlab) – 1.2kW Weatherproof Electric Safety Patio Heater

When we first saw this heater we weren’t really sure what it was we were looking at. But after closer inspection, we realised Firefly have released a great niche product for those of us that still want a portable outdoor heater when the kids and pets are running amok!

It has a perfect 5 out of 5-star rating based on 2 reviews from Amazon. High praise indeed, but is it warranted?

Heating Area

We were unable to find the official heating area provided for this product. Based on power consumption and an output of 4096.8BTUs, this heater should provide 3-5sqm of heat. Great as a table top, or under table heater to keep those legs warm in the evening.

Bulb Life & Heating Type

This heater uses a golden tube halogen heating element. Providing 20% more infrared heat than traditional halogen bulbs with less glare as well.

Most golden tube elements last 7,000 hours, but we were unable to find a definitive number so expect the bulb life to be somewhere between 5-7,000 hours.

Power Settings & Specifics

This heater has a single power setting at 1200W. We wouldn’t expect adjustable power from such a compact heater.

It comes with a 2-metre long power cable. Do make sure you have a power socket nearby.

Aesthetics

This small yet powerful heater isn’t built for style, it’s built for practicality. With that being said, it’s certainly not the worst looking heater on the market. The shiny stainless steel offers protection from the elements and the golden bulb emits a reduced glare, so children and pets alike should be less inclined to grab it!

Standing at just 65cm tall this heater can fit on top of tables, on balconies, under the table etc. It’s incredibly portable and comes with a handy carry handle as well.

Features & Extras

For the price, we wouldn’t have expected that much in terms of extras, but Firefly haven’t skimped out on this heater.

You’re getting a golden tube heating element, tilt safety features, built in safety fluff to prevent burns from wandering hands and an excellent weatherproof rating as detailed below!

Weatherproof Rating

We were really happy to see this heater has a weatherproof rating of IP55.

Solid rating 5 – offering superior protection from solids larger than 1mm and some dust protection. Perfect seeing as this is sold as a “safety” heater.

Liquid rating 5 – protection from splashing water and water jets. You could leave this heater out in all weather conditions without fear of damage. Do note that we do not recommend using the heater in the rain.

Suitable For

This is very much an outdoor patio heater for the home user and is marketed as such. For those who have pets or kids but want to keep warm in the evenings, this is a perfect addition to the garden or indoors even.

Running Costs

It is incredibly affordable, with the cost before electricity based on a bulb life of 5,000 hours coming to just £0.014 per hour (1.4p).

Firefly claims a running cost of 16.9p per hour. To calculate the ongoing cost of electricity we must do the following (based on an average price of 14.7p per kWh).

Heater running costs:

Full Power (1200W) – 1.2kW x 1 hour = 1.2kWh x 14.7p = 17.64p (per hour)

Assuming we were to use this heater for 2 hours per day.

Full Power (1200W) – Our monthly electric bill will be £10.584

Firefly weren’t too far off the mark and certainly weren’t misrepresenting the cost of running this heater. Depending on your cost per kWh 16.9p is certainly achievable.

Heater Specification

• Type of heater: Electric, Golden Halogen, Infrared
  
• Suitable for: Home
  
• Comes with: Safety Tilt Switch, Safety Fluff
  
• Height: 65cm
  
• Base Diameter: 20cm
  
• Heater Diameter: 15cm
• Weight: 4.5kg
• Power settings: 1200W
  
• Cost to run (per hour): 17.64p
  
• Additional: IP55 Rated
  

PatioMate’s Thoughts

This heater is marketed to the family that enjoys the outdoors and may have pets running around as well. Considering there are 8.5 million dogs and 8 million cats in the UK (we have 5 cats!) the potential market reach of this product is wider than one might think.

It is a well manufactured heater, from a respected brand and for those of you that want to keep warm on colder nights but don’t want to run the risk of having your kids or pets hurt themselves and are on a budget, this heater ticks all the boxes.

Our only bugbear is the power cable length. Due to EU laws all heaters must come with a 1.8m cable so make sure you have a No products found. to hand.

An absolute must purchase.

Last update on 2024-12-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API