Heating the house with electric fires in the 1940s and 1950s
A domestic electric fire from the 1940s and 1950s.
Electric fires became more widely available in the 1950s. They were popular
because they could be moved from room to room, wherever there was an electric
socket. It was important, though, to position them carefully, as they could
scorch anything too near. They could also be knocked over and cause a fire.
Electric fires could warm a room nicely if put on well in advance, and they
didn't cause drowsiness like paraffin heaters and
coal and
gas fires because nothing was burning to use up the oxygen in the air.
If they were rated at the magic 3 kw (kilowatts) they could even make a room
too warm, but the moment they were turned off, it felt cold, irrespective of
what the actual temperature was because of the sudden cut-off of the radiant
heat.
I don't remember fan heaters until the 1960s, although they may have
existed before. They were welcome in that they produced instant heat and
warmed the air, rather than things in the room which in turn warmed the air.
However, they were noisy, relatively expensive to run and one noticed the
difference immediately when they were turned off.
If you have an old photo which would illustrate
the way of life described here, I would very much appreciate a copy.
Pat Cryer
Electric fires did not cause condensation and were very drying. Although
this was useful for drying wet washing in bad weather, the dry air,
particularly when combined
with radiant heat, made one's skin very dry and itchy.
