Difference between revisions of "Heater"

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{{infobox main|building|
 
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{{Info|The [[heater]] is a device that can be used to raise the [[temperature]] in a room. This effect can maintain happy colonists during cold outdoor temperatures by preventing negative mood debuffs like [[Thoughts#Slept_in_the_cold|Slept in the Cold]] or ailments such as [[Injury#Hypothermia|Hypothermia]]/[[Injury#Frostbite|Frostbite]] while indoors.  It requires [[power]] to operate.
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{{Info|The [[heater]] is a device that can be used to raise the [[temperature]] in a room.}}
  
The heater is necessary in any [[biomes|biome]] with temperatures that can drop below far below 20ºC/70ºF (room temperature).}}
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==Acquisition==
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Constructing a passive cooler requires [[Research#Electricity|Electricity]] to be researched, which [[Scenario_system#New_Tribe_vs_New_Arrivals|New Arrivals]] start with. It requires {{Required Resources}} and is constructed in {{Ticks|{{P|Work To Make}}}}.
  
 
==Summary==
 
==Summary==
Heaters are placed on the floor; unlike most objects, they can't be rotated. If hooked with sufficent [[power]], a heater will start heating the room it's in to the target temperature. Rooms won't change temperate unless they are enclosed and have a mostly complete roof. Heat will naturally spread throughout rooms; [[vent]]s speed this up. Heaters require no specific placement within the room; a heater in the corner of a room will heat the space as efficiently as a heater in the center of the same room. One heater can only warm so much, and factors like room size may make the target unreachable - see [[Temperature]] for more details.
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Heaters are placed on the floor; unlike most objects, they can't be rotated. If hooked with sufficent [[power]], a heater will start heating the room it's in to the target temperature. Rooms won't change temperature unless they are enclosed and have a mostly complete roof. Heat will naturally spread throughout rooms; [[vent]]s speed this up. Heaters require no specific placement within the room; a heater in the corner of a room will heat the space as efficiently as a heater in the center of the same room. One heater can only warm so much, and factors like room size may make the target unreachable - see [[Temperature]] for more details.
  
 
Heaters have two states of power consumption: low and high. A heater that is actively heating a room will consume 175W (high power), regardless of the thermostat setting. Once the goal temperature is reached, the heater will transition to its low power state where it only uses 18W. If the room's surroundings are colder, then the room will constantly be spreading heat (and low power mode won't be sustained). If you have multiple heaters in a room, you can exploit this by having each one be 1 degree higher than the last - one will actively cool the room, while the others will be in low power state.
 
Heaters have two states of power consumption: low and high. A heater that is actively heating a room will consume 175W (high power), regardless of the thermostat setting. Once the goal temperature is reached, the heater will transition to its low power state where it only uses 18W. If the room's surroundings are colder, then the room will constantly be spreading heat (and low power mode won't be sustained). If you have multiple heaters in a room, you can exploit this by having each one be 1 degree higher than the last - one will actively cool the room, while the others will be in low power state.
  
Heaters can theoretically warm up to 1800 degrees, total - 1 tile by 1800 degrees, 50 tiles by 36 degrees - but this is before considering heat leakage.
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Heaters can theoretically warm up to 1800 degrees, total - 1 tile by 1800 degrees, 50 tiles by 36 degrees - but this is before considering heat leakage. Simple testing reveals that with an exterior temperature of {{Temperature|-17}}, a single heater with a target temperature of about {{Temperature|20}} can maintain a room with a 9x9 exterior.  A single heater with a target temperature of {{Temperature|10}} can maintain a room with an 11x11 exterior.
  
== Performance ==
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In addition to providing heat, the heater will illuminate each tile surrounding it with ~50% light level (Lit), dropping to <10% light level (Dark) at two tiles.
If the areas surrounding a room are colder than the current temperature inside that room, heat will escape the room.  As a result, the overall area of the room as well as the number of heaters affects the difficulty to cool a room.  A single heater has a maximum efficiency (or output) and may not be able to reach the target temperature of its thermostat if the room is too cold or too large.  In these situations, building multiple heaters is helpful, but it consumes more power.
 
  
Heaters have two states of power consumption: low and high. A heater that is actively heating a room will consume 175W (high power) regardless of thermostat setting.  Once the goal temperature is reached, the heater will transition to its low power state where it only uses 18W.  However, if the exterior of the room is colder, the instant the goal temperature is reached, heat will escape the room, the heater senses this and returns to the high power state (there is a time buffer to this effect to avoid a flickering between high and low power states). This low power state can be exploited to save power when using multiple heaters to heat a large room.  Consider stepping up each heater one degree above each other for this room.  That way, only one or two heaters will be active in their high power state maintaining the temperature of the room, while the others remain in their low power states, only to be used during times of colder temperatures, such as nighttime or [[Events#Cold_Snap|cold snaps]].
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==Analysis==
 
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Heaters are very helpful in cold biomes, and useful in temperate biomes during winter or a [[cold snap]]. If a pawn is too far below their [[Minimum Comfortable Temperature]], they are vulnerable to the potentially lethal [[Injury#Hypothermia|Hypothermia]] and [[Injury#Frostbite|Frostbite]], and recieve the [[Mood#Cold|''Cold'']] negative [[mood]]let. A colonist sleeping under {{Temperature|6}} gives them the -4 [[Mood#Slept_in_the_cold|''Slept in the cold'']] moodlet, regardless of warm clothing.
In addition to providing heat, the heater will illuminate each tile surrounding it with ~50% light level (Lit), dropping to <10% light level (Dark) at two tiles.
 
  
Simple testing reveals that with an exterior temperature of -17ºC/0ºF, a single heater with a target temperature of ~20ºC/~70ºF can maintain a room with a 9x9 exterior. There is significant reduction in efficiency starting at rooms with 10x10 exteriors. This reduction decreases as the heaters target temperature is reduced.  A single heater with a target temperature of ~10ºC/~52ºF can maintain a room with an 11x11 exterior.
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Heaters are necessary to grow [[crop]]s outside of their growing season. As heaters require an enclosed and roofed room to function, a [[sun lamp]] must be used to provide light. This is the only way to grow crops in extreme [[biome]]s like an ''ice sheet''.
  
 
== Version history ==
 
== Version history ==

Revision as of 18:32, 29 September 2022

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Heater

Heater

A device that converts electricity into heat. It can automatically turn itself on or off to reach a specific target temperature.

Base Stats

Type
BuildingTemperature
Market Value
131 Silver [Note]
Mass
6 kg
HP
100
Flammability
50%
Path Cost
30 (30%)

Building

Size
1 × 1
Minifiable
True
Placeable
True
Passability
pass through only
Cover Effectiveness
40%
Blocks Wind
True
Terrain Affordance
Light
Power
-175 W
Light Radius
1.65

Creation

Required Research
Electricity
Skill Required
Construction 5
Work To Make
1,000 ticks (16.67 secs)
Resources to make
Steel 50 + Component 1
Deconstruct yield
Steel 25 + Component 0 - 1
Destroy yield
Steel 12 - 13 + Component 0 - 1
Technical
thingCategories
BuildingsTemperature


The heater is a device that can be used to raise the temperature in a room.

Acquisition

Constructing a passive cooler requires Electricity to be researched, which New Arrivals start with. It requires Steel 50 Steel, Component 1 Component and is constructed in 1,000 ticks (16.67 secs).

Summary

Heaters are placed on the floor; unlike most objects, they can't be rotated. If hooked with sufficent power, a heater will start heating the room it's in to the target temperature. Rooms won't change temperature unless they are enclosed and have a mostly complete roof. Heat will naturally spread throughout rooms; vents speed this up. Heaters require no specific placement within the room; a heater in the corner of a room will heat the space as efficiently as a heater in the center of the same room. One heater can only warm so much, and factors like room size may make the target unreachable - see Temperature for more details.

Heaters have two states of power consumption: low and high. A heater that is actively heating a room will consume 175W (high power), regardless of the thermostat setting. Once the goal temperature is reached, the heater will transition to its low power state where it only uses 18W. If the room's surroundings are colder, then the room will constantly be spreading heat (and low power mode won't be sustained). If you have multiple heaters in a room, you can exploit this by having each one be 1 degree higher than the last - one will actively cool the room, while the others will be in low power state.

Heaters can theoretically warm up to 1800 degrees, total - 1 tile by 1800 degrees, 50 tiles by 36 degrees - but this is before considering heat leakage. Simple testing reveals that with an exterior temperature of -17 °C (1.4 °F), a single heater with a target temperature of about 20 °C (68 °F) can maintain a room with a 9x9 exterior. A single heater with a target temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) can maintain a room with an 11x11 exterior.

In addition to providing heat, the heater will illuminate each tile surrounding it with ~50% light level (Lit), dropping to <10% light level (Dark) at two tiles.

Analysis

Heaters are very helpful in cold biomes, and useful in temperate biomes during winter or a cold snap. If a pawn is too far below their Minimum Comfortable Temperature, they are vulnerable to the potentially lethal Hypothermia and Frostbite, and recieve the Cold negative moodlet. A colonist sleeping under 6 °C (42.8 °F) gives them the -4 Slept in the cold moodlet, regardless of warm clothing.

Heaters are necessary to grow crops outside of their growing season. As heaters require an enclosed and roofed room to function, a sun lamp must be used to provide light. This is the only way to grow crops in extreme biomes like an ice sheet.

Version history