An Italian designer has tapped into the long-known thermal properties of terracotta to develop a simple room heater powered by candles.
The Egloo is the product of Marco Zacaria from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, and a simple and good looking terracotta dome-shaped device, hand-made in numerous colours, that according to its designer, can help increase the temperature of a 20 square metre room by two to three degrees Celsius.
Made of a terracotta base, a metal grid upon which just four tea-light candles are placed, and two terracotta domes, the Egloo taps into the terracotta’s heat-storing properties to capture and then slowly release heat over a period of five hours, the average burning time of a tea-light. The Egloo requires therefore no electricity and, apart from its initial cost – it retails at between 50 and 80 Euro – its running cost is therefore only the cost of the tea-lights.
Perfect for small rooms, office desks, bedrooms, the Egloo can help cut down your energy bills particularly at times, such as while writing this blog, when one needs to just sit quietly for a period of time.
The Egloo will not bring tropical temperatures to a room, so don’t expect to wear a t-shirt in winter while carrying out sedentary activities, however by increasing a room’s temperature by two to three degrees Celsius, it can make the difference between comfort and discomfort and help reduce more generalised and unnecessary heating of spaces, therefore saving on energy bills and helping us to reduce our ecological footprint.
You could probably make a home-made version of a candle heater yourself, and depending on your DIY skills you may even produce something beautiful and effective. However for those less so inclined, Egloos can be ordered here,
See it before you order in this video:
