Heaters that burn diesel and thus generate hot air that is distributed throughout the ship are ideal on board. In most cases, the energy source is already available, and the heaters also work independently of shore power, i.e. while underway. What's more, diesel heaters are very inexpensive, space-saving and low-defect.
YACHT compared six devices. The established manufacturers Webasto, Wallas and Eberspächer are included as well as Autoterm (formerly Planar) from Russia, Brano from the Czech Republic and an unnamed product from China. The prices range from 159 euros to just under 2000 euros.
The appliances had to pass the test in the disciplines of scope of delivery, assembly, parts quality, noise level, heat output and electricity and diesel consumption, among others.
