This note is simply an invitation to take part in our heater swap program. It is given out to people who have oil heaters, convection panel heaters, and various types of fan heaters. It is also the default note if Security cannot recognise the type of heater you are using.

You can find out more about different heater technologies and our heater swap program on other parts of our website.

If you are using a high temperature radiant heater (bar radiator type), or have left your heater on while unattended, you will get the next type of post it note.

You will receive this note if Security found your heater (any type) switched on while unattended. Leaving a heater on is an unsafe practice and wastes energy. Our heater swap program can supply heaters that provide useful heat almost instantly (seconds). There is no need to leave a heater on overnight in order to be warm when you sit down to work in the morning.

The second reason that Security may have left this type of note is that they found a high temperature heater (bar radiator or similar) in your room. These heaters are prohibited at UNSW. Even though you may be aware of the risks these heaters pose and you operate heater in a cautious manner, Murphy's Law always applies. High temperature radiators create an inherent OH&S risk and cannot be used at UNSW.

Take bar radiators, strip heaters and quarts infrared heaters home or return them to your administration officer. You could take part in the heater swap program. We can provide you with an alternative radiant panel heater that is inherently much safer and more energy efficient than a bar radiator.

This note is aimed at encouraging responsible use of oil heaters. Over time it is best if we phase out the use of oil heaters as they are an inefficient form of heating. Meanwhile if oil heaters are used at all, we would like people to use them in an environmentally responsible manner. This means improving the way we use them to get the best heating result for the least amount of energy.

Oil heaters mainly heat by convection and consequently should be thermostatically controlled. The thermostat setting should not result in overheating (room temperatures in excess of 21°C). Like all heaters, oil heaters must be turned off at night or when unattended.

Oil heaters create a mass of useless warm air just under the office ceiling. If you have a ceiling fan then please use it in winter mode to mix the air in the room and get more effective heating (contact your administration officer or FM Facilities Client Manager for advice).

Oil heaters simply cannot heat large office spaces, but they can wate a lot of energy trying. In open plan or large offices people sit right beside their oil heaters and are really using them as radiant heaters. They were not designed for this type of heating and are inefficient at producing radiant heat. Swap your oil heater for a radiant panel heater specifically designed to heat you efficiently.