This is definitely a good, cheap idea for a room heater. I will put together this set up for sure for downstairs and for bedrooms.
Yeah, or just, you know, burn the candles. That's where the heat comes from.
I posted this link sometime back and the Feedback was lets say less than welcoming:
http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/10/16/terracotta-pot-candle-heater/
But I think that this explanation of how the unit works shows it’s benefits:
The difference here is how the heat is distributed, which is *very* important.
Remember, the only important thing in this context is the *personal perception* of heat. Concentrate the heat near the user, and theyll notice a significant difference.
Normal candle burning will result in a small amount of IR emission, but most of the heat will immediately rise straight up to your ceiling via gas convection. Instead of wasting all the heat as warm air sitting at the ceiling, this radiates much of it as IR directly to your skin and immediate surroundings (and of course, some will still be transmitted through a more broad general convection.) These are typically meant to be used on the corner of a desk within a meter or so of the user, and they really do make a difference in taking the chill off within a localized area.
And with the bonus of seeing the cozy flame
The candle flame is still visible, the pots usually rest on a stand a few inches above the flame.