Patio heating without gas: 5 alternatives compared

You can arrange patio heating without gas with electric heaters, heated seat cushions, blankets, windscreens with a canopy or a fire table. If you want to warm guests directly without cables and without installation, choose heated seat cushions with a battery. Below you can compare the five options on cost, convenience and comfort.

Why business owners are giving up gas on the terrace

More and more municipalities are restricting gas heaters. Eindhoven has banned gas patio heating since 1 November 2024; according to the municipality, electric heating falls outside that ban. Other municipalities are investigating similar rules. In gas patio heater rules: what is still allowed? you can read which municipalities have taken measures and where to find the rules for your own terrace.

Even without a ban, business owners are choosing a different system. Your team no longer has to swap, store or order gas bottles. And a gas heater mainly warms the air, which blows away in the wind.

1. Electric heater

An electric heater, often an infrared heater, hangs on the façade, under the awning or on a pole. You switch it on with a switch.

• Advantage: no gas, and according to the municipality of Eindhoven it does not fall under the gas ban.

• Disadvantage: you need a power connection on the terrace, often with an installer involved.

• Disadvantage: the heater is in a fixed position. Guests at the edge of the terrace notice little of it, and in the wind part of the heat blows away.

You can read more about this option in electric patio heating: advantages and disadvantages.

2. Heated seat cushions

A heated seat cushion has a heating element in the seat and back and runs on a wireless battery. The warmth goes directly to the guest, even when it is windy.

• On the highest setting, 45 degrees, a battery lasts up to 8 hours.

• The cushion only switches on when a guest sits down. Each guest chooses their own setting.

• You lay no cables and need no power outside.

• You move the cushion along with the chair, right up to the furthest table.

Your team takes the battery out of the cushion and charges it indoors in the charging station; the cushion stays on the chair. On the back of the cushion you can see the charge percentage. Only batteries below 20 percent go on the charger in the evening. One station holds ten batteries.

You choose from the Olefin in 9 colours, the Paris for bistro chairs in 3 colours or the Sheepskin in long-haired sheepskin in 2 colours. Tests with restaurants show that heated seat cushions make the terrace season last 6 to 8 weeks longer.

3. Blankets and throws

Blankets cost little and you can put them on the chairs today. They keep a guest warm as long as they sit still.

There are disadvantages, however. Blankets get wet in rain and dew, and you wash them after every use if you want to give guests a clean blanket. That requires storage and washing. A blanket also gives off no heat; it only retains the guest's own body heat.

4. Windscreens and canopy

A windscreen or canopy heats nothing, but it keeps out wind and rain. As a result the terrace feels warmer and the heat from other systems stays with the guest for longer.

• You can combine a screen with any other option in this overview.

• For fixed screens and canopies you often need a permit. Check your terrace permit or your municipality's local bylaws (APV).

5. Fire table or fire basket

A fire table on bioethanol or a wood-burning fire basket creates atmosphere. The heat only reaches the guests sitting close to it, and you need fuel and supervision. Municipalities can set rules for open fire on a terrace. So ask your municipality what is allowed before you buy one.

Patio heating without gas: the options side by side

	What it heats	Installation	In the wind	Daily work
Electric heater	The air	Power connection, often an installer	Heat partly blows away	Switching on and off
Heated seat cushions	The guest	None	Heat stays with the guest	Charging empty batteries in the evening
Blankets	Nothing, retains heat	None	Limited	Washing, drying, storing
Windscreens	Nothing, keeps out wind	Sometimes a permit	Helps	Little
Fire table or fire basket	Immediate surroundings	Municipal rules	Heat blows away	Fuel and supervision

Some business owners combine options. Windscreens on the open side and heated seat cushions on the chairs give every guest warmth, without gas and without cables. Also read heated cushions or a gas heater if you want to know how cushions compare with gas.

What do heated seat cushions cost?

You buy the cushions outright or rent them through the heat agreement. When renting, you pay € 5 per cushion per month, plus a one-off deposit of € 50 for the Olefin and the Paris or € 60 for the Sheepskin. A charging station of € 200 comes with every ten cushions. Battery, service and warranty are included. The agreement runs for 36 months and applies from 10 cushions. All prices are excl. VAT. On the prices page you will find the full overview, and what patio heating costs lists the costs of all options.

Try them on your own terrace

Would you like to feel the cushions first? At Stadsjochies and Bistro Madeleine in Utrecht you can see them in use. You can also try up to 10 cushions free for one month on your own terrace, next to your current heating. After that you decide whether to keep them, or HeatUup collects them again.

Source for the gas ban: terrace rules of the municipality of Eindhoven (ondernemendeindhoven.nl). Always check the current rules of your own municipality.