Outdoor heaters on a covered patio in Broken Arrow or Tulsa extend the comfortable temperature range of the outdoor living environment from October through March, making the outdoor kitchen genuinely usable on Oklahoma’s cool fall evenings, Thanksgiving entertaining, New Year’s gatherings, and winter weekend afternoons when temperatures drop below 50°F but don’t reach the truly cold range that makes outdoor use impractical. The right heater type for a specific covered patio depends on the patio’s ceiling height, its enclosure level (fully open sides vs screens vs partial walls), the power source available (natural gas, propane, or 240V electric), and the primary heating zone — the dining area, the seating area around a fire feature, or the full covered patio footprint. VistaScapes & Design designs heater placement and electrical or gas rough-in into covered patio projects during construction so the heaters are permanently installed and conveniently controlled rather than added on extension cords after the fact.
Ceiling-Mounted Infrared Heaters
Ceiling-mounted infrared heaters — natural gas or electric radiant heaters that mount directly to the covered patio’s ceiling structure — are the most effective and most integrated heating solution for a Tulsa covered patio outdoor kitchen. Infrared heaters work by emitting radiant heat that warms people and objects directly (like sunlight) rather than warming the air — in an outdoor environment where air-warming is inefficient because warm air escapes at the patio’s open sides, radiant heat is dramatically more effective than forced-air alternatives. Natural gas ceiling heaters (in the 25,000 to 50,000 BTU range per heater) are the most cost-effective to operate for frequent cold-weather entertaining use — the natural gas cost per hour is significantly lower than the electricity cost for equivalent radiant output. Electric infrared heaters (240V, 1,500 to 4,000W per unit) are appropriate where a natural gas line is not available to the covered patio ceiling location, and they require only an electrical circuit rough-in. We typically specify two to four ceiling heaters for a standard 400 to 600 square foot covered patio, positioned above the dining and seating zones.
Wall Heaters and Freestanding Options
Wall-mounted infrared heaters are appropriate for covered patio projects where ceiling mounting is not practical — the ceiling structure lacks the depth or load capacity for ceiling-mounted heaters, or the covered patio’s ceiling height is too low for adequate heat distribution from ceiling units. Wall heaters mount on the covered patio’s masonry privacy wall or on the home’s exterior wall, directing heat outward across the seating zone. For homeowners who want supplemental heat for occasional use without a permanently installed heater, freestanding propane patio heaters (the mushroom-top or pyramid-style units) provide 40,000 to 46,000 BTU of radiant and convective heat and can be positioned anywhere on the patio without electrical or gas rough-in — they are significantly less effective than ceiling-mounted infrared in outdoor environments and less aesthetically integrated, but they are a legitimate option for occasional use in an outdoor kitchen that was not designed with heaters in the original covered patio infrastructure.
Call VistaScapes & Design at (918) 779-1317 for a free covered patio consultation in Tulsa. We’ll design the right heater configuration for your outdoor kitchen and covered patio to keep it comfortable through Oklahoma’s cool season.
