The first proper cold snap does the same thing to every venue in Melbourne, Ballarat and the Blue Mountains. The courtyard empties by seven while the inside tables run a forty-minute wait, and a third of your seating sits dark. Heat that section properly and it trades all winter.
Commercial outdoor heaters are judged on three things: how much space they genuinely cover, what they cost to run night after night, and whether the install satisfies your council and your insurer. This guide is for cafe, pub and winery operators sizing up a courtyard or beer garden. It compares gas, electric and wood-fired heat honestly, shows where our outdoor heaters range fits a venue, and flags the compliance questions to answer before you order.
What changes when heating is commercial
Domestic heating is sized for a room with a door on it. A venue space is larger, draughtier and constantly opened to the street, so the number that matters is rated coverage in square metres, not how warm a unit feels in a showroom.
Measure only the area you need warm. A 12 by 8 metre courtyard is 96 square metres, but if patrons cluster in the sheltered two-thirds you are really heating about 65.
Then decide what you are warming. Convection heaters warm the air, which works when the space has enough enclosure to hold it. Radiant heaters warm whatever the heat strikes, including people, and shrug off a breeze. Open-sided beer gardens almost always want radiant.
Duty cycle is the other difference. A venue heater runs five or six hours a night for four or five months, which is why firebox construction and warranty length matter more than the sticker price.
Choosing commercial outdoor heaters: gas, electric or wood-fired
Each fuel solves a different problem, and most venues run two of the three.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Gas (bottled or natural) | Open courtyards and footpath areas with no power nearby | Licensed gasfitter for fixed connections; bottle storage and change-over eat staff time |
| Electric radiant and strip heaters | Under an awning, pergola or verandah, aimed at seated patrons | Licensed electrician, often a dedicated circuit; mounting height is critical |
| Wood-fired heaters | Enclosed or roofed sections: a winter room or covered courtyard | Needs a flue, a compliant install and floor space; some councils restrict solid fuel |
| Fire pits and fire tables | A social focal point people gather around | Clearances, supervision and total fire ban restrictions |
One honest note on our own range. The heaters we stock are flued wood-fired units, not gas mushroom heaters or electric strip heaters. They are the right answer for the roofed or enclosable part of a venue, and the wrong answer for a fully open beer garden, where gas or electric belongs instead.
Wood-fired heaters that suit venue-sized spaces
Country pubs, wineries and alpine venues have run wood fires for a century for good reason. The fire earns its floor space twice, as heat and as the thing people sit near.
The Eureka Amber ($2,700) is the pick for a big, unhelpful room. It is radiant, rated at 12kW with coverage to 240 square metres, and built for spaces with poor insulation or high ceilings where warm air drifts away from people. That fits a converted warehouse, shed bar or old pub back room.
The Blaze B900 ($3,149) reaches a similar 230 square metre coverage a different way. It is a freestanding convection heater with a three speed remote control fan, so staff can change output without leaving the bar. The wood storage base keeps split logs out of the service path.
If your building already has a masonry fireplace cavity doing nothing, the Blaze B820 Inbuilt ($2,749) puts the same 230 square metre coverage into the wall instead of the floor plan. It installs into a full masonry cavity or with an optional zero clearance kit. In a tight venue, floor area is revenue.
For a snug, a cellar door tasting room or a side courtyard, the Masport Klondike ($1,299) is a cast iron potbelly rated at 100 square metres and 10kW peak output. Note its 115mm flue size when you plan the install.
Compliance, permits and the smoke-free trap
This is where venue heating projects stall, so work through it before you buy. Every rule below varies by state and by council, and the only safe approach is to confirm your situation with your local council and a licensed installer.
Installation is not a maintenance job. Gas appliances and fixed connections must be installed by a licensed gasfitter, and hard-wired electric heaters by a licensed electrician. Solid-fuel heaters need a compliant flue installation, covered in Australia by AS/NZS 2918, and a qualified installer to handle clearances, hearth requirements and the roof penetration. Some councils also condition solid-fuel appliances because of wood smoke.
Then there is the trap that catches good operators. Enclosing an outdoor area with walls and a roof to hold the heat in can convert it, under state smoke-free legislation, into an enclosed public place. That changes whether patrons can smoke there. Thresholds differ between states, so check with your state health authority and your council before you build screens or drop blinds. Anything fixed to an awning or hung over a footpath dining area is the same story, because outdoor dining permits carry conditions written council by council.
On declared total fire ban days, restrictions can apply to fire pits and some open-flame heating. Those rules are set by your state fire service: the CFA in Victoria, the RFS in New South Wales, the Queensland Fire Department or the CFS in South Australia.
Heating also competes with seating: fire surrounds and clearance zones take floor space the tables were going to use. Our guide to outdoor furniture for cafes and venues covers the seating half of the same floor plan.
Placement, comfort and running costs
Warm patrons stay and order another round, so put heat where people sit rather than where the unit is easiest to install. Aim radiant heat at the seated zone and keep it off circulation paths.
Block the wind before you add more heat. A screen, a planter run or a drop blind on the weather side does more per dollar than a second heater, because moving air strips warmth off skin.
For running costs, take the appliance output, multiply by the hours you will run it, and price the fuel. Wood is usually the cheapest heat per hour and the dearest in labour. Electric is easiest to control. Gas sits between the two.
Commercial outdoor heaters — frequently asked questions
Can I use a wood heater in an outdoor beer garden?
Not in a fully open beer garden, no. Flued wood heaters are designed for enclosed or substantially roofed spaces where the flue can be installed correctly, so they suit a winter room, garden bar or covered courtyard. For open seating, gas or electric radiant heating is the appropriate choice.
How many square metres will one commercial heater cover?
Treat the rated coverage as a ceiling, not a promise. A unit rated to 230 or 240 square metres will manage that in a reasonably enclosed space, but an open or high-ceilinged area cuts the useful figure sharply.
Do I need council approval to install a heater at my venue?
Often yes, and it depends entirely on your council and what you are installing. Flue penetrations, fixed structures, anything attached to an awning and any change to an approved outdoor dining area typically need sign-off.
Can patrons smoke in a heated outdoor area?
That depends on how enclosed the area is under your state's smoke-free laws. Adding walls, roofing or blinds to trap heat can push an area over the threshold into an enclosed public place. Confirm the current definition with your state health authority first.
Shop the range
Browse the full outdoor heaters range for freestanding and inbuilt units. The fire pits range suits a gathering point rather than whole-area heat, and our commercial packages pair venue-grade tables and chairs so seating and heating land together. We deliver Australia-wide with free delivery over $100, and installation is available on request.
