Ranchi, Dec. 30: With the mercury dipping consistently, especially after the recent, sudden thunder showers, the demand for geysers and heating appliances has expectedly gone up.

And the market is more than prepared to meet the demand. From major brands to local makes, shelves have been attractively lined up with appliances to suit different needs.

Some of the major brands are Usha, Symphony, Kenstar, Bajaj and Roxy. Pitting its products against these companies is Black and D?cor, an American company, whose products are assembled and imported from England.

To the delight of consumers, it?s not just variety of brands he gets to choose from, but also has an options in designs unimaginable a few years ago. Now they come in attractive colours and shapes and sizes, as Pradeep Ganguly, the showroom-in-charge of Usha Lexus pointed out.

He said earlier the room heaters comprised heating coils wrapped around an insulator, through which current passed and produced heat. The heaters also consumed a lot of power and were heavy on the electric bill. The heaters available now are much superior and functionally better, he added.

Black and D?cor consignee sales agent Amol Pandey said the room heaters are available with humidifiers, which ensure that there is no oxygen depletion in the room. ?The heaters maintain the level of humidity in the room and do not burn up the oxygen. If the level of oxygen is burnt inside the room, it gets suffocating. This has been taken care of in these new heaters,? he added.

Brands apart, local makes remain a popular choice with consumers. The Daily Market is a good place to hunt for cheap and durable heating appliances. The market offers local products and appliances from Delhi which are very popular. Among the local appliances Roxy, Diamond and Avon are popular brands.

Gas geysers have also making their presence felt in the market. Though not many people are still going in for them, those who own one are very satisfied. Gas geysers use LPG cylinders used for cooking and come in handy when there are power cuts, Ganguly said.

Muhammad Geelani, an electrical goods dealer at Daily Market said convection room heaters are very popular.