A vertical porous layer subject to lack of local thermal equilibrium and differentially heated from its sidewalls experiences extremely different conditions when it is heated via a constant heat flux, rather than via a hot temperature imposed on the sidewall. For a start the steady state basic temperatures of the fluid and solid differ, as distinct from the corresponding case of imposed temperature on the sidewall when both fluid and solid temperatures are identical and linear at steady state and the lack of local thermal equilibrium (LaLotheq) can manifest itself at transients or when the basic temperature profiles stated above become unstable. In addition, in the case of heating via a constant heat flux the steady state basic temperatures of the fluid and solid are not only distinct but also nonlinear. The analytical derivation of these nonlinear solutions for the basic natural convection in a vertical porous layer differentially heated from its sidewalls, subject to lack of local thermal equilibrium and heating via a constant heat flux is presented and the results analyzed over a wide range of parameter space. In general it is shown that the lack of local thermal equilibrium destroys the symmetry of the problem via deviatoric terms in the solutions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.