Baseboard ELECTRIC heat

[fly boy]

I will be purchasing a new to me home in about 6 months. In my mind, I have the mentality that baseboard electric heat is junk. Costs an arm and a leg, not efficient at all, and just avoid the house if it has it. My other mindset that baseboard water/boiler is a little bit better as far as costs go, but still not very efficient. Gas forced air is the way to go.

Should I avoid baseboard heat, or consider it? Thanks.

[Wulf202]

First off electric heat is 100% efficient. Putting the heat where the loss is i.e. exterior walls and windows. Having individual thermostats for each room allows you to turn down the rooms you don't use. The lower level of the heater allows it to more efficiently heat the air in the room.

Having said all that baseband heaters are usually in older homes where insulation lacked to begin with or in additions by inexperienced or cheap owners/builders.

The short answer is a qualified maybe

[fly boy]

First off electric heat is 100% efficient. Putting the heat where the loss is i.e. exterior walls and windows. Having individual thermostats for each room allows you to turn down the rooms you don't use. The lower level of the heater allows it to more efficiently heat the air in the room.

Having said all that baseband heaters are usually in older homes where insulation lacked to begin with or in additions by inexperienced or cheap owners/builders.

The short answer is a qualified maybe

Thumbs up! That's makes a little more sense. I knew that you could change room temps, but I was under the impression it used a ton of wattage to heat rooms, and since they were at the outside wall edge it would constantly be running drawing power.

so short understanding.... avoid if bad insulation from older home, newer 1995+ it would be good to go??

[SAnd]

Your limited what you can put in front of baseboard heat. So depending on your preferred furnishing style it may not work.

[davsel]

Electric heat is efficient only in the sense that 100% of the electricity used is turned into heat. It is also very expensive.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/electri...per-71384.html

As of March 2013, it costs $34.57 to generate one million BTUs of heat using electric baseboard heating, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This same million BTUs costs $14.39 using an electric heat pump, or $7.33 via a standard gas furnace.

[Wulf202]

Electric heat is efficient only in the sense that 100% of the electricity used is turned into heat. It is also very expensive.

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/electri...per-71384.html

Those numbers are on alot of assumed things. Costs. Efficiency. Ambient temps all play a huge factor. Also the fact that they don't take into account the electric bill that heat pumps and gas furnaces need to circulate said air.

Not to mention equipment costs, emergency break downs. Install. Repair. Retrofit. The mild increased risk of co poisoning to the occupants. There's alot to weigh

For example my uncles place is in the cheapest electric prices in the country. 1/7th of what we pay here.

[Wulf202]

Thumbs up! That's makes a little more sense. I knew that you could change room temps, but I was under the impression it used a ton of wattage to heat rooms, and since they were at the outside wall edge it would constantly be running drawing power.

so short understanding.... avoid if bad insulation from older home, newer 1995+ it would be good to go??

If you want a generic rule sure but everything has grey areas. Older homes can be updated with insulation materials.

[DFBrews]

The cost of going to a boiler can be offset if your current domestic hot water heater is getting up in age and will need replaced in the future.

gas forced air is the least efficient of what you described. the numbers posted dont list a gas fired boiler. It takes a lot less btus to heat up air than water. moving the btus from a to b is where water shines.


forced is common because it is cheap to install. convection baseboard is a step up from forced air

true radiators and radiant floors is the most efficient heating option available. and a well designed system is amazing.

[SideShow Bob]

All I can tell you is that I once rented a house near Denver for a few years that had electric baseboard heating only and the electric bill during the winter months was outrageous, and the heat distribution sucked.
The house was built in the 70's, and luckily had a wood burning fireplace with an insert. I burned a lot of wood to help reduce the electric bill and warm up the house.

[fly boy]

All I can tell you is that I once rented a house near Denver for a few years that had electric baseboard heating only and the electric bill during the winter months was outrageous, and the heat distribution sucked.
The house was built in the 70's, and luckily had a wood burning fireplace with an insert. I burned a lot of wood to help reduce the electric bill and warm up the house.

THIS is my fear. A huge electric bill. Some of the houses are build in 70/80's and have base board electric heat. That is my concern. I have only seen 1 so far that listed base board was with a boiler. Most of the ones I'm looking at are forced air, but some of the nicer house build in mid 80's have base board electric, so I just close out the tab and don't look at the house any more.

So 70/80's house with base board electric heat, I will expect a high electric bill in the winter?