Space Heaters Are Efficient
All electric space heaters are about 100% efficient at
changing electricity into heat. The heater elements, in space heaters, are
electrical resistance devices that are all very effective in doing their job.
The fan motors are about 80% efficient at turning the fan
blades. The 20% of energy that is wasted by the fan motor is given off as heat
so it is not lost when we want heat.
Electricity is an
Expensive Energy Source
Electricity is clean and easy to use, but it is not the
lowest cost source of home heat. Heating the whole house with gas, oil or solid
fuels is less expensive.
Safety is important.
Electric space heaters are the only unvented heater that is
safe to use in your home. Un-vented fuel fired heaters have some risk of carbon
monoxide poisoning.
Warning heaters get hot. Like the printed warning on
McDonalds coffee cups, I should not have to say that. Electric heaters do burn
people and start fires if they are used carelessly.
Do not throw stuff on an electric heater. Towels, clothing
and newspapers have to be kept off the heater.
Make sure that your portable space heaters have:
-
An over temperature switch or thermostat
- A tip over safety switch
-
A competent adult supervisor
-
Look for a UL label or CE sticker to show that
the design is safe
-
There must be guard over the heater elements to
keep your Uncle Fester or the kids from getting burned or buy oil filled, mica,
or a slate stone unit that gets warm but not too hot to the touch.
-
If you put it in the middle of the room, expect
someone to trip over the power cord.
Long Lasting Quality
is Important
A cheap heater that has elements that burn out all too soon
is a waste of money. If you have to buy a new one every other heating season,
you are wasting your money.
If you find one at a garage sale, you need to look it over
carefully and ask yourself two questions; is it safe and how long will it last.
It may be ugly, but if it passes those two questions, it may be a bargain.
All Home use Electric
Space Heaters put out the same amount of heat
Essentially all home use space heaters are made to use up to
1,500 Watts of electric power. So they all put our about 5,000 BTU’s of heat
per hour. All electric space heaters have the same maximum power input so they all
have the same maximum output.
When I say all, I mean the fancy expensive great looking
ones and the old fashion ugly ones all do the same thing period.
They are all made to be used on a standard household 20-amp
circuit.
There are some space heaters made that use less that 1,500 Watts
and they put out proportionally less heat.
If you buy good looks,
know that you are paying Extra
If you buy an electric space heater that looks like a fancy
fireplace, your are paying a lot for the way it looks. It will not work any
better, or put out more heat than an ugly one.
Ignore any advertising claims about one type or brand being
better than another is. All space heaters do the same job pretty much the same
way.
A basic good quality space heater will cost about $20 to $30
or so. If you spend more, you are doing it for looks or style not for better
performance. A better-looking unit may be what you want for your home.
If you plug two space
heaters into the same circuit, you will blow a fuse.
OK, now days you are likely to pop a circuit breaker. I just
like to write, “Blow a fuse.” Electric space heaters use so much power that they
should be alone on a circuit.
If you have a space heater in your bathroom and plug in your
hair drier to the same circuit, you will blow a fuse when you blow your hair.
Same thing anywhere else in the house. If a space heater is
plugged in, you can not have any other big power appliance on at the same time
on the same circuit.
Don’t get mad when the circuit breaker pops or a fuse blows.
When it happens, say a prayer of thanks, because it just prevented a fire from
starting.
You can only use 2 or
3 space heaters in a typical house.
Because of the above fuse-blowing problem, most homes can
not support more than 2 or 3 space heaters. Do not waste your money buying
more.
Yes, you can save
Your Money Heating with one Space Heater
By heating just one room with your portable space heater
and letting the rest of the house stay cooler your total utilities bill will be
lower.
As an example: If your TV is in the living room and that is
where your family gathers you can heat the living room to 70 degrees with a
space heater. Then set the rest of the house at 66 on your main thermostat.
The result is a room that is very comfortable while saving
money on the rest of the house.
If you are a caregiver, the bedroom of an elderly parent or
sick child can be kept warmer than the rest of the house, using one space heater,
and save money.
My wife uses a space heater to warm the bathroom while she
takes her morning shower. That way she stays warm while wearing a wet birthday
suit.
After dressing, she unplugs the space heater and blows her
hair dry. The house stays an energy saving 68, but the bathroom is much warmer
for a short time.
Note: this only works if the main thermostat is NOT in the
room that you are heating with the space heater.
EXCEPTION: If you have a heat pump, do not use a space
heater, or you will pay extra for it.
Electric space heaters
as insurance against high fuel prices
The price of electricity does not jump up like fuel prices
can. If you use Natural Gas, Propane or Heating Oil as your primary heating
energy source there is a price risk.
Storms, wars and politics can cause havoc with fuel prices
as we have all seen in recent years. We cannot predict when the next storm, war
or the fools in government will hit us in the pocket book again.
There may come a time when it is less expensive to heat with
electricity than with fuels.
It the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, when the price of
natural gas went wild, it was actually better to leave the lights on all the
time to heat my work place with the electric power than to burn natural gas.
That day will likely come again. If you have a couple of
electric space heaters ready, you can weather that storm too.
Electric space heaters can save you money this winter. Don't be fooled by a sales pitch, all electric space heaters are 95 to 100% efficient. Buy one that you can afford.Click here for electric space heaters
Click here for a free money saving report written by the Energy Boomer titled HOW SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL
Related Posts:
Are Electric Space Heaters Energy Savers or Money Wasters?
FIRST IN A SERIES ON ENERGY SAVING HEATING and COOLING SYSTEMS
HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT HEATING BILL
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