Electric baseboard heaters

[Mainely Saws]

Hello everyone , I am looking to put an electric baseboard heater in a 12 x 12 bedroom . I have a 4 ft unit that is about 20 years old . My question is , have there been any improvements to these units in recent years that would warrant buying a new heater instead of installing the old one ?
Thanks for any info .............

Bob

 

[semipro]

Not with respect to efficiency. Electric resistance heat is by default about 100% efficient so you be wasting your money on anything advertised as "high efficiency".

 

[begreen]

First, decide how much heat the room will need. A 4' heater may not be very high wattage. If this is just to boost the room heat a little then it could be ok, but if this is a cold room over say a garage, more heat may be needed.

There a lot of options if you want higher wattage. There are the standard baseboard heaters and there are hydronic or oil-filled heaters. These are safer if there is any chance of a curtain or fabric being near the heater. There are also more contemporary panel style heaters that have a shallower profile. And there are compact heaters with a fan for faster room warm up.

 

[Highbeam]

Hello everyone , I am looking to put an electric baseboard heater in a 12 x 12 bedroom . I have a 4 ft unit that is about 20 years old . My question is , have there been any improvements to these units in recent years that would warrant buying a new heater instead of installing the old one ?
Thanks for any info .............

Bob

These things are cheap and new ones are clean and contain safety upgrades that may have occurred over the decades. Those old nasty baseboards are probably dirty, dingy, and dinged up.

In my home all of the baseboard strips have been replaced by wall heaters. These are smaller and up off the ground.Same function but look more modern.

The wall heaters I use are pick-a-watt which means you can select the output to match the circuit or the room needs.

 

[MTY]

This not the place to try and save very few dollars.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Thanks folks for the replies and suggestions . This 12x12 bedroom is in a 120 year old house that has had double glazed windows and insulation added a number of years ago . Originally there were hot water radiators that provided the heat ( which I liked ) but the boiler died and after heating solely with wood for years we have switched to a Rinnai DV and a Lopi Brekshire ( all on one floor with an opened up living space ). This one bedroom needs help hense the electric baseboard option . So , are the hydronic units a different kind of heat ? I think I will forget about using the old 4ft unit that I have and pick up a new unit . Thanks again for any and all advice ....
Bob

 

[begreen]

The hydronic heater is a softer kind of heat. They don't get as hot on the surface as straight resistance heaters. They heat similar to the oil-filled electric radiators.

Cadet 71 in. 240/208-volt 1,250/937-watt SoftHeat Hydronic Electric Baseboard Heater in White EBHN1250W - The Home Depot

Enjoy greater comfort and energy savings with a more consistent room temperature and a soft, gentle heat with this SoftHeat hydronic baseboard heater. Ideal for bedrooms and nurseries, this innovative

www.homedepot.com

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I like the in wall heaters with a fan. they come in 2000 3000 and 4000 watts. 240V . I recently put a 2000 watt in a medium sized kitchen with a lot of windows and it is plenty for the room. Lowest setting is about 55 degrees.

 

[Mainely Saws]

Seems like there are a wide variety of prices to get 1500 watts out of an electric heater . You can get a little plug in ceramic heater for $29, same amount of heat ..........

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Seems like there are a wide variety of prices to get 1500 watts out of an electric heater . You can get a little plug in ceramic heater for $29, same amount of heat ..........

All the way to the extreme Eden Pure and Amish Miracle heater for $300. BS at its finest.

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[ChrisRoss]

Make sure you calculate the running cost before.

According to Energy Star, up to half of all the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. ... Electric baseboard heaters found in many older homes may appear efficient at first glance, but these units actually serve as one of the most expensive and inefficient heating options for the average homeowner.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Make sure you calculate the running cost before.

According to Energy Star, up to half of all the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. ... Electric baseboard heaters found in many older homes may appear efficient at first glance, but these units actually serve as one of the most expensive and inefficient heating options for the average homeowner.

That depends on the situation. For spot and ocassional heat they are hard to beat for adding a few degrees to one room with an electric resistance heater vs bringing the whole house up to that level with a cheaper fuel source. Granted i only use them as a supplement. I can delay starting my solid fuel whole house heat for a month or more in the fall and spring with electric spot heat. But again ,no need to pay $300 for a portable electric heater. Many 1500 watt 5000 BTU options under $30. I mostly use radiant 600 to 800 watt models which provide the same or more comfort than a 1500 watt fan forced models and wont overtax most electric circuits. These tend to be in the $20 to $40 RANGE.

 

[Highbeam]

these units actually serve as one of the most expensive and inefficient heating options for the average homeowner.

Ah, this is a common mistake of confusing efficiency and operating expense. That electric resistance heater will always be more efficient than a natural gas heater. Electric resistance heat is usually more expensive than natural gas heat due to current fuel costs.

At least with electric resistance you have a relatively constant and regulated price for fuel, nearly zero maintenance, low equipment cost, no carbon monoxide risk, and nothing on the floor to trip over.

 

[billb3]

Thanks folks for the replies and suggestions . This 12x12 bedroom is in a 120 year old house that has had double glazed windows and insulation added a number of years ago . Originally there were hot water radiators that provided the heat ( which I liked ) but the boiler died and after heating solely with wood for years we have switched to a Rinnai DV and a Lopi Brekshire ( all on one floor with an opened up living space ). This one bedroom needs help hense the electric baseboard option . So , are the hydronic units a different kind of heat ? I think I will forget about using the old 4ft unit that I have and pick up a new unit . Thanks again for any and all advice ....
Bob

They're generally safer.
They're still $$$ to run.

Replacing the boiler is out of the question ? A zoned water tank is often a fairly cheap way to make hot water .

 

[begreen]

That depends on the situation. For spot and ocassional heat they are hard to beat for adding a few degrees to one room with an electric resistance heater vs bringing the whole house up to that level with a cheaper fuel source. Granted i only use them as a supplement. I can delay starting my solid fuel whole house heat for a month or more in the fall and spring with electric spot heat. But again ,no need to pay $300 for a portable electric heater. Many 1500 watt 5000 BTU options under $30. I mostly use radiant 600 to 800 watt models which provide the same or more comfort than a 1500 watt fan forced models and wont overtax most electric circuits. These tend to be in the $20 to $40 RANGE.

My office is somewhat closed off and runs cooler than the rest of the house. I have a simple portable heater that I used to warm it up during the day from say 65 to 70º. The cost, even in the dead of winter, is not excessive in our area.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Im thinking about one of those 2x2 infrared ceiling heaters, We have a mirrored ceiling with 2x2 mirrors in the bedroom. Seems it would be easy to drop in a 2x2 radiant heater in place of the glass.

 

[fbelec]

i install electric baseboard heat. it is lo cost to install and buy, and as far as sizing a electric heater to the room for old houses it's square foot times 10. if it is a well insulated tight house like 2 x 6 exterior walls then it's square foot times 7. i'm a fan of the oil filled electric radiators for spot rooms heating. no special wiring just plug them in. they really don't get hot enough to burn things. i've got a 12 by 14 office in my basement. before i installed a zone off the boiler i used the oil filled radiator. i used to keep the amount of heat set to 600 watts and it was fine. it was cycling so i know it wasn't on to light if it got really cold out i could switch it to 900 watts but that was only for a few days a winter. in the basement here it runs in the high 40's in the winter so not to bad.

 

[Mainely Saws]

In my situation, as I recall a new boiler and hot water baseboard was going to run around $15,000 at the time .We are quite pleased with having heated with a wood stove ( 1000 sq. ft. ,one floor ,open space)and now a Rinnai heater plus a Lopi Berkshire stove .The large Rinnai was $1500 installed and the Lopi was purchased used for $900 plus $1100 to reline the chimney and install ( we took out the wood stove and put the Lopi right on the same hearth). My need is for a spare bedroom . I can leave the door open and it would be fine for our needs ( we don't mind it being cool in a bedroom) . Yes , electricity is expensive but compared to the up front costs of a new heating system ,maintenance and operating costs , I would never recoop the money spent . It does get cold up our way so this is why I am considering electric heat for this one room .
So with suggestions from you folks I am looking at hydronic heaters, both permanently installed and the plug in radiators .

Thanks again for the help ,
bob