The vast majority of us have, by this point, been familiar with the terrifying tales of sky-high energy bills and the inadequate heating powers of electric baseboard heaters. However, there are a plethora of benefits that come along with using electric baseboard heating.
As a result, we felt that it would be appropriate to write an article that presents both the positive and negative aspects of these heaters. As a result, the advantages and disadvantages of electric baseboard heating are covered in this article. We hope that by the time you've finished reading this article, you'll be better equipped to decide the kind of heating system you want to install in your house.
On the other hand, provided that the surrounding area is well prepared, they provide an economically viable option for heating with odorous oil and kerosene, which has the potential to be hazardous.
In point of fact, we've been warming the second floor of our house with electric baseboard heaters for the last twelve years. However, when we installed convection heaters, we discovered that the benefits of these new appliances significantly exceeded any potential drawbacks.
Here Are The Pros And Cons Of Baseboard Heating:
The Cons Of Electric baseboard heating
In Most Cases, a Separate Wiring System Is Required for Heaters and the Thermostat.
In most cases, separate wiring that is specifically designed for the purpose must be installed. Each heating bank, which is often banked on a per-room basis, has to have a separate circuit run in order to provide the maximum performance possible and the least amount of interference with other electric appliances and lights inside the house. This reduces the amount of light fading that occurs when the heaters are turned on and eliminates the risk of branch circuits being overwhelmed.
Demands an Increase in Insulation in Order to Run Efficiently
This approach is successful in warming the whole room, from the floor all the way up to the ceiling. Baseboard heaters are often positioned near the floor, and heat generated by convection rises, thus the combination of these two factors makes this method ideal.
However, because electric heating is generally inefficient due to the implied dual energy conversion process, higher R values of insulation of the room in the walls and ceiling are required to overcome this inefficiency. This inefficiency can be overcome by using electric heating in conjunction with a heat pump.
High voltage is often found on the inside of thermostats.
Line voltage thermostats are necessary for use with electric heaters of almost every variety, including baseboard heaters. For example, thermostats that are able to switch directly between 110 and 220 volts on the supply lines.
Installing supplementary control equipment such as low-voltage operated relays and switches may make it possible for a thermostat that operates on a lower voltage to regulate a baseboard heater that operates on a higher voltage. Get more information from the professional who works on your home's heating system.
Electric baseboard heaters have a reputation for being loud.
During operation, baseboard heaters that are fueled by alternating current electricity may produce a loud humming sound. The noise may be annoying in the bedroom, which, for many people, is an area where they need to be able to sleep quietly. On the other hand, if you get heaters that cost a little bit more, such as by making an investment in hydronic baseboard units, any humming or buzzing will scarcely be audible at all.
Produces a Heat That Is Extremely Dry
Electric baseboard heaters have a propensity to create a very dry heat, which may result in sore throats and noses that bleed during the colder months of the year. This is true even if the heaters you choose have humidifiers built in.
Therefore, in order to get the highest level of comfort possible, you may choose to invest in humidifiers of some kind in order to add moisture to the air. We had a humidifier that was installed centrally, and it was connected to our major heating system. This brought a sufficient amount of humidity to our second level, which allowed us to resolve these issues with dry heat.
When first turned on, there is sometimes an unpleasant odor.
In the autumn, when this kind of heat is turned on for the first time, it will often emit a scent similar to burning. Dust settles on the heating elements throughout the months when they are not in use, and this dust ignites and burns when the elements are initially recharged after extended periods of inactivity. On the other hand, this smoky smell vanishes in a matter of minutes and does not come back as long as the heater is used at least a few times a month.
Electric heaters often have very high running costs.
Among all of the issues that are associated with this kind of heating, the fact that using them may substantially drive up your power bill is arguably the most intimidating of all of the electric baseboard heating pros and disadvantages. This is particularly the case when they are utilized as main heat.
Thermostats That Click and Make a Racket
Line voltage thermostats come in a variety of designs, but the most common one has a mechanical switch on the interior. This switch may make an annoying clicking sound as it switches the heater on and off. It is also possible that, after some period of time, it may begin to stick; the heater will continue to operate even after the temperature set point has been achieved.
This occurred many times with our mechanical thermostats, and as a result, the temperature in the space that was being heated soon increased to 90 degrees. However, there was a protection circuit built into the baseboard heaters themselves, which turned them off when they reached a certain temperature.
Also, ensure that the heaters you purchase have a built-in safety mechanism to prevent them from overheating. Additionally, the issue of older mechanically based sensors being stuck in the ON position may be remedied by switching to more contemporary, electronically switched thermostats.
The Pros of Electric Baseboard Heating
Adjust the Temperature of Each Heater to Fit the Room It Is Needed In
It is simple to determine the appropriate dimensions and placement of a heater in relation to a room's unique airflow characteristics. There is a wide range of wattage capacities and physical sizes available for baseboard heating devices. Additionally, you may link many thermostats to a single control panel by connecting them together in a network.
Control of the Temperature Is Distributed Decentrally
If you so want, you may make the temperature in each individual room in your house vary from one another. No more arguing over who gets to control the thermostat while the other person shivers because the temperature is set too low. Utilizing electric heating allows for the creation of distinct rooms with relative simplicity. It is adaptable.
Baseboard heaters are simple to position and reposition as needed.
You might position heaters in the areas of the room that are the chilliest. Even during the polar vortex days that occurred during the winter of 2014, when the temperature outside dipped below zero degrees and remained that way for days, a room that was adequately heated by a heater of the correct size should have been able to do so, and in our experience, it did.
Heating Bedrooms Using Electric Heat Is Risk-Free
As of the time of this writing, there are no regulations that prohibit the use of electric heaters in bedrooms. However, this is not the case with heating devices that use natural gas or other fossil fuels. The cost of operation for these could be lower compared to that of electric resistance heaters. However, gas heaters are known to release dangerous pollutants into the atmosphere.
Either way, they have the potential to deplete the oxygen in space. Anyone who sleeps in that room on a regular basis may have negative health effects as a result of this. Electric heaters, on the other hand, do not contribute to air pollution and do not need any more oxygen to function.
Investing in an electric baseboard heater won't break the bank.
The fact that these heaters are inexpensive to purchase is one of the most significant advantages and disadvantages associated with electric baseboard heating. The majority of entry-level baseboard units may be purchased for less than one hundred dollars. Even the ones that are eight feet long only cost approximately $79.99 each.
Simple to Use
Electric heaters are straightforward in both their operation and their operational complexity. Most do not have any computer modules, which are notorious for breaking down and requiring expensive repairs when they do. These devices almost never malfunction due to the fact that the heater is essentially simply a huge resistor housed in a metal box and outfitted with heat-spreading metal fins.
They are not affected by power surges or brownouts, and in the unlikely event that they do break, the cost of replacing them will not put you in the poorhouse. On the other hand, the cost of replacing a malfunctioning central heating system may easily reach thousands of dollars.
There are No Moving Noisy Parts
In their typical configuration, baseboard heating devices have neither fans nor any other form of moving components. Therefore, there is nothing that will get worn out. This also indicates that they tend to keep a low profile and be quite quiet. However, please see further down for some important caveats to this assertion.
There is a Wide Availability of Baseboard Heat Line Voltage Thermostats
Thermostats that operate with line voltage are readily accessible and may be purchased in either a manual or programmed configuration.
Installation choices that are adaptable for the thermostat
There are two locations where thermostats may be mounted: directly on the baseboard heater itself or on a wall some distance away from the heater. The option in this case is determined by the ease with which wire may be run for the functioning of a satellite thermostat.
After you have the wiring in place, placing the baseboard heaters will be a piece of cake. If you are genuinely going to be mounting them on a level baseboard, then you will only need a few wood screws. You may also mount them on drywall, but for optimum performance, keep them close to the ground and be sure to use toggle bolts or heavy-duty wall anchors.
Electric baseboard heaters are equipped with their own built-in safeguards against overheating.
Protection against overheating is included in every model of the heater that is sold commercially and is intended for use in the household. However, before you purchase a certain baseboard heater, you should check this out.
The use of baseboard heating is effective not only as supplementary but also as primary heat.
It does an excellent job of providing supplemental heat to rooms situated in a remote location in relation to the primary furnace, as was the situation in our house. However, heating with electricity may also function well as main heat. However, given that each room can have its own thermostats and heaters, the idea of central heating is rendered moot in the context of primary electric baseboard temperature control.
Conclusion On The Pros And Cons Of Baseboard Heating
While resistive heating does, in fact, have certain downsides, as was made clear to us when we made the decision to install electric baseboard heating on the second floor of our Cape Cod house, it also includes a significant number of positive aspects, some of which were discussed above. These include: These were the things that swayed our opinion. In addition, the cost to heat the two rooms upstairs during the winter's worst months was from $60 to $80 per month; this was a reasonable amount, especially for those of us who make a living as starving artists and writers.
Because we did the wiring and installation of our heaters ourselves, we were able to save money that would have been spent on having an electrician do the job. Over the course of more than a decade of harsh winters in Pennsylvania, those heaters never caused us any issue other than the need for periodic lubricating. Therefore, if you are constructing a new house and can therefore design it from the bottom up to handle electric heat, we would definitely suggest electric baseboard heating. This is especially the case if you are building a custom home. Excellent levels of comfort, intuitive operation, robust construction, and long-lasting performance from the heaters.
0 comments:
Post a Comment