Posted: 8/9/2005 9:02:56 AM EDT
|
eheat.com electric panel heaters Like everyone else, I'm desperately looking to save on my home heating bill this year (we have oil heat). The way prices have skyrocketed since just last winter I don't think I can afford the bills! I need some way to cut back drastically on my oil consumption without a huge startup cost. I'd love a pellet stove, but can't come up with a $2000 nut. I figure that I can get half a dozen of these things and it should (if they work as advertised) keep the house relatively warm, needing the oil burner to come on just occasionally to suplement these things and heat the water. Does anyone have any experience with these things? How did they work and how bad did your electric bill jump from them? |
| I don't know about that specific electric heater but here in Kentucky where we have cheap power I plugged in an oil heater and a standard electric heater, it jumped my electric bill around $30 a month and those two heaters didn't do much of anything for heating my house. Of course I have an old house with basically no insulation and huge single pane windows. The story might be different if you have a lot of insulation, insulated windows, and a generally energy efficent house. |
| Well here in NY, electric is sky-high also so I'm sure it will be no bargain. I calculated it at around $200 a month in electric. However, the way it's going, oil will be $500 a month for me this year, and if the electric panel heaters just cut my oil bill in half, that should make up the difference. |
|
Cheapest bang for the buck = Wood burning stove. (if applicable) I personally hate wood stoves but you just cant be the economics of them. I have all electric heat in my house. My most expensive electric bill was $160 last year. That was for december i believe. I believe that the electric panel heat can be costly. I aint sure thought. I am sure the rule......"To save money, you must spend money" may apply here. |
|
I just looked at all the claims they make about those heaters and I call BS on their numbers. The only way electricity can be turned into heat is through creating a resistance that heats up. This type of heat is the most inefficent form of heat and there is really no way to improve the performace. The oil filled heaters are designed to radiate the heat instead of just heating the air that circulates through it but the heating mechanism is the exact same. The store bought space heaters are 1500 watt heaters and as I said running 2 of them non-stop did very little to heat my house. The heaters you found claim to use only 400 watts, only about 1/4 of the power. Since there is really no way to improve the resister type heat it's fairly certain these heaters will only produce 1/4 of the heat. As for their claim of 3 cents an hour to run them that might actually be true because they produce so little heat. If you take the typical space heater that uses 1500 watts and use $0.08 a kW/h which is about average for the nation that heater will cost you 12 cents an hour. Since the heaters you found only use 400 watts that's 12/4 or 3 cents an hour but for only 1/4 of the heat. Now the standard heater and run it non stop for 30 days. That 12 cents turns into 12*24 = $2.88 per day * 30 days for a total of $86.40 for a month of running one standard space heater, which again will do very little towards heating the house. When it comes down to it electric space heaters will cost you more. If you want a good cheaper source of reliable heat and a good backup source of heat in case of power loss look at putting a stand alone or vent free gas fireplace in your house. With those 99% of the heat stays inside your house. I have looked into these and they are by far the best option out there. If you don't have natural gas coming to your house they make a propane version that you can hook up to portable tanks. It will cost you less to buy that then it will to buy all those electric heaters and it will do a much better job for you. |
| Get one of these, or one like it. It will pay for itself in less than two years. I got mine from Tractor supply for about $1500.00 and it's worth it. Especially since it can burn wood, coal or even garbage (paper). |
|
Thanks for the replys, here's the thing. I originally wanted to get a pellet stove (I've heard good things) but I really don't have the money. I could swing a few hundred on the electric panel heaters but that's about it. I see what you guys are saying about their inefficiency, which is why I was trying to find feedback from someone who actually has them. P.S. I'm currently paying .17 per kilowatt hour, mega expensive. I think that's because the demand is so high since it's been very hot. |
|
Wood burning stove is going to be your only realistic option up north here. Nothing else will give you the output/dollar... Pellet stoves are ok, but you're also tied down to using the damn pellets.... Not a real wise option in my opinion as they then have you by the balls if the price of THOSE goes up tooo. With a regular stove, you can burn just about anything you can stuff (safely, of course) in the thing. Everything else is too damn expensive. Wood can be had fairly cheaply, and often free, if you know where to look. It sucks, but that's just the way it is. It's a hell of a lot easier down south, where it doesn't get as brutal cold in the winter. Unless you like freezing your ass off, there aint many options. Have you actually spent any time trying to seal up your place and insulate better to KEEP the heat IN ?? You CAN save some loot with a little effort. And now is certainly the time to do it, before winter hits again..... Even that crappy heat-shrink plastic over your windows can help a bunch. Been there, done that. |
Why wouldn't a propane vent free fireplace work? A wood stove will create more dust, requires constant maintence, and you either have to work to the get the wood or pay someone to bring it to you. They have fireplaces with a remote and thermostat. With the push of a button you are good to go. |
|
Thing is, I can't just go constructing a chimney and busting through the first floor ceiling and a roof. I'd need something that is ventless or (preferred) vents through the wall like the pellet stove. I also like that the pellet stove vent kit takes combustion air from outside as well. The house has nice thermopane windows and doors, good attic insulation, and a couple of years ago I blew insulation into the walls also. I'm also real tight on money now and it isn't even heating season yet. |
You DO know there ARE wall vents for wood burning stoves, right ?? Pipe exit's the wall, and you run it up the side of the building. pretty simple installation. I suppose a propane fireplace is also an option, but I honestly don't know what that would cost to run up here for a whole house, in the dead of winter, etc.... |
It gets pretty damned cold up our way during the winter...... Much more so in parts of NY, depending on where he is. I may be wrong, but don't think a propane fireplace is a good solution for heating a whole house, in this area.... The ones I've had experience with haven't been at least.... Again, I could be wrong.... Probably stuff out there I've never seen. Just going by what I personally know, is all.... |
From homebuying.about.com/cs/gaslogs/a/ventfree_logs.htm
Does your oven put out 32,000 BTUs? The sites say that's enough to heat 1,300 sq feet. Since you are just wanting to take the chill off your house that should be more than enough. It will definately put out more heat than the electric heaters you were looking at. |
My electrical book call for 10 watts per square foot in a baseboard heater to heat a properly insulated room. That's the formula I used when I built my addition and it's well heated. The ad in the link you posted said 400 watts would heat a 10x10 room. That's not gonna happen! 
|
|
Insulation is your friend. Even if your house has insulation, consider adding some more blow-in over what's there already. Usually most DIY places will loan you the machine for a day with a certain purchase of "X" number of bags of insulation. Seal your windows, electrical outlet and switch plates. Replace the insulation around your doors. |
|
Haven't had it that long yet. I'm sure it will a whole lot less than my 45 year old cast iron furnace used. I would have replaced it however it was completely rebuilt and updated (as much as it could be) a year before I bought the home. The same time period would have easily been a 200 gallons of oil useage. |