baseboard electric heaters

Baseboard electric heaters involve a low initial investment, but they share the same limitations of other electric heaters: their high running costs.

Room zones

Electric baseboard heaters are space heaters… They are conceived to supply heat to each individual room and are an alternative to central heat distribution systems. That feature allows important energy savings, since unoccupied rooms and sections of your house may remain unheated.

Obviously, that demands unheated rooms to be insulated from the heated rooms and sections (in order to avoid drafts and freezing, the cooler parts of house may still need to be heated some degrees above the freezing point).

How they work

Typically, electric baseboard heaters are located along the base of a wall and include electric heating elements encased in their metal pipes. The pipes run all along the length of their housing and as hot air is produced, it rises by convection into the house’s room, heating it.

Installation

Baseboard heaters should be fit tightly to the wall in order to prevent the heated air to circulate behind them, heating and damaging walls. Baseboard heaters are usually located underneath windows, around three-quarters of an inch/2 cm above the floor; by that way, the heater's rising warm air will counteract the falling cool air coming from the colder window glasses.

Certified baseboard heaters

Choose a certified baseboard heater. Baseboard heater quality varies considerably, and cheaper models usually work poorly. You may look for qualifying labels from organizations as the Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) and the National Electrical Manufacturer's Association (NEMA).

Do not forget to compare warranties.

Electric consumes & Disadvantages

Heating a large house with a baseboard electric heating system will involve an astronomic amount of power, even if the house has a very good insulation. As with other electric heaters, baseboard electric heaters are only a good solutions for small loads and sparse needs.

Prices

Baseboard electric heaters prices are often below $100.

Safety and environmental impact

Electric baseboard heaters are safe appliances. There is no flame and no carbon monoxide (though they aren’t environmentally-friendly, unless they run on photovoltaic or other renewable source of electricity; they not yield pollution directly, but since most of the electricity is produced from oil and other fossil fuels, indirectly they are a source of significant amounts of CO2).

Insulation

If you are considering a regular use of a baseboard electric heater, a good insulation level and qualified efficient windows are mandatory.

Electric baseboard maintenance

Electric heaters do not demand maintenance. Just maintain them free of debris and properly clean, to ensure higher efficiencies. Also avoid blocking the airflow: avoid pieces of furniture, curtains or other home elements in front of the units.

Thermostats

Electric baseboard heaters are typically controlled by thermostats located within the room. Programmable thermostats for baseboard heaters are different from those of central heating systems. They are line voltage thermostats (the full voltage of the heater is connected to the thermostat), and will help you to get some energy savings.