Hot Water Baseboard Heaters

See also: Hot water radiator systems

Baseboard heaters

Baseboard heating comprises two main categories:

1) hot water baseboards (hydronic) and
2) electric baseboards.

The hydronic systems use hot the water heated by a boiler or an equivalent system, while the electric systems are based on electric resistance coilers.

These are in fact two very different types of heating: baseboard water heaters are typically expensive central heating systems, while electric baseboards belong to the small space heaters family, and are cheap units (typical prices between $50 and $100). Baseboard electric water heaters
Some manufacturers are now offering what they often call baseboard electric water heaters (BEWH). The difference compared to electric baseboards is that their heating element (the electric resistance coils) is immersed in a bath of water.

In this page we will deal with hot water baseboard heaters. For details on electric baseboard heaters, see: Baseboard electric heaters efficiency. Note: electric baseboards comprise also what is often called baseboard electric water heaters (see Box at right).

hot water baseboard heater systems

As said before, a hot water baseboard heater system uses hot water heated by a boiler (or in some cases a powerful condensing water heater), which is piped into fin-tube baseboard units, typically mounted near the floor along the walls.

Fuel Sources

The boiler is usually fueled by natural gas but it may also be fueled by propane, oil, electricity (the most expensive to operate, and typically very disadvantageous) or pellets (an interesting green option).

You may also consider linking the hot water baseboard system to a hot water solar powered system. Solar powered systems can’t provide all the hot water demanded by the baseboard, but they can supplement it. See, on this issue: Solar Baseboard Heating

Hot Water Baseboard Heating Manufacturers

SlantFin, Embassy Industries, Runtal or Sterling are well know baseboard heating manufacturers.

Hot water baseboard heating efficiency

Hot water baseboards provide and even and extremely comfortable heating, and a very quiet operation. They can provide a more comfortable heating than furnaces. They are second only to central furnaces in the North American market, which is a telltale sign.

Their efficiency and costs are also comparable to those of furnaces and other central air-forced heating systems - though their final efficiency depends on how the system is used (zone heating is very important for high energy-efficiency; see: Heating and cooling zones for your home).

Disadvantages

Hot water baseboard heating is too expensive to install and to use in mild climates, with limited heating needs. There are other more energy-efficient solutions in moderate climates.

Their location, along the walls, can also be puzzling, since baseboards should not be blocked by curtains, furniture, or other obstructions...

Baseboard heaters are also slow at heating up (much more than furnaces and other air-forced systems). The hot water has to circulate to each baseboard unit and to warm each room by convection, and it may requires an hour or so to bring the house to the desired temperature level. Obviously, you may use a programmable thermostat to adjust the system to your schedules... 

Another possible major disadvantage is central cooling... Solutions involving a central air conditioning system require a separate ductwork distribution system, which makes the system much more expensive...

Price

The price of a hot water baseboard system varies with its dimension, and the price of the boiler... If you already have a boiler and an adjusted distribution system, the investment is relatively small, but a complete-sophisticated baseboard system for a large building can be costly – about $6,000 -$8,000…