I was in Lowes looking for a space heater and saw several different
1500W models. Some as little as $20, and others like the Vornado and those upright tower heaters for like $100. Does one model heat better than another? I thought all 1500W heaters put out the same heat.
What's the difference between a Yugo and a Porsche ?
1500 watts is 1500 watts. I also looked into those things Paul Harvey was pushing and from the ads it seemed they had changed physics and kept the heat around you and it wouldn't rise as would normally happen! Those were very expensive and also 1500 watts. You only get 1500 watts out no matter how deliver it through light bulbs or heated wires.
Rich
It shouldn't be just the electrical energy the heater consumes. It should be how well it warms the full room.
IIRC, there isn't, but there should be, a standard specification on the BTU transferred to the room; a heat exchange efficiency rating if you will.
Example: I have one of those oil filled heaters that looks like an old time radiator. It just sits there, and the air right near the heater is very warm. 3 feet away, it is slightly warm, but at 6 feet away little usefulness. Do a Google on your Vornado, and read the hype at their web site; it doesn't appear the Vornado just sits there.
Look more closely at the features. Items such as programmable timers remote controls and such add to the price.
Supposedly the ceramic heaters put out more heat than glowing filament wire heaters. I havn't researched this.
For the $80 price difference, you can buy a $10 fan, and a lot of electricity.
I beleive the 1500W refers to how much juice they use. As others have pointed out there are various ways to use that juice and / or distribute the heat. Suggest you google something like Differences in electric heaters. I just did and got a lot of hits:-))
Lou
I like the oil filled radiator style because they are silent. We have ceiling fans in every room so they work well.
If the Vornado is very very quiet then It may be good to look into? Otherwise it's just a fancy version of a $14.88 fan heater from WalMart.
For any heater type remember that if you just heat the air the room will not be comfortable for very long. You must heat everything in the room as well. furniture, walls etc. Kevin
1500 w is 1500 w, some are made better and they heat differently but all 1500w heaters put out 1500watts of heat. Radiant quarts heaters dont heat the air they heat objects, which can be good and save if you are sitting watching tv all night and have the heater facing you from maybe 8 ft away. A convection oil filled heater mainly heats the rooms air, tungsten element heaters with a reflector put out a combination of radiant and convection heat. Try a 20$ unit with a decent warranty, you may need it. Ceramic disk are just nice and small
Not 1500 watts. The Porsche can out perform a Yugo in speed and handling , but a 1500 watt heater is going to heat the same as any other 1500 watt heater.
>
Jeez: What's happened to our high school physics?
1500 watts is 1500 watts (Or rougly 5000 BTUs of heat). What you or I do with it; warm room air without a fan, warm room air and blow it around with a fan, heat a saucepan, boil a kettle, switch on 15 100 watt light bulbs, etc. is our business. Do that continuously for one straight hour, here at our domestic electricity rates (your mileage may be different!) will cost us about 15 cents. On the other hand you could sit under a 1500 watt sun-lamp for a solid hour and burn off some of your epidermis for the same price! Sometimes called 'tanning'. Hence the old fashioned expression "Come here again and I'll tan your hide!". But I digress. If you use the 1500 watts in a Heat Pump (capital cost involved!) you may be able to pump 'several times' that amount of heat either into, or out of (An air cooling processcalled Air Conditioning) your dwelling! All depending on ambient conditions and equipment efficiencies at various temperatures. But 1500 watts is 1500 watts whichever way you use it. BTW a tropical fish aquarium may have a 15 watt heater. That's 100th of a 1500 watter. The aquarium warms up and then loses heat to the surriounding room air. So could install 100 tropical fish tanks each with a 15 watt heater and get the same amount of heat.
How often do you want to buy one?
ANOTHER SEPERATE ISSUE, a friend said she will just use space heaters in limited areas, to keep the forced air gas furnace set at 60 degreees to save bucks.
but most likely because electric is so expensive it will actually cost her more.
electric heat is costlyt
snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote: ...
...
Not necessarily, no.
Depends on relative rates locally and how much space heating is used as opposed to central.
On the contrary, she might actually save noticeable amount or might break even.
Will all depend on the specifics of the given situation.
--
My advice is to get an all metal one with a thermostat and maybe a couple wattage settings. Plastic cased applicances scare me after a Patton brand heater had a bad electrical crimp connection. The connection failed and started the outer plastic case burning.
It was in my garage on the concrete floor so I don't know what would have happened had I not come out in the garage in time.
I have a portable "little red cube" 4000 watt heater that requires 240 volts. It cost around $115. and is built much better than the $40 consumer junk. It heats the place up quick but it is loud due to the air flow required.
True enough, the difference isn't in the amount of heat, which is obviously the same. The difference is in the quality of the build, the safety devices built into the better heater, which will be reflective in how well it works and how long it lasts
Good question.
No, it's roughly 5000 Btu PER HOUR of heat.
Nick
but most likely because electric is so expensive it will actually cost her more.
electric heat is costlyt
******************************************************Some places still have rates of 8¢ for electric while oil is $4+, narrowing the gap. It is not so much a Btu for Btu exchange, but if you can use
10,000 Btu of electric and not run a boiler or furnace burning 50,000 Btu heating unused space, there is a savings.
Holmes or Duracraft. Both good products, inexpensive and last forever.
I have a Holmes and a Duracraft, both came from Wal Mart for about $20+ each and have been going strong for 6 yrs now.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.