At $3.85/gal for #2 oil in an 80% efficient furnace and $0.089/kw/hr in a 100% efficient electric heater, electric heating is only 3% more expensive. When this is viewed in light of your observation that with electric heaters only the area being used is heated, electric heat is the most cost effective by a wide margin. Of course for other energy source costs the conclusion will change.
Boden
The difference is how ofter you want to buy one.
Well, my parents still have 4 Duracrafts that I bought them in '97 for $20 a piece that still work fine to this day. (And one of them rotates)
1500 watts is 1500 watts however, the 1500 watts of heat can be distributed in a focused area or distributed widely.
Read about radiant, convection, and forced are convection to determine your specific needs.
You mentioned this just when I was thinking about these ceramic heaters. Seems about 10 years ago they were the big rage. Lots of advertising claimed they were superior and put out more heat than conventional heaters. Their small size was a selling factor too. Every hardware store and other stores that sold things like this, had one on display that was working in the colder seasons.
I was never convinced because I know that you only get a set amount of heat from a set amount of electricity. But lets answer this once and for all. Its got a ceramic core, but isnt there still a glowing wire inside that core? If not, how do they work?
It does have some sort of resistance element in there to convert amps into heat. But the resistance element is part of the ceramic "core" which also contains many passages with air flowing through it. The heat from the resistor is conducted through the core to a large amount of surface area for transfer to the air. Because of this, no part of the heater core gets very hot. It might still be capable of burning your skin if you touched it directly, but there is nothing that glows, nothing hot enough to start most combustibles burning.
So it's no more efficient than any other resistance heater at converting electricity to heat. But the low temperature makes it safer than the glowing-wire heaters, and the heater core with lots of little air passages probably makes it easier to add a fan and direct all the warm air in a particular direction.
Dave
replying to Rich, SURV69 wrote: Evidently, it appears that the real need is in the *distribution of heat*, and in every case it appears that a space heater on the floor might heat our feet, but eventually heats the ceiling and at that point might be lost. SO, it seems that distribution, re-distribution is the most important factor.
Uncle Monster posted for all of us...
The gerbils helped celebrate Thanksgiving mourning the loss of Rich.
We had the gerbils for Thanksgiving dinner. They were the appetizer course.
Tastes like rodents ?
note - Richard Dawson in a supporting role.
.. they wish they had a space heater - so om topic.
John T.
You need a heater that makes non-rising heat.
When you invent one of those, you'll be rich.
Keep the room above at a higher temperature. Then the heat in this one won't rise.
Back to OP's subject: Diff between a $20 and $100 1500W space heater
The answer is: $80.00
Geez, can't believe y'all missed that one fer all this rigmarole. ;)
nb
Thanks for answering the question.
a Patton brand heater had a bad electrical crimp connection
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