Electric Heaters Not 100% Efficient?

He's GOT 8 inches of insulation under the family room floor, apparently.

which, at the same voltage, is the same thing (being a straight resistive load)

Thank you...and yes there is carpet on the floor also.

When electric energy is converted to to heat it goes thru a resistive type of wire. While the electricity is being converted to heat, much of the energy is lost as heat, thus you're wasting much of the electricity in the form of heat.

There's a third type of heater that would end up using the least electricity, but it would require an initial investment.

Since the 1950s, there have been tubular "lamps" available called quartz infrared heaters. They emit both heat and a substantial amount of light. Compared to other types of electric heaters, they emit shorter wavelengths of infrared. Those shorter wavelengths heats things (people and objects), not air. In your workshop you would need to have them on only when you are there and want heat. The heat is instantaneous. It feels like sunshine.

I have two quartz infrared heaters in my garage - each 1500 watts. When it's cold and I'm there working on the car or bagging trash, it's warm. I just switch them on and off as needed. The light is a bonus.

Such heaters are widely used for snow melting, paint drying and cooking.

Tomsic

What a genius....

The oil filled heater may also take longer to recover heat loss if it had been cycled off for a little while. They can be good if you set them properly, most are adjustable 500/1000/1500 watts in addition to the thermostat. So depending on the outside temps, you want to adjust the wattage so the unit cycles less often. If done right it's hard to tell by feeling it if it is on or off and it gives a nice steady heat. Put it on 1500 watts when it's not very cold and it will cycle from very hot to lukewarm and not be a "comfortable" heater.

LOL. Heat is what you want! And it's 100%, not "much".

Typical marketing department nonsense.

This line "During the process of converting electrical energy into heat energy a great deal of it is lost. " is total nonsense.

Where exactly is the energy lost except maybe a very, very tiny fraction as heat in the wiring and connections? (and in this case not a factor since the objective is to heat the room)

I've heard, that if you look closely, you'll find some very fine powder or dust in the vicinity of some electric heaters. This is the loss in energy inasmuch as the energy has been converted to matter. Of course it takes an enormous amount of energy to create even the smallest amount of matter (and vice-versa), so don't expect to see piles of the pills. But every electric heater I've ever had will show dust around it after sitting in one place for the winter season.

Perhaps that's what the "loss of energy" people are talking about.

And perhaps the electrical field produced attracted the dust?

I can't tell if you are joking or not? Gawd I hope it was a joke!

Actually 1 Watt =3D 3.414 BTU ___per Hour___

So if you run a 1 Watt heater for one hour it will consume 1 Watt hour of energy and deliver 3.414 BTU of heat.

Or in more useful number

if you run a 1 kW heater for 1 hour it will consume 1 kW Hour of energy and cost about $0.15 and deliver 3414 BTU of heat.

Mark

Mark

My apologies. I try to be ambiguous on almost every post - it gets people either thinking or outraged. Even in the latter case, my view is that adrenaline is good for you. I should have said that up front.

Sorry.

Actually 1 Watt = 3.414 BTU ___per Hour___

So if you run a 1 Watt heater for one hour it will consume 1 Watt hour of energy and deliver 3.414 BTU of heat.

Or in more useful number

if you run a 1 kW heater for 1 hour it will consume 1 kW Hour of energy and cost about $0.15 and deliver 3414 BTU of heat.

Mark

Yes, good point. Since Energy= Power x Time and the BTU is an energy unit, time has to be included someplace.

It could also be written as 1 watt of power used for 1 hour or 1 watt-hour =

Tomsic

I thought it was really funny (as is).

So your new justification for your bizarre posts to screw with people for personal entertainment is that you are "helping"?

No, it's not for my personal pleasure. Read the post again (above). It's for purely altruistic motives.

I just want to leave the world a better place.

In that regard, I'm designing a line of hand painted, ceramic nose puppets: George Washington, Bucky the Beaver, Eiffel Tower, and so on. You push one up a nostril and go about in style.

I sure am glad it was a joke!