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The efficiency of any given unit is based on the available BTU's in the fuel compared to how much is actually usable heat. Electric is always going to be 100% efficient because every available BTU is used to heat the space. Anything fueled by gas, oil, coal or whatever is going to lose heat out the flue pipe as the gases are vented, they might only be 85% efficient because 15% of the heat is going out the chimney.
Heat pumps are special case and you might see inefficiencies like up too 280%. They use electric but the heat is not coming from the electric, the fuel is actually the air or water. They base the efficiency compared to standard electric hence the reason you can have more than 100%.
Efficiency is only one part of the variable when comparing costs, the more important variable is cost per BTU. Coal at 85% efficiency is going to be about 1/3 the cost of 100% efficient electric because the cost per BTU is so much lower.
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Note: since 5,100 BTu heats only about 150 sqft -
The square footage one of these heater might heat is relative to many things. Outside temperatures, insulation etc. The only way to tell if it suitable is too first do a heat loss calculation.
The oil-filled models may be slower to cool down when you turn them off, but this doesn't make them more cost effective, possibly less.
At the end of the day they are the same. The way to look at heat is like a glass water. Whether you dump it out slowly or fast the amount of water does not change.
Try explaining this to your 98 year old Grandmother because she insists on leaving the oven door open so the heat isn't wasted. It has to go somewhere and that somewhere is into the room whether the door is open or closed. Closing the door just slows the process down.
Well, here's another question for you... I'm just looking to take the chill off in a drafty old house (yes, I have plastic film on my windows, LOL). Which is cheaper to use and thus more energy efficient: a space heater -- infrared or otherwise -- or curling up under an electric blanket/throw? I may go buy another Duraflame (they're now on clearance) just to compare the two and see if one is more powerful than the other. It's hard to believe it would be LESS effective than *any* of the dinky little space heaters I have.
Is that safe? I practically live in bed (either reading or watching TV when I'm not working and home), and it seems the pressure on those wires wouldn't be a good thing if it were running all the time? I also have pets on there with me... :P
Several years ago I was living in a two bedroom 750sq/ft apartment with all electric. I depended on the apartment all electric heat the first Winter I was there and my electric bill approached $200/month during the cold winter months. Before winter set in the next year I bought a $79 Lasko heater. It had a thermostat that I would set at 72 degrees. On days when the low overnight temperature was higher than 30 the Lasko would keep my living space comfortable by itself. On days when it didn't make it above 20 degrees my apartment furnace would run part of the time with that thermostat set on 68 degrees.
I sleep better in a cold room so I always close my bedroom door so that cuts the sq/ft area to be heated by about 300 sq/ft. When I take a shower I put a stopper in the drain and do not drain the water until it has reached room temperature. Venting a clothes dryer into your room also adds heat (do not do this if you have a gas dryer). The second winter my highest electric bill was less than $120/month. My Lasko heater paid for itself in one season. I bought a home last year and I use the Lasko heater to take the chill off when I am working out in my garage.
One tip I found on YouTube that I love is to use Bubble Wrap strips to cover your windows. This is a great idea. It also has the advantage of distorting light enough so asser bys cannot see clearly through your windows yet it still allows enough light in in the daytime to allow leaving lights off with the curtains open.
So I bought one of these that are supposed to heat up to 1,000 square feet; even the guy at the checkout told me it made his whole house toasty! I get it home, and it heats no better than my standard milkhouse space heater. Did I get defective merchandise, or is this yet another trend that ends up being much ado about nothing?
Electric heaters, both IR and forced air types, are 100% efficient. The only time I think you really gain from an IR type over a forced-air type is if the room is extremely drafty or poorly insulated. In this case the IR helps to heat the floor, as opposed to the forced-air type simply allowing the warm air to rise to the top of the room, leaving your feet cold...
What do you mean by "Lasko heater"? Looks like they make all kinds, including infrared.
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