Space Heater for an Old House (dryer, warm, cold, best)
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They are all pretty much the same. The primary difference is in air heaters that heat the air in your room and radiant heaters that heat the stuff in your room.
Air heaters make you feel warm more quickly. You also lose the heat more quickly. It is dryer and tends to be more irritating to your sinuses. Radiant heat takes a lot longer to heat up a room. they heat stays in the room much longer, especially if someone opens a door..
Neither one is more efficient, neither are better. radiant heat seems to be better if you have drafts. It is also more even.
If you have time to wait, I would suggest radiant. If oyu move around a lot and need to warm up a room quickly, then air (actually a hair dryer might be a better bet for quick warm ups). The most green/efficient is blankets.
All the claims you see that this or that magic heater is more efficient or more powerful or provides more heat is complete bunk. they are limited by law and by science. none are significantly more efficient, none are better or heat more.
Some are safer, although nearly all the modern ones are pretty safe.
Now, if you get into Kerosene heaters that is a whole different world. Electric heaters cannot even dream of comparing to a Kerosun heater. They are hard to find now though.
Diesel and natural gas heaters are also in a different league. I have a 210,000 BTU torpedo heater in my garage - instant heat. I usually end up opening doors/windows after a few minutes because it gets too hot.
We have an air source heat pump for our old house and love it. we live 8 miles out in the country and we thought our electric rates were high at 11.9cents/kwh. our electric company has a special deal that if you heat with electric heat then you have a special meter hooked up to it and you get a "heat rate" which is like 7.9cents/kwh for whatever your heating system uses from Oct. 1st through May 31st. as an added bonus if you have a heat pump and use a/c in that time frame, it gets the heat rate too! It can save $30-70/month on heating bills.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have an oil filled too, and they are great but take a long time to warm up. Here where I'm working from home I keep a space heater next to me that warms up most of the room quickly and uses very little electricity. It's a tower model bladeless ceramic with remote control and a shutoff timer, by Lasko (Model AW300).
Where my feet sit right at this moment under this corner desk is a dead air space in this room. The heat vent is on the ceiling on the opposite side of the room. Short of installing a bigger furnace in this 100 year old cottage there's not much I can do, so a space heater keeping my feet warm and knee high socks to keep my ankles warm and slippers is about all I can do.
There's one more thing. Getting up and not sitting here too long. It's amazing how much heat our own body will create if we MOVE.
I'm interested in this discussion because I want something for where I get dressed in the morning. The room itself is 12 x 12, and a bit chilly in spite of two heat vents (hot air baseboard). I just want something I can turn on for the few minutes I am getting dressed. Something with a fan maybe? The choices are so overwhelming.
I do have an oil filled space heater, I've had it for years and it can keep my living room warm in the evening when I'm reading before bed (until real winter hits), but I still need quick heat in my dressing spot.
One more question...I had a baseboard electric heater professionally installed in the bathroom under the window and I am a bit disappointed in it. I was wondering if there might be a way to help spread the heat from it.
I have a roll of reflective insulation I've used for various things now and then...wondering if that might help.
All electric resistance space heaters have the same efficiency. You get one watt of heat* for one watt of electric power consumed.
Almost everywhere electric heating costs more than gas or oil, often considerably more. You win with an electric space heater if you heat considerably less of the house.
(Electric) heat pumps are a different and more complicated story, but that's not what OP is asking.
* Feel free to use Google to convert watts to btu if you prefer to think that way.
I'm interested in this discussion because I want something for where I get dressed in the morning. The room itself is 12 x 12, and a bit chilly in spite of two heat vents (hot air baseboard). I just want something I can turn on for the few minutes I am getting dressed. Something with a fan maybe? The choices are so overwhelming.
I do have an oil filled space heater, I've had it for years and it can keep my living room warm in the evening when I'm reading before bed (until real winter hits), but I still need quick heat in my dressing spot.
One more question...I had a baseboard electric heater professionally installed in the bathroom under the window and I am a bit disappointed in it. I was wondering if there might be a way to help spread the heat from it.
I have a roll of reflective insulation I've used for various things now and then...wondering if that might help.
Get a radiant space heater for getting dressed: instant heat- but don't forget to unplug it when you done!
We used Mill oil filled heaters to heat our 4000sf home until the hydronic piping could be repaired. The original Mill 1500w one is best - not the latest wifi version, as the production quality on that one is inferior (avoid the Wifi and large convection blower models). The oil filled models we have work on thermostats. I like to have a few of the Mill mini ceramic radiators too for small areas (bathroom) and cold corners such as a dining nook. They turn on and off based on level of warmth specified (kind of like a thermostat).
Electric bill was not as bad as expected running 8 units. We turn the oil-filled radiators down to 66 at night, and up to 73 during the day. If freezing out, and drafts blowing through, then set way up at 77 in the great room. Our great room requires 2 units - giant open floor concept with 12ft ceiling. We live in Michigan.
I'm interested in this discussion because I want something for where I get dressed in the morning. The room itself is 12 x 12, and a bit chilly in spite of two heat vents (hot air baseboard). I just want something I can turn on for the few minutes I am getting dressed. Something with a fan maybe? The choices are so overwhelming.
I do have an oil filled space heater, I've had it for years and it can keep my living room warm in the evening when I'm reading before bed (until real winter hits), but I still need quick heat in my dressing spot.
One more question...I had a baseboard electric heater professionally installed in the bathroom under the window and I am a bit disappointed in it. I was wondering if there might be a way to help spread the heat from it.
I have a roll of reflective insulation I've used for various things now and then...wondering if that might help.
Hair dryer is really your best bet. They re allowed more watts (1800) and produce more heat. The powerful fan spreads the heat quickly. Low CFM though, get the largest one you can find. Meaning a big opening that can fir more air through at a time.
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