Heating options - how to measure efficiency?
 

Hello,

We are doing remodeling in a room and were considering adding that room to our forced vent furnace. However, I would prefer that the room (a sunroom) to have its own heating system, s not to "rob" from the main part of the house. The room had 2 baseboard heaters and its own thermostat. Now, since we insulated the floors, are replacing windows and doors and insulating the walls, I am thinking that maybe the baseboard heaters may do the work without hogging too much electricity. How can I find out their output and cost?

Thanks. Be well

Miriam

Electric heaters are 100% efficient. You can measure their consumption if you can plug them into a power measurement device like this KillAWatt meter.

Kill A Watt from iKitchen.com

Once you know the current draw, you can convert this into BTU output, if that is what you want. You will also know how much electricity they use, which will tell you how much they cost to operate.

If you can't plug them into a measurement device, you can turn off all the electrical consumers in the house except the heaters and observe how much the electric meter advances in an hour.

Thanks, that's exactly what I meant. I will check the little device, and hopefully figure out my options.

Be well

Miriam