Portable Electric Heaters May Save On Heating Costs
Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps. Additionally we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (same company as American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (same company as York HVAC).
Al’s also provides full service plumbing maintenance, repairs and replacements for every plumbing component in your home. Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters. Al’s is near your home in Plano, Allen, and Frisco. We service all homes in southern Collin and Denton Counties with no additional travel charge.
Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing. We will arrange an appointment at your convenience and offer 24/7 Emergency Service.
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NOTE: This Information Is Primarily For Those With Electric Heat. If you have a Gas Furnace or Heat Pump,
Heating multiple rooms with electric heaters (instead of using the furnace) will be more expensive.
As the hot & humid days summer give way to cooler weather each fall, the focus turns from lowering cooling costs to lowering heating costs. With an electric furnace, heating costs can be as high as cooling costs in DFW. You can reduce overall electric heating costs by using electric space heaters in only the rooms you are using. The costs to heat with electric heaters is much the same as the furnace per BTU of heat. The savings from using heaters comes from leaving the home’s thermostat lower, and heating only the room(s) you are using to a comfortable temperature.
With an electric furnace, the cost to heat with an electric space heater (per BTU) is much the same as the furnace. You can reduce heating costs by lowering your home’s thermostat and boosting the temperature in the room(s) you are using with electric space heaters. This article goes into detail about the different types and styles of electric heaters. The savings from using heaters comes from leaving the home’s thermostat lower while heating only the room(s) you are using to your comfort-level.
NOTE: Use Only Electric Space Heaters Inside Your Home. Any heater that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Fuel-burning space heaters are designed for and safe only in the garage. They are never intended to be using in living spaces.
NOTE: As most electric heaters use 1,500 watts (on high) — Only 1 Heater Can Be Used On Each Electrical Circuit. If you turn a 2nd heater on, a circuit-breaker trips. You have not harmed your home’s wiring, Circuit Breakers are there to prevent overloaded electrical circuits. If you want to operate more than 1 electric heater in a room, you must determine if the room is served by more than one electrical circuit.
In older DFW homes, it’s common for one room to have more than one electrical circuit. In newer homes this is not likely, but newer homes are not likely to have electric heat. We are speaking about detached single-family homes. Newer, electrically heated apartments are quite common in DFW. Nearly 1/2 of all U.S. apartments have electric heat, and that number is higher in Sun-Belt states.
Electric Heaters Typically Have 2 Settings:
- High / 1500 watts / 5,100 BTU’s — At 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) the cost to operate on high = 19 cents per hour (heating non stop)
- Low / 750 watts / 2,550 BTU’s – At 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) the cost to operate on high = 9.5 cents per hour (heating non stop)
- Electric Furnace for 2,000 SF Home: 18,000 watts = $2.25 per hour (heating non stop)
Electric Heaters Are Almost Always 1 of 3 Types:
- Electric Resistance — sometimes described as “radiant heat” — as the heat can be felt radiating outward from the heater.
- Infrared (heating element NOT visible). This type of infrared heater heats the AIR, not objects. A fan moves the heated air. This type of infrared heater is safe for indoor use.
- Infrared (heating element visible) — sometimes described is “heats like the sun”. This type of heater heats OBJECTS, not the air. They will make your body feel warmer just like being the sun does. There is no fan on this type of infrared heater. This style is for outdoor or garage use. This style is not safe indoors because they may cause cloth to ignite into flames if the heater is placed too close.
Click Below To See A Product RECALL Of An Infrared Heater (with visible heating-elements) Designed For Indoor Use Due To Fire Hazard:
CPS Recalls Indoor Infrared Heater For Fire Hazard
NOTE: Use Only Electric Space Heaters Inside Your Home. Any heater that burns fuel produces carbon monoxide. Fuel-burning space heaters are designed for and safe only in the garage. They are never intended to be using in living spaces.
Put Your Fireplace To Work Without It Removing Heat From The House
The biggest problem with a fireplace is that you actually lose more heat (up the chimney) than the fireplace adds to the house. Gas logs eliminate the effort & mess of a wood fire, but the end-result is much the same — more heat is removed from the room than is added to it.
Add an electric fireplace log with “flame” visual effects inside your fireplace for an attractive source of heat. Unlike with a wood fire or gas logs, the damper stays closed, and all the heat enters the room. Additionally, the electric log heater vents its heat close to the floor. Most are thermostat controlled, you you get to choose how much heat you want at any given time. Many have dimmers to brighten or darken how much the flames appear.
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Or add an electric fireplace insert with “flame” visual effects inside your fireplace.
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No Fireplace? No Problem!
There are seemingly countless electric fireplaces available. You can choose styles that are: traditional, casual, contemporary, modern, vintage, and more.
Lodge / Casual Styling
Contemporary / Modern Styling
Vintage Styling
Indoor Infrared Electric Heaters
Indoor Infrared Electric Space Heater
There is a lot of marketing hype about typical indoor, electric, infrared, portable heaters (where you can’t see the heating-element + a fan is moving air). Claims are that they make more heat with the same amount of electricity as inexpensive electric-resistance heaters. They don’t.
With True Infrared Heaters:
- You see the heating-element.
- These warm objects, not air.
- They warm your body if you can see the heating-element from where you are located.
- This allows you to be warm enough with a lower air temperature.
- You can lower the air temperature because the infrared heat is heating your body.
- Think of moving from the shade to the sunshine on a cool day. Suddenly you are warmer, as the sun’s radiant heat now reaches & heats your body.
- This makes this type of infrared heater more economical to operate than a typical indoor infrared electric heater (that heats air, not objects).
- With a typical indoor, electric, infrared heater — you can’t see the heating-element.
- They don’t heat your body — they heat the air. A fan moves the heated air out of the heater.
- They produce 5,100 BTU’s of heat — the same as an inexpensive electric heater.
- They do offer benefits over inexpensive electric heaters, details below).
The Benefit Of A Space Heater Is “Zone” Heating — Heating Only The Area Where You Are Located. The Rest Of The House Can Be Cooler.
OUTDOOR gas infrared heaters have a visible heating-element and produce true infrared heating. Their heating-element radiates light that is below the visible spectrum, so you can’t the light.
Nearly all indoor infrared heaters do not have a visible heating-element (though you can see the red / orange glow). This type heats a metal surface (heat-exchanger) inside the heater and blows air over the heated surface.
This GAS Infrared Patio Heater Is Typically What’s Seen In DFW Outdoor Dining Areas
It Runs On LP Gas (the same as gas grills)
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Nearly All Indoor, Electric, Infrared Heaters Heat The Air
(Not Surfaces)
Click Here To See A Diagram Of The Inside Of An Infrared Electric Space Heater: Diagram Of Infrared Electric Space Heater
At the bottom of the diagram, an arrow points to the metal Heat-Exchangers. They are described as “3 bent sheets of copper that are heated by the infrared heating elements.”
Benefits Of Indoor Electric Infrared Heaters
With An Indoor Electric Infrared Heater, You Can’t See The Heating-Element. You Can The GLOW From The Heating-Element.
There Are Good Reasons To Chose An Indoor, Electric, Infrared Heater (like shown just above)
- Typical electric, infrared heaters use quartz incandescent tubes that produce (visible) infrared light.
- You can see the glow of the heating-elements, but the elements are not visible.
- The heating-element heats metal inside the heater.
- A fan moves air over the heated metal.
- Their cabinet does not get as hot. This makes them safer for those with small children or pets.
- They produce a larger volume of heated air at a lower temperature. This allows them to heat larger areas more evenly.
- More of their heat stays near the floor. The air coming from them is less hot, so less of the heat rises to the ceiling.
- They don’t dry out the air as much. The home’s indoor air passes over heated metal — versus passing through very hot electric coils.
Don’t Use Outdoor Electric Infrared Heaters Indoors
They Can Overheat Fabric Surfaces & Pose A Fire-Hazard.
Click Below To See A Product Recall Of An Infrared Heater (with visible heating-elements) Designed For Indoor Use Due To Fire Hazard:
CPS Recalls Indoor Infrared Heater For Fire Hazard
OUTDOOR Infrared Electric Outdoor Patio Heater
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- * With Outdoor, Electric, Infrared Heaters, You Can See Their Heating Element.
- Outdoor infrared heaters work like sunshine. They warm any surface within view of them (they don’t heat the air).
- The heat travels only in a direct line. You must be sitting within view of the heater to feel heat. The closer you are, the more heat you will feel.
- * This style of infrared heater is intended to be used only outdoors or in quite large indoor environments such as warehouses.
- * Outdoor, electric, infrared heaters are NOT designed nor intended for used inside a home.
- * If Outdoor Electric Infrared Heaters Could Safely Be Used Indoors — Indoor Infrared Heaters would not exist.
Typical Lower Priced Electric Heaters
We have discussed the merit if infrared indoor heaters. They are great in larger spaces because they produce a larger quantity of heat at a lower temperature. If you are needing supplemental heat within a small space (like a bathroom) — a typical lower priced (electric resistance) heater is all you need.
The choices for typical are seemingly endless.
The most common electric heater is 1,500 watts and produces 5,100 BTU of heat.
The smallest electric heater is around 50 watts / 175 BTU’s. They are marketed as “desktop” heaters, and are intended to heat only your hands.
Another common size for a smaller electric heater is 250 watts / 850 BTU’s.
The most common size for an electric heater is 1,500 watts / 5,100 BTU. Below is the highest Customer Reviews rated heater at Amazon.
Electric Heaters Come With A Host Of Features, Hear Are Of The Most Worthwhile.
Controls at the top of the unit. Most heaters have controls near the bottom, so you must pick it up if it’s sitting o the floor.
The heater below has controls at the top. It also has a handle at the top to make it easy to lift. This heater also oscillates.
The heater below is nearly 2 feet tall. This allows the controls to be easily identified and used without lifting the heater off the floor. This heater also oscillates.
For even more convenience, choose a heater with a Remote Control like the one below. This heater also oscillates
Another option is a heater which heats in all directions. The can be ideal for a group of people. We show two styles, a basic model at 1/3 the cost of the deluxe model.
The heater below has a remote control, and allows you to choose the area you want heated (1/4 of the room; 1/2 of the room; or the entire room)
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CORDED Baseboard Heater with 2 settings: 750 watt / 2550 BTU’s & 1,500 watt / 5,200 BTU’s
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CORDED Wall Heaters hang on the wall and don’t require floor space. The one below in an infrared heater. It uses 1,000 watts and generates 3,100 BTU’s.
Oil-filled radiator heaters eliminate hot electric coils. This may make them a better choice around children on to leave on while sleeping.
The one below uses 700 watts, producing 2,400 BTU’s.
The one below uses up to 1,500 watts, producing 5,200 BTU’s.
Wall Mounted OR Free-Standing Electric Fireplace Heater.
Electric Stove Heater In Black. There are countless choices, we show this one because it was the least expensive Amazon offered when this article was written.
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Electric Stove Heater (In White). For those who want a more contemporary look, or don’t want black.
Radiant Heater For Garage:
NOTE: This heater has a cord. It does not have to permanently hard-wired.
NOTE: This heater needs the same electricity source (240-Volts) as an Electric Clothes Dryer.
NOTE: This heater does NOT use the same outlet as as an Electric Clothes Dryer. It requires a special outlet.
Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps. Additionally we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (same company as American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (same company as York HVAC).
Al’s also provides full service plumbing maintenance, repairs and replacements for every plumbing component in your home. Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters. Al’s is near your home in Richardson, Garland, and northeast Dallas. We service all homes in southern Collin and Denton Counties with no additional travel charge.
Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing. We will arrange an appointment at your convenience and offer 24/7 Emergency Service.