Electric Baseboard Heaters
Electric baseboard heaters provide a low-cost and fairly effective alternative for families and individuals who need to heat up mid-sized rooms to an acceptable degree. Most baseboard heaters in the market today come with fairly advanced features like timers which regulate how long the heater will operate before automatically shutting down, heat sensors and thermometers that gauge the temperature inside the room to determine whether or not the heater should continue to work, etc.
Electric baseboard heaters are generally a good option for heating spaces up to 250 square feet during the fall and early winter when the outside temperature is still relatively high – as compared to the temperatures in the coldest months of the winter with their moderate output of approximately 1500 Watts (the actual capacity may vary depending on the specific model). If you want to use baseboard heaters during the harshest times of the winter, you may want to complement them with extra heating devices in order to receive the room temperature that you desire.
Electric Baseboard Heaters: Features
Electric baseboard heaters
The most important features of baseboard heaters can be grouped in two categories: functionality and safety. As with any other space heating device, you would want your electric baseboard heater to be efficient, functional and ultimately safe. The most important aspects in terms of efficiency and functionality are the heater’s heating capacity (most baseboard heaters are adequate to provide a temperature increase of up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit; say from 60 to 68-70 degrees) and silent operation. In addition, the adjustable thermostat plays an important role in the efficiency of the heater.
You would need the heater’s thermostat to be as accurate as possible and to be adjustable with a minimum of 1 degree increments to provide the most energy-efficient and effective heating possible. Unfortunately, certain models sold in the market today have inaccurate thermostats that give false temperature readings, resulting in over- or under-heating of the space they are used in.
If you want to make sure that an electric baseboard heater’s thermostat is working accurately before making a purchase, you may bring in a thermometer that you know is working correctly into the retail stores with you, take temperature readings from both the thermometer and the thermostat of the heater and see if the heater is accurately reading room temperature. As this is a vital part of an effective heater, a mistake made at this point could cost you.
Another important feature of an electric baseboard heater is the programmable timer. It allows you to set the heater to run for a preset amount of time (mostly between 1 and 10 hours) before automatically shutting down. Luckily, almost every baseboard heater in the market today offers this feature.
On the safety side of things, electric baseboard heaters should be equipped with standard safety features like tip-over switch mechanisms (a switch that shuts downs the unit when it’s tipped over), flame resistant materials and overheating alarms and protection. An electric heater can be a dangerous device without proper safety features and mechanisms, so you have to be diligent about checking out these features.
Electric Baseboard Heaters: Placement and Final Warnings
One of the most common locations where electric baseboard heaters are placed in a room is right under the window. The space under a window is a very convenient location since it normally isn’t blocked with any furniture and allows the heater to heat the air coming through the window before it reaches the room. One thing you should take care about is to make sure that there are no drapes, cables, etc. near electric baseboard heaters to prevent any fires. If you would like to take a look at alternative heating options, you can check out our electric tankless water heater or AO Smith Water Heater pages for more information.