The great thing about electricity as a source for heat is that a large proportion of the energy you use is converted into heat. It’s therefore very efficient.
When it comes to the devices to conduct the electricity heating two types:
- devices that emit heat
- devices that produce hot air
In the second, what are known as “heat pumps” which are in reality air conditioning units that have an element of heat is often used to create. There are other heat pumps that draw warmth from the surrounding environment or from the ground to decrease the energy use. They can help to circulate heating of air at a lesser price, as they make use of an oil that heats up when temperatures fall and is a clever method of.
Before you decide to install one of them I will explain my reasons not to, from someone who’s tried those fancy gadgets only to return to a basic, 30 dollar convection heater.
- A unit that is blowing hot air all over will always sound and the amount of duration it will take for heat to soak into your furniture so that they feel soft to the touch is lengthy.
- These fancy devices are costly to purchase and their lifetime is not long. Add replacement costs into the equation and the advantages start to diminish.
In northern Sweden many homes are equipped with electric central heating that is powered by water-filled radiators. It’s quiet, warm and energy efficient. A basement unit is able to circulate heated water around the entire home. The warm water will last for quite a long time, which means it is a great storage medium for heat, meaning that the unit is able to relax quite a bit and does not need to run throughout the day.
My home, which is located in an environment like Alaska was built during the 50s is around 150 dollars per month in heating. There is snow in the ground for all year. One kWh costs approximately 20 cents and we’ve got a total of 120 square meters in living area.
I believe it’s the best, when you compare it to the price of my neighbors which have amassed expensive systems that are often plagued by issues and must be replaced every 10 to 15 years.
The heater we had was replaced in the last year following 48 years of continuous operation. Not because there was a problem with it, but rather because we wanted a model that would produce enough heat to fully fill up a bathtub.
Here’s the thing, being removed:
The new model looks like this it’s around 5,000 dollars for the installation and a third of the amount my neighbors pay out every 10 to 15 years for their expensive things:
And in the background, you see the water filled radiator in the dining room:
This picture was taken on a day when we had minus 23 degrees outside. We’d never know, indoors, if it weren’t for the thermometer outside the window.
We’ll need to install a few photovoltaics in the near future and also go solar to cut costs further.