Freezin our butts off!!
Hello all, spending our first winter in our 36' Damon pusher. Our furnace is busted and I'm trying to heat with space heaters. The heater in the bedroom works great but I can't seem to warm the living...
Forum Discussion
An electric heater works by converting the electrical energy into heat, so you get the same total heat output for the same electrical power input. They're all essentially 100% efficient in a thermal sense. A 1500 W heater produces about 5100 btu/hr.
A radiant heater will in some situations feel warmer because it warms what it is directed at (such as yourself) rather than warming all the air. Still, it's actual heat output is the same.
Heat pumps are a different matter, as they move heat around from somewhere else (i.e. the outside air) rather than only converting electrical energy into heat energy. They can and usually do have significantly better than 100% electrical efficiency, though of course the total thermodynamic efficiency is not above unity--they don't create energy.
A radiant heater will in some situations feel warmer because it warms what it is directed at (such as yourself) rather than warming all the air. Still, it's actual heat output is the same.
Heat pumps are a different matter, as they move heat around from somewhere else (i.e. the outside air) rather than only converting electrical energy into heat energy. They can and usually do have significantly better than 100% electrical efficiency, though of course the total thermodynamic efficiency is not above unity--they don't create energy.
