Electric Baseboard Heaters: Pros and Cons

Electric baseboard heaters: you see them everywhere so they must be great, right? Well, the truth is: not all baseboard heaters are the same.

In this video, we’re diving into the real pros and cons of baseboard heaters. We’ll talk about the true financial cost and how they might affect your health and the planet. Electric baseboard heaters DO have a place in some homes, and we’ll talk about that at the end.

00:00 Introduction
00:50 What are baseboard heaters?
01:26 Are baseboard heaters efficient?
01:48 Are there different types of baseboard heaters?
02:28 How much do electric baseboard heaters cost?
02:43 How much does it cost to heat a home with baseboard heaters?
03:44 Do thermostats work with baseboard heaters?
04:23 How do electric baseboard heaters affect the planet?
04:49 How do electric baseboard heaters affect your health?
06:00 What are the pros of baseboard heaters?
06:31 What are the cons of baseboard heaters?
07:01 When does it make sense to install electric baseboard heaters?

#buildwithrise #baseboardheaters #heatingandcooling

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[buildwithrise]

Do you have baseboard heaters at home? Is it your primary source of heat? Or secondary source of heat? Let us know!

[tomsmith]

I have a 6000square ft home all electric base board heat lived here since 1984 never needed a repair always work no matter how cold may bills a little higher but always dependable . I like dependability

[gmatochautube]

I'd be curious to read that study on air quality. It's not clear why a simple heating element would produce air quality problems. Could it be because, since baseboard heaters are so inexpensive to install, that they were in houses with poor or inexpensive construction? Or is it because they lack an air handler with filtration system like central air?

[southerncomfort]

We live in central Ontario Canada and the average winter temperature is minus 20 Celcius (-20 C). Our only heat source is electric baseboard, we do try to keep the temp. low enough to need a sweater, mostly for sleeping. We need better windows (next spring due to Covid) and we have added attic insulation and are planning exterior wall insulation with new siding, At 1000 square feet our daily usage is between 50 -60 units depending in the wind and food preparations. Too much KWH goes to heating water that isnt used often enough to warrant the price but turning it on and off isnt the answer either. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[bretthamelin]

I think you missed Zone Control as a Pro. With baseboard heaters I can have my bedroom a nice cool 60 degrees and the spare room set to 72 degrees for my guest, and let the rest of the house drop down to 55 degrees overnight.

[rtheprizeisright]

It's interesting, you said they are 100% efficient, I went to Penn State, for electrical construction, and spent 3 years, before that, in electrical construction vo-tech, and I have been doing electrical work for over 30 years. When I was in electrical school, 1 of the instructors said, to create heat from electricity, is the most inefficient way to generate heat. He said for every dollar, you put in, you get 10 cents of heat out. Now, I'm sure the new heaters, are better than that, but the principal is the same. I mean, think of your clothes dryer and how much power they use, even the new models. And they have a sole purpose, of making heat, from electricity, to dry clothes and they have to run for an hour and sometimes that not enough. I don't recommend electric heaters to anyone, even if they ask, I try to talk them out of it. The only time, they or I think they should be used, is if you have a small space that's drafty and you want to have direct, instant use in 1 area. And even then, I warn the customer, about the staggering cost of running these heaters, for a length of time, more than maybe, in a bathroom, until your done with a shower, so like less than an hour a day, on a small 2 or 3 foot unit. But great video, thanks.

[ryans]

The thing with baseboard heaters is people forget to clean them and they end up dusty and disgusting and don’t heat efficiently

[davidyummus]

As soon as you mentioned "The Planet" I bailed.

[Whitecellrecords]

If you’re worried about issues with air quality, shit the heaters of, vacuum them out, vacuum underneath, and keep your house clean in general you’ll be fine.

[vtecterror]

I have one electric baseboard heater in each room of my house. The kitchen and living room are open. There is no wall between. I’m gone for most of the time during the day. Should I turn them off or turn them down to low? I can’t seem to get my electric bill down.

[Howdidy]

Considering the cost of furnace maintanence, repair and the cost of fuel oil or gas during the cold months, It's a no brainer that baseboard heat will cost less.Sure the utility bill would be a little high but not as much as the previous.Fuel oil or gas can cost a few thousand vs. a few hundred.

[judyjones]

We use primarily baseboard heaters (secondary source wood burning fireplace). They are old. If we replace them with new ones with smart thermostats will they be more energy efficient? safer? Thank you

[xmenorigins]

Bro your eyes never blink that’s how I know but reading. Hahahaah

[Nezello]

I have 4 independant heaters, each with a 1-5 dial (no wall thermostats). Is there anything on the market to convert each heater to wifi and/or Bluetooth then to a hub to be controlled through an app?

[adamchristian]

A home we just purchased is a quad level home built in the late 70s. The ONLY heating option this home has is electric baseboard in ALL the rooms including the basement. (out in the middle of the woods) We have not moved in yet so I don't know the exact cost but I am thinking around $500 a month for electric. THAT IS INSANE to me! Since I spent a crazy amount just to purchase the house I don't really have the ability to update it right now. If I added a wood stove to the basement or mudroom area of the home be a good idea? I have plenty of acreage and wood to burn. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!

[jordanasoares]

Thank you very much for the video and comments from the others. As someone from South America living in Canada since 2017, I'm learning a lot about heaters. The other day, I visited a condo apartment with a heat pump and God.. I was shocked about how noisy it was. Back home I was an audiologist and I can't imagine how someone can live in a place with that noise. Was that pump too old, perhaps? The apartment was no too old.. Thanks again.

[markgraham]

As soon as you mentioned “carbon footprint“more than one time I knew this was not the video for me

[annf]

Baseboard is my primary heating source. My 6year has been coughing like crazy and can't seem to figure out why. This only happens at night, when heater is on. Thanks for the info, now I think I know why

[Whitecellrecords]

My whole house has electric heat. There are benefits to electric: no ductwork, doesn’t take up a lot of space, cheap to install & repair if necessary, heat every room independently, 100% efficiency, maintenance free, just vacuum them out occasionally to deduct dust burning smell, no worries with gas or oil leaks, no carbon monoxide hazards, don’t have to worry about an HVAC furnace breaking down and costing thousands to fix, don’t have to worry about running out of oil.

I like it, I like the simplicity and reliability.
Yes they are more expensive but there are new smart thermostats from Mysa. You need Wi-Fi to do it, and you can control all the thermostats through the Mysa app.

You can set a schedule for hearing, install geo fencing, and lower temps to 55 for parts of the house you’re not in.

[shannonrhoads]

I rent, so I don't really have a say in my heating solution other than moving out. I have an old, old Coleman natural gas furnace that remarkably still functions very well and has only needed fixing once in the 10 years I have rented. However, I live in a small, drafty, poorly insulated mobile home from the early '70s (and I think the furnace is original!), so during winter it runs very frequently.

I have also lived in old apartments that used steam radiators that came on when the landlord was cold, not necessarily the tenants. And I did live in a studio apartment for a few years with an 8 foot long baseboard heater directly parallel to the external windows and running nearly the whole length of the wall. The old-school dial thermostat was on the opposite side of the studio rather than on the heater, so maybe it helped? I can tell you, that thing was not silent. Expansion of the fins inside caused popping and pinging like crazy when it warmed up and cooled down. Even the steam radiator at the other apartment was quieter.