Electric Radiant Heat

Jeremy

Anyone have any advise on electric radiant heat? Never used it before and have a job (office addition) that needs heat. Any advise will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jay

Christian Egli

The all electric neighborhood

If there is no fuel choice available, then, here is how I rank my preferred methods of delivering electric heat.

1) Use a heat pump. If you’re in the south, this is quite efficient.

2) Ceiling coils. This works good because it has relatively low inertia and the electric wires are out of harms. You can also use electric radiant quartz tube that hang like a light fixture, this is very good for work station heating only and shop floor offices.

3) Electric baseboard. These make noise and can give off burnt dust smells, but installation is easy.

4) Forced air electric coil. This provides the worse efficiencies for your electricity. Although electricity naturally gives off loads of radiant heat (and comfort) you get none of it from the transfer to hot air. A shame and a waste.

I guess you could also provide electric blankets and electric feet warmers for coziness.

Oh, wait I thought of one more. An electric steam boiler and steam heat with beautiful radiators... Fun, but not the way to go. It makes no sense at all from an energy point of view. Like the electric central forced air it treats a high cost and high value energy like the common low value coal, oil and gas. Put this suggestion between points 3 and 4.