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Energy Star vs. non

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Sarahemm
Sarahemm Member Posts: 4
in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
Hi everyone I'm new on the Heating Help forum!

I'm looking at space heaters online and see some that are Energy Star Rated. It looks like the energystar.gov website is down?

Is an Energy Star heater a lot more efficient compared to a non-rated one? Or is the difference minuscule?

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  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 4,859
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    Space Heaters as in Electric?
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,322
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    There is more difference between various EnergyStar heaters than between non-rated and EnergyStar

    More to the point: if these are electric heaters you are looking at, they are all pretty much 100% efficient in converting electrical energy into heat.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    mattmia2Sarahemm
  • Icarus
    Icarus Member Posts: 143
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    Just to add to what Jamie says. All resistance electric heat is essentially 100% efficient (save possibly for a bit of difference if it is in a fan forced configuration) That translates to a COP of 1. COP measures essentially BTU/KWH consumed. 1kwh= ~3400 btus. A resistance electric heater can never exceed (nor drop much below a COP of 1, simple physics dictates that.

    A heat pump however has a COP that changes with outside temp, and can be as high as 3-5 or even more depending on conditions. Translated then, a COP of 3 will give ~10,000 btus/kwh. Essentially 3 times more efficient. (Or more with higher COPs. Typically once you pass a COP of ~2 it gets cheaper to heat with a heat pump than with oil or gas.
  • Sarahemm
    Sarahemm Member Posts: 4
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    pecmsg said:

    Space Heaters as in Electric?

    Regular space heaters. The type a college kid would put in a dorm room :)
  • Sarahemm
    Sarahemm Member Posts: 4
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    Jamie Hall said:

    There is more difference between various EnergyStar heaters than between non-rated and EnergyStar

    More to the point: if these are electric heaters you are looking at, they are all pretty much 100% efficient in converting electrical energy into heat.

    Right, but will Energy Star rated heaters have a large or small impact on my monthly electric bill?
  • Sarahemm
    Sarahemm Member Posts: 4
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    Icarus said:

    Just to add to what Jamie says. All resistance electric heat is essentially 100% efficient (save possibly for a bit of difference if it is in a fan forced configuration) That translates to a COP of 1. COP measures essentially BTU/KWH consumed. 1kwh= ~3400 btus. A resistance electric heater can never exceed (nor drop much below a COP of 1, simple physics dictates that.

    A heat pump however has a COP that changes with outside temp, and can be as high as 3-5 or even more depending on conditions. Translated then, a COP of 3 will give ~10,000 btus/kwh. Essentially 3 times more efficient. (Or more with higher COPs. Typically once you pass a COP of ~2 it gets cheaper to heat with a heat pump than with oil or gas.

    Thanks for the help Jamie! That's a lot of math haha!

    I basically want to know how much money I'd save with a Energy Star vs. non-Energy Star oscillating space heater.
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,166
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    I'm pretty sure the expense of operating the space heater comes down to how many watts it uses more so than wether it has an energy star logo on the box.

    More wattage= more heat output and more cost of operation.
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,700
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    Sarahemm said:

    Icarus said:

    Just to add to what Jamie says. All resistance electric heat is essentially 100% efficient (save possibly for a bit of difference if it is in a fan forced configuration) That translates to a COP of 1. COP measures essentially BTU/KWH consumed. 1kwh= ~3400 btus. A resistance electric heater can never exceed (nor drop much below a COP of 1, simple physics dictates that.

    A heat pump however has a COP that changes with outside temp, and can be as high as 3-5 or even more depending on conditions. Translated then, a COP of 3 will give ~10,000 btus/kwh. Essentially 3 times more efficient. (Or more with higher COPs. Typically once you pass a COP of ~2 it gets cheaper to heat with a heat pump than with oil or gas.

    Thanks for the help Jamie! That's a lot of math haha!

    I basically want to know how much money I'd save with a Energy Star vs. non-Energy Star oscillating space heater.
    No, you will not see any difference.

    A $200 1500 watt resistive element heater will use the exact same amount of electric as a 1500 watt $20 ceramic heater.

    There is literally no difference at all between them as far as how they work.

    We constantly see electric heaters marketed as more efficient and cheaper to run and yet, there is no difference.

    Some can argue how safe some are I suppose, on that I really have no idea.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    ratioGroundUp
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,322
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    None at all. An electric space heater marketed as Energy Star is no more efficient at converting the watts you pay for into warmth you enjoy than one which isn't.

    That said, there is a dizzying array of electric heaters out there. Figure out what you need in terms of warmth -- just something near the desk to keep you warm in a cold room? Something to heat the whole room? And go with that. Don't pay extra for fancy!
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England

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