I would like some opinions on electric base board heat. I am remodeling my 1930’s farm house and I can’t figure out how to get the ducting for the forced air heat system to the second story. I really don’t care for the look of bases board heaters. However, if I can find something that looks good and works well I think I could live with it. I would also like some info on the energy efficiency of elec. baseboard heat.
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The efficiency of electric heat is perfect and lousy. By which I mean 100% of the electricity is turned into heat. But electricity costs twice to 6 times as much as natural gas or fuel oil (check locally). So electric heat makes the most sense for a small area (a bathroom addition) that is hard to connect to the main heat source. Or if you won't be paying to operate it (a rental). Electric heat is cheap to install but expensive to operate.
Depending on the floor plan, you may not need much ducting. Heat rises and you may only need a return duct to complete the loop. What are the problems or limitations you encounter now?