Hydronic Baseboards
Cangowrongwillgowrong
| Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on
Are the self contained hydronic baseboards that operate with heat transfer fluid effective?
Is there an energy savings potential with hydronics compared to straight electric?
A friend wants to replace her electric baseboards with these and wonders if they are more economical.
Thanks,
Replies
They can be comfy more than the slant fins sometimes, but not more efficient at all.
You can't get more heat energy out of a fixture than yoou put into it, and that comes thru the meter.
With other electric appliances and fixtures, wasted electricity is in the form of heat spilled. Since heating is the goal if this fixture, it is nearly 100% efficient at end use already
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A fluid filled electric baseboard is not much different than the electric resistance type. There is VERY often sales hype about how they might somehow be the best thing since sliced bread ... but as the other poster pointed out KWH is KWH ... you heat a space to a certain temp and it will take x amount of Btu's/KWH to heat it.
The fluid filled are inherently more complex. This can lead to ... complexities ... e.g. failure. Not that they necessarily have issues in this regard ... but it drives the price up ... so why would one buy them? Probably no real LOGICAL reason ... generally speaking. But like I always say ... there is a time and place for just about everything.