Does baseboard heat use a lot of electricity? (2023)

Does a baseboard heater use a lot of electricity?

For example, a 5 foot baseboard heater can cost up to $150 a month to operate. Most homes have more than one baseboard heater, so multiply $150 by how many baseboard heaters you have and you can see how quickly your monthly electricity bill can rise.

That all depends on how often —and at what temperature—you run your baseboard heaters. Running a single baseboard heater for 24 hours a day would use 333.49 kWh of electricity, according to BCHydro.

Electric baseboard heaters on average need 225 watts per foot, says The Home Hacks DIY. Multiply the heater length by 225 to estimate wattage. If your heater is 4 ½ feet long, multiply 4.5 by 225 to arrive at an estimated 1,012 watts. This formula works for both 120 volt and 240 volt heaters.

If you have children, baseboard heaters or any source of heat can pose a danger to them. It's important that you keep children away from these heaters, as directly touching some of the baseboard heater elements could cause serious burns.

While space heaters are fairly cheaper than baseboard heaters, the latter is safer to use and heats up an entire room as opposed to a small area in intervals.

Because hydronic baseboard heaters will continue to provide heat after they're shut off (and before the liquid cools), there may be some energy savings because it doesn't need to be on as long. As far as efficiency, both types of base board heaters are energy-efficient.

Are new electric baseboard heaters more energy-efficient?

Q: Are new baseboard heaters more efficient? Since all-electric baseboard heaters convert 100 percent of the electricity they use into heat, purchasing a newer baseboard heater won't make it more efficient than an older one.

The Cons of Electric Baseboard Heating

Best used for supplemental heating needs, the biggest cons of electrical baseboard heating are centered on their annual heating costs. Across the US, natural gas is almost always a less expensive way to heat your home.

Placing a baseboard heater right under the window can reduce drafts. The warm air from the heater will rise and heat the cold air flowing down from the window. No more cold draft across the floor. Another good thing happens with the heat source below the window.

Since Electric Baseboard Units circulate heated air by convection, not by radiant heating or a fan blowing air, it is a very slow and gentle airflow. Cobwebs and dust that collect on the tiny metal fins can restrict heating by more than 80%. The units must be kept clean or they will simply not work.

Infrared Heaters. Infrared heaters will always be the cheapest to run – providing the most efficient heat. Due to the way they work, they naturally need less electricity to heat a room than a space heater. (By heating objects, instead of the air).

Baseboard heating is great for delivering consistent heat in a room, while forced air works best when heating the entire home. However, forced air heating will warm up a room faster. Installation costs favor baseboard heating, but forced air heating is more cost-efficient for large spaces.

Modern TVs use, on average, 58.6 watts when in On mode and 1.3 watts in standby mode. The power consumption of modern TVs ranges from 10W to 117W (0.5W to 3W on standby). On average, TVs consume 106.9 kWh of electricity per year, costing $16.04 annually to run in the US.

Space in Front of Baseboard Heaters

You can place a couch or chair in front of a heater, but it must be at least a foot away. Placing furniture closer than that creates a potential fire hazard, and it can greatly diminish the heater's performance by restricting airflow to and from the heater.

Like other forms of electric resistance heating, electric baseboard heaters offer 100 percent efficiency. That means 100 percent of the electricity consumed by these heaters is used to produce heat.

“When you turn on your heater for the first time, dust, pollen and other indoor allergens may cause sinus congestion,” says Dr. Anuja Vyas, a board-certified pulmonary disease doctor with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group. “These symptoms may make you feel sick.”

Is electric baseboard heat cheaper than gas?

The Verdict. Electric baseboard heaters are less costly to install but likely come with a higher energy bill than hydronic baseboards due to their inability to maintain consistent heat. In fact, electric resistance heat tends to cost more than other major heat sources, such as propane, oil, natural gas, or a heat pump.

Standard baseboard heaters normally serve their owners for about 15 to 25 years before wearing out and failing. The exact life expectancy rises and falls depending on several factors, such as quality, average outdoor temperatures, and thermostat settings. They tend to last longer in homes with multiple heat systems.

While ductless heat pumps do work best with proper insulation, they can do more than baseboard heat in a room if it's less than optimal. They are more energy efficient than baseboard heaters – in fact, they are considered one of the most energy-efficient heaters on the market today.

Most homeowners pay between $3,900 to $7,500 to install a central air system. However, to install ductless mini-split systems expect to pay $2,000 to $14,500. Remember that to replace baseboard heating with central AC, you'll need to remove the baseboard heating system first.

The cost of installing a hydronic or hot water baseboard heating system can be approximately $6,000 to $8,000. The exact cost of the installation depends on the type of heater it is, labor cost, and whether you're replacing an existing baseboard heater or installing a new one.

Because hydronic baseboard heaters will continue to provide heat after they're shut off (and before the liquid cools), there may be some energy savings because it doesn't need to be on as long. As far as efficiency, both types of base board heaters are energy-efficient.

In most temperate climates, a 1,200 square-foot well-insulated home requires approximately 12,000 watts of electric baseboard heating power. If the electric heater runs for 12 hours each day over the course of the month, the electricity costs for running the heater alone will be over $411.