The electrical energy 'consumed" by the fan also ends up as heat.

On Mon, Dec 9, 2013 at 12:31 PM, Jeff Palmer <jpalmer@mymts.net> wrote:

> I would say this is on topic.  Lots of us use electric heaters to
> supplement.  Much cheaper than Propex :)
> My two cents from a guy living in -30 weather:
> Electricity is 100% efficient (or close) regardless of the fixture, but it
> may or may not be price competitive with less efficient heaters that use
> different fuel.  I think?
> I prefer radiant heat - much more comfortable and stable.  And quiet.  I
> would think the nasty fan on some electric heaters must consume extra power
> too.  Love my oil filled unit.
> Jeff
> > Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2013 07:59:19 -0800
> > From: camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM
> > Subject: [OT] Efficiency of electric heaters?
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >
> > Hi all,
> >
> > (This is not Vanagon-related but I don't know another pool of engineers
> > and scientists to write to, so I'm writing here for help.)
> >
> > It's pretty cold here in Bend, Oregon, and the house that her son is
> > renting is colder than he'd like. It's an older house, built cheaply,
> > and only has electric baseboard heaters -- no gas, no fireplace.
> >
> > Mrs Elliott has been looking at electric heaters and asks whether some
> > put out more heat than others. "1500 Watts is 1500 Watts, same BTUs" I
> sez.
> >
> > I sez, "It doesn't matter whether the heating elements are fifteen
> > one-hundred Watt light bulbs, or whether the heating elements are put in
> > an oil bath; it doesn't matter whether they write the words `infrared'
> > or `quartz' on the enclosure: you'll put the same heat into the room.
> > All heaters are alike in terms of heat output.
> >
> > "Sure, an infrared heater can be `aimed' directly at your body, which is
> > real nice; and others have blowers that can direct the heated air and
> > stir the air to keep the colder air from pooling on the floor, but in
> > terms of how warm the overall air in the room eventually gets, all 1500
> > Watt heaters are the same."
> >
> > That's what I sez. But she knows I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes and is
> > tempted by expensive 1500 Watt heaters, thinking there must be a reason
> > why they promote this quartz or that oil-filled feature. She points out
> > that when you turn off an oil-filled heater, it still radiates heat for
> > quite some time afterwards; I point out that the slow cooling is matched
> > by slower warming.
> >
> > Can the engineers and scientists in the room comment on this matter? So
> > that This Marriage Can Be Saved? If I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
> >
> > (Probably don't want to clutter up the list with this, please email to
> > me directly.)
> >
> > --
> > Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
> > 1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
> > Bend, Ore.
>
>