Here's a quick rundown of the best practices:
If you want to make sure your room is heated properly, you can place your baseboard heater right under the window. This will help you warm up your room a lot quicker and more efficiently. This happens because the cold air coming in from the crevices of the window sets down.
Typically baseboard heaters are installed under windows and on perimeter walls of the home.
The gist is that cold air from the window mixes with warm air rising out of the baseboard, that warm air moves around the room, cools and sinks back to the floor, where it is eventually re-heated by the baseboards. That's why traditionally it's recommended to install a baseboard under a window.
Electric baseboard heaters have an on-and-off switch, but you can leave them running at a regular temperature setting.
To avoid wasted heat (and higher electricity costs), only turn on baseboard heaters in rooms that are occupied. Close doors to bedrooms and offices when baseboard heaters are turned on to keep the heat in.
A distance of at least 8 inches / 20 centimeters must be maintained between the baseboard heater and furniture, curtains, bedding, or any object that would trap the heat. Since furniture cannot be placed up against the heater this can limit the space available.
Baseboard heaters typically use 250 watts per foot. Measure the length of your baseboard heaters and multiply the length in feet by 250 to find the wattage of your heaters. For example, a 6-foot long baseboard heater would use 1,500 watts (250 times 6). Visit the Department of Energy website for another good resource.
Myth #2: Bigger is Better.
The rule of thumb for sizing a baseboard, or any electric heater, was 10 watts per square foot. So if you have a 10 x 10 room you would need a 1,000 watt heater.
Baseboard heaters require careful consideration to ensure they function efficiently and safely: Maintain Clearance: Keep furniture at least 6 inches away from baseboard heaters. This prevents the blockage of heat and reduces fire risk.
Heat pumps, which use electricity to transfer heat from outside the home into it, rather than heating up like a toaster oven, are 3 times more efficient than electric furnaces and baseboard heating systems. That inefficiency means electric heating uses more electricity, which translates to higher utility bills.
While electric baseboard heaters are known for their resilience and require minimal maintenance, they aren't invincible and may eventually need replacement. Typically, a well-maintained baseboard heater lasts 15-20 years before decline.
Pieces of furniture and other objects increase the risk of fire when they're placed too close to a baseboard heater. You should place all objects, including fabrics, cushions, or wooden items, 6 to 12 inches away from the heaters. These can easily catch fire when exposed to sustained heat.
Baseboard heaters supply heat to each room individually, so they are ideally suited to zone heating, which involves heating the occupied rooms in your home while allowing unoccupied area (such as empty guest rooms or seldom-used rooms) to remain cooler.
NOTE: Baseboard heaters should sit at least 3/4-inch above the floor or carpet. This is to allow the cooler air on the floor to flow under and through the radiator fins so it can be heated.
A very simple method to determine how much electric baseboard heating wattage you need can be found by calculating the square footage of the room, then multiplying it by 10 watts to produce a baseline wattage requirement.
Here's a quick rundown of the best practices:
Fan heaters work best on an inside wall; baseboards are best under a window. (But you can install fan heaters on outside walls and baseboards on inside walls.) If you're installing a heater by a door, make sure the heater isn't blocked by the door when it is open.
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.
To ensure your baseboard heaters are as efficient as possible, turn down your thermostat whenever you can. Baseboard heaters are known for being zone heaters, meaning each heater warms the room it is in rather than the entire house. Practice zone heating by lowering the temperatures of heaters in unused rooms.
What Are Their Cons? Baseboard heaters may not be the best option for living rooms, open floor spaces and other large areas. It's because the warm air they produce only slightly rises before dissipating into the room's atmosphere.
This shows natural gas is the cheapest type of heating to run and heating oil is the most expensive way to heat a home.
Generally speaking, electric baseboard heaters are safe when installed correctly and kept far away from any flammable materials. Exercise caution if you have children or pets in a home with electric baseboard heat. These become much hotter to the touch than hydronic and burns can result.
[210.52 FPN and 424.9 FPN] (See Figure 5.) Receptacle outlets installed above permanently installed electric baseboard heaters could create a fire hazard. For example, an electric baseboard heater has been installed below a duplex receptacle. A lamp on a table is located directly in front of the baseboard heater.
Many baseboard heating systems are a form of electric heat that operates without ductwork and can be expensive to run. Baseboard heating is often more efficient than radiators, and they are even more efficient when they are run constantly, instead of being turned on and off.