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.
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.
61-17) In what locations should electric baseboard heaters be installed? The best location for an electric baseboard heater is along an outside wall, as close as possible to an outside door, or directly under a window, which takes advantage of the natural air currents developed.
Electric heaters work best when they heat up a confined space, such as the area around a desk or a reading chair. Take a look around your room and decide where your heater will be most useful. It may also help to choose an area that can be closed off by doors, so you can better trap in the 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.
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.
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.
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.
This is basic fire safety; you don't want to take any chances. … the recommended baseboard heater safety clearance is at least 12 inches. I also generally recommended against using baseboard heaters if you can help it, and suggest, instead, having a furnace or HVAC system installed in your home.
Better yet, install your thermostat at least 1 stud away from the heater. Moving a thermostat out of the same wall cavity as a heater will help performance. Moving your thermostat into an adjacent stud cavity on the same wall is a better option.
The removal of the "cold wall" effect and the even distribution of heat along the bottom of the outer walls allows the surface of the walls to act as a radiating panel providing exceptional and unequalled comfort.
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.
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.
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.
Electric baseboard heaters have an on-and-off switch, but you can leave them running at a regular temperature setting.
Dangerous and uncomfortable
The heat generated by baseboard heaters is a very dry heat. People who use them often get dry skin, dry throats, dry eyes, and bloody noses. You can use a humidifier to add moisture to the air, but this requires more electricity and regular cleaning.
Hydronic baseboard heaters radiate heat heated water and are the most efficient form of heating and costs significantly less than electric. Electric heaters, generate and maintain their temperature through electricity.
The single most effective way to to lower the cost of running baseboard heaters is to upgrade your thermostats. Programmable thermostats lower heaters at night or when you are away from home. This is a very effective way to reduce energy use as your heaters can be set to turn down when you leave the house.
Calculating the Right Size Hydronic Baseboard Heater
For example, a 10 x 10-foot bedroom is 100 square feet, (10 multiplied by 10 = 100) which requires 3,400 BTUs (100 multiplied by 34 = 3,400). You'd need 5.6 feet of baseboard heater to heat the space (3,400 divided by 600 = 5.6).
Heaters are best placed under windows. If you do not have the space for panel heaters, you can also choose wall strip panel heaters, which are lower and longer variants. By placing heaters under the windows, you heat up cold air descending from the window glass, and avoid cold draughts along the floor.