New Heater vs. Old heater
by Hampton
(East Moriches, NY)
Is a new 110 v. portable heater more efficient than an old one that works fine?
Answer from Green Energy Efficient Homes
As I explain in Energy efficient electric heaters, all electric heaters are 100% efficient at converting electricity into hit. So a new heater won't be any more efficient than an old one.
The things to consider in deciding whether to replace an electric heater are whether the current heater provides enough heat (if not, then replacing it with a higher wattage model will produce more heat, but at a higher operating cost), and whether the type of electric heater is well-suited to your needs. There are several types of electric heaters - oil-filled radiator heaters, standard convection electric heaters that just heat up an element and let air currents spread the heat through the room, radiant space heaters that send infrared (long-wave) radiation through the room so that only solid objects in its path are warmed (but not the air in between), and electric heaters with a fan that spreads the air around more effectively.
Oil-filled rad heaters provide a fairly constant level of heat. Even though the power to the unit rises and falls as its thermostat activates the heating element, the heat coming out is pretty consistent because the oil acts as a heat sink, buffering the highs and lows of the heating element.
Standard convection heaters work well as long as your room isn't too big for the heater, or very poorly insulated, and assuming you want to heat the whole room. Compared to a convection heater with fan they are quieter. One drawback of standard convection heaters is that it can take longer for the whole room to heat up because you are relying on convection airflow in the room to spread the heat.
Fan convection heaters do a better job of spreading the heat throughout a room quickly, which makes them more suitable for rooms where you turn the heat on and off frequently (e.g. a den or home office where you pop in for an hour or two a day). But once the heat is there, they don't really provide an advantage over standard convection heaters.
Infrared heaters are good for situations where you want to really cut down on electricity use and only heat yourself (or whoever is in the room) but not the entire room. If you point the heater at the chair or couch you're sitting in, the infrared radiation from the heater strikes you and your chair and warms those things, but not the air in between. You can use infrared heaters in very drafty rooms and still keep warm, whereas with other types of electric heaters a drafty room means most of the heat just goes out through the drafts.
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