Client and I are exploring inexpensive electric heat options for her home massage studio–Buidling is on perimeter insulated cc slab, r21 walls R30/38 ceilings, new windows. less than 700sf 310 down and 320 up. open rooms, open staircase.
she wants quiet radiant heat–no clicky baseboards or buzzing fans.
Electricians have put forth hydronic baseboard heaters from Cadet.
I see ‘marley’ and ‘qmark’ also make heaters like these.
Any opinions welcome as to cost, quality, efficiency.
10w per sq foot the rule?
Thank you,
Pat
Replies
Bump
Anyone?
Please?
So lonely.............
I have used them in bathrooms, where the rest of the floor or house is getting standard baseboard electric heaters.
Very good results.
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"A stripe is just as real as a dadgummed flower."
Gene Davis 1920-1985
Nothing wrong w/ hydronic baseboards. They may still creak (a little, depending on specifics of installation). Gas fired boiler would be my first choice (over electric), though.
If you reset the water temp based on e.g. outside air temp, it will minimize the energy use. You can do this manually or put in automatic controls (some boilers MAY have them). Manual option is a manually adjusted 3 way valve ... adjust maybe 2-4 times throughout the season.
my first choice would have been hyrdonic in the slab, although I've never done it. But budget and time gives us electric heat.
thx,
pat
Is that your long term budget ... or your short term? :)
Planning on wealth in the future? No offense meant. We all have to deal w/ the here and now can't always do what we would like on a long term basis.
Maybe it's a rental unit where the renters will be responsible for heating bills?
It's a small 2-story cottage to house her phys therapy studio and a guest/extra room for her above.
Client's short term budget and crunch to finish the building and move her phys therapy business into it.
Orig specc'd with cadet electric forced air units and she's considering the quieter hydronic bb's.
R values are somewhat worthless numbers..
first they are done under tight labratory conditions and do not reflect real world at all..
Second, R value means nothing where studs are doubled and triple up due to loads etc..
third, local weather conditions determine the heat loss not some rule..
fourth, local utility costs will determine if this will be cheaper or more costly than other choices.
boy Frenchy... what a helpful response...
Do you have any experience with electric hydronic baseboard heaters you'd like to share, or not?
10W /sq ft? Not bad way to go for the NW. Probably a little high given the construction details provided (R-values actually are useful to those who know what they mean ;p ) but not a bad place to start. Provide room by room controls.
By "hydronic" I assume that you mean oil filled electric resistence baseboard heaters, not hot water based baseboard heaters.
The baseboards, oil filled or not, and those heated by hot water or electron friction, wil expand as they warm. The ones that are installed (too) tightly to the wall will creaka nd crack and tink and tick.
Plain electric resistence baseboard is about the cheapest manner in which you can heat a house and the units will last longer than most men's hair. I bought a house built in the early 70's in 1997 will all of the orignal electric baseboard heat in tact and operating perfecftly, until I ripped it all out.
I do not know the cost of the oil filled units. Google and take notes.
Thank you,
Today got a rec. from the manuf on 1 watt per CUBIC foot of room area, which was interesting.
Looks like they'll work out fine.
We'll put the two larger rooms, with 2 units each, on their own stats. The entry can use a stat on the unit.
Now on to something else!
What brand did you end up going with? I am looking into electric heat myself at the moment.Jeb
Cadet
Thank you,I'll be researching them now.Jeb
We have one of the Qmark hydronic heaters that runs on 240 for an upstairs tv room. I think it is quiet--and will probably get a second one to connect to the first. The 240s are cheaper to run since the amp draw is lower, but more expensive to install since the wiring needs to be 10 or 12 depending on how many are on a circuit.
We also have one of those portable oil-filled radiator heaters--also quiet after getting warmed up.