Electric baseboard heating

[AStar617]

...relative to gas/oil/etc., given the huge increase in fuel costs over the past few years? Also, is it much less safe than the others? I'm referring to a permanent multi-room installation with thermostat, not portable baseboard spaceheaters.

Success/horror stories anyone? FYI, I'm in Boston and retrofitting an attic apartment with no current ducting for forced air.

 

[RU482]

electric heat is good as an area heat source, but is not as cost effective as dino sources for whole house heating

 

[AStar617]

Well the apartment is only three rooms, one of which (kitchen) isn't currently considered critical to be heated. I don't know if that qualifies as "whole house heating"... I'm thinking of treating each room as a "zone" on an independent thermostat.

 

[GeekDrew]

I've lived in multiple baseboard heated houses... you *must* have each room on its own thermostat. To not do so would be... <shudder>.

My parents entire house is heated by baseboard. The three big rooms (living room, dining room, kitchen) are all an open area, but they're each on their own thermostat. We also have a gas "fireplace-type-thingie" that's in the living room, that is able to heat all three of the big rooms (though the living room gets a bit warmer than the other two). When we first had the gas fireplace installed, it was saving us a LOT in energy costs, over baseboard. Then, for a while, electric was cheaper. IIRC, at the end of this past winter, it was just about equal, no matter which we operated. We tended to use gas, though, because we think that it feels more "comfortable" (more equally distributed) than baseboard heat.

 

[Jeff7]

Electric heat of any kind is very expensive. It's probably a step below burning $1 bills instead.