Electricity can be used for heating in two ways:
- Resistance Heaters
- Heat Pumps
Resistance
heaters use metal elements that have a high resistance to the passage of
electricity. When forced to conduct electricity, they heat up. Because almost
all of the electricity passing through the element is converted to heat, resistance
heaters are considered almost 100% efficient. However, if the losses
associated with the generation and transmission of the electricity to
the site is included, the efficiency drops. Because electricity is considered
such a highly-refined form of energy essential for many tasks in our society,
some consider it wasteful to use it simply for heating. In addition, on a Btu-for-Btu
basis, electric resistance is one of the most expensive ways to heat.
Heat
pumps use electricity too, but instead of using it to create heat,
they use it to move heat from one place to another. Because it is moving
rather than creating heat, they can achieve efficiencies of over 300%,
meaning they provide three times more heat than they consume in electricity.
Heat pumps have the advantage that, in one unit, they can both cool and heat
the home.
And Furthermore . . .
| Electric
Resistance Baseboard Heaters Wall Heaters |
Electric
Furnaces Radiant Heaters Electric Heat Pumps |
