HomeFairfax General ForumArrest/Ticket SearchWiki newPictures/VideosChatArticlesLinksAbout
Off-Topic :  Fairfax Underground fairfax underground logo
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Rod ()
Date: February 15, 2008 08:56PM

I got a thing in the mail to try and sell me a real expensive electric heater. Can anyone answer this question. Is a unit of electricity put in one electric heater able to produce more in any other electric heater?- Rod

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: TheMeeper ()
Date: February 15, 2008 09:43PM

kilowatts are a unit of power

btu's are a unit of energy

a unit of electicity is measured in coulombs (amperes per second)

In other words, a kilowatt does not simply translate into BTU's, or electrical charge.

Electric heaters vary in efficiency, is that what you mean? You should rephrase your question into something more understandable.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: KeepOnTruckin ()
Date: February 15, 2008 09:56PM

1 BTU- amount of energy req'd to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree celscius. There is no unit of time attached, thus you will see things rated in BTU's/hour. Like my gas grill is 15,000 BTUs i think.

Kilowatts is how much electricity it takes to run. Well acutally thats kilowatt hours, which are like 15 cents per kwh, depending on who gives you electricity

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: btu ()
Date: February 15, 2008 10:57PM

3.41 watts= 1 btu.

Electric heat is always 100% efficient. As is any thing electric.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Gravis ()
Date: February 16, 2008 11:39AM

btu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 3.41 watts= 1 btu.
>
> Electric heat is always 100% efficient. As is any
> thing electric.



in the sense of the law of the conservation of energy, yes but in the sense of only taking enough power to do what it's purpose of being is, absolutely not. case and point: the need for a heatsink and fan in your computer.


"the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."095042938540

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Lurker. ()
Date: February 16, 2008 11:44AM

Most electric appliances are not very efficient, thus they produce heat. Does your computer give off heat? Have a fan?

That's wasted electricity because the power company sends you AC power and 95% of electric circuits are designed around DC power. You can blame George Westinghouse for the AC cluster F; Edison's power grid was all DC power.


Is a kilowatt=a BTU different in different electric heaters?

That would depend on the heating element and the design of the heater. Some heating elements produce more heat per watt. In general I would think that most heating elements these days would be close in efficiency.

As for electric heat vs gas, gas will give you more heat for your buck.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2008 11:47AM by Lurker..

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Space Ghost ()
Date: February 16, 2008 01:16PM

Lurker. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most electric appliances are not very efficient,
> thus they produce heat. Does your computer give
> off heat? Have a fan?

Most of the heat in a computer comes from the processor and the hard drive, not wasted power from the power supply. Modern switching power supplies are very efficient.

> That's wasted electricity because the power
> company sends you AC power and 95% of electric
> circuits are designed around DC power. You can
> blame George Westinghouse for the AC cluster F;
> Edison's power grid was all DC power.

AC is more efficient because it can be stepped up in voltage for long-distance transmission.

> That would depend on the heating element and the
> design of the heater. Some heating elements
> produce more heat per watt.

Not really. If it's not producing 100% heat, what else does it do? If your heating element is an incandescent lightbulb, it would produce a little less heat, but really only if you shined it out the window. Otherwise it would just hit the surfaces in your home and ultimately heat those. Or, if your "heating element" was a radio antenna that was 100 miles long, or whatever it is that it takes to do 60-hz radio. Otherwise they're all equal.

A heat pump can produce more heat per watt because it takes heat from the outdoors, outputting cold air out there. Anyone who tries to sell you a plain electric heater and claims that it's more efficient than any other, is a a fraud.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: bob ()
Date: February 16, 2008 01:26PM

Odds are you already Googled your question and quite possibly found your answer within Wikipedia or HowStuffWorks.com; much like nearly every other poster here who had no idea there was a difference, at best. That's OK though because no one is watching while they proceed to Google your question and after becoming the 'expert' on the subject, repeat what they have read while purposely mispelling and twisting a few phrases around so other's take what they have proposed as useful.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Space Ghost ()
Date: February 16, 2008 01:36PM

To reiterate and clarify, all electric heaters (as opposed to heat pumps) have about 100% efficiency and anyone trying to sell a more efficient electric heater is scamming you. With most electric things, if they aren't 100% efficient, that means they make waste heat. With a heater, heat is what you want, so they're all basically 100% efficient.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Lurker. ()
Date: February 16, 2008 05:32PM

Sorry but all electric heaters are not built the same. Example, add a powerful inefficient fan to an electric heater and you will lose watts to power the fan. Add a transformer to step down the power to run some controlling electronics, your losing watts. I'm talking about stand alone room electric heaters.

Now if your talking about the small heater box(LOL the toaster) that is added on top of your heat pump (turned on when you hit AUX or supplemental heat on your heat pump thermostat on extreme cold days), then generally all the heater boxes are the same watts per btu.

As for heat pumps\electric heating:

Efficiency Ratings
Heat pumps are assigned two efficiency ratings, a SEER rating based on a unit's cooling efficiency and a HSPF rating based on a unit's heating efficiency.

SEER Rating
The SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating is used to identify the cooling efficiency of both traditional air conditioners and heat pumps. The SEER rating indicates how efficiently the unit utilizes electricity: the higher the rating, the less electricity the unit requires to cool a given area.

HSPF Rating
The HSPF (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) rating is used to identify the heating efficiency of heat pumps: the higher the rating, the less electricity the heat pump uses to heat a given area.

Initial Cost versus Long Term Expense
Generally speaking, heat pumps with the highest SEER and HSPF ratings are more expensive to purchase than their lower rated counterparts. However, because they utilize less electricity, they can actually save you money in the long run. If you are planning to sell your residence in the near future, you may not wish to invest in a unit with a high rating. However, if you plan to be in your home for a while, it may be more cost effective to purchase a more high efficiency unit.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/16/2008 05:47PM by Lurker..

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Space Ghost ()
Date: February 16, 2008 10:31PM

Lurker. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sorry but all electric heaters are not built the
> same. Example, add a powerful inefficient fan to
> an electric heater and you will lose watts to
> power the fan. Add a transformer to step down the
> power to run some controlling electronics, your
> losing watts. I'm talking about stand alone room
> electric heaters.

If it has an inefficient fan, that means the fan makes waste heat. That heat has nowhere to go but the room. Same goes for a transformer. If a fan blows around a bunch of air, that motion is converted by friction into heat in the room.

If you have a radiant heater with a reflector that focuses it into a certain part of the room, then other heat could just hang around the unit itself. Heaters might differ in exactly where they put the heat, but it's all heat in the end. You would have to deliberately design it as something other than a heater if you wanted to get significant amounts of energy out of the house without turning it into heat. You'd have to shine a bright light out the window, construct a high-powered radio transmitter, or an efficient bass speaker.

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Good Speller ()
Date: February 18, 2008 05:15PM

1.21 Jigawatts!

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: GREAT SCOTT!! ()
Date: February 20, 2008 03:25PM

AC transmits down high tension wires alot further and with more punch than DC. To send DC into all of the area that it does cover would be an ENORMOUS difference in potential between the hot and ground. In AC the electrons swing back and forth and impartmagnetic induced voltage over hundreds of miles. To try to do the same thing with DC would probably ARC like hell at the power plant because of the enormous diff in Potential. Once AC reaches the homes , various appliances convert it to pulsating DC , meaning it lets the positive alternation of the AC swing through and NEUTRALS the neg. Then the electric motor can run with current coming from 1 side to the ground or neutral to make power, so Actually Westinghouse basically had no choice

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Rod Munch ()
Date: February 20, 2008 03:50PM

Hey Rod, stick to sucking cock m'k?

Options: ReplyQuote
Re: is a kilowat=a BTU different in different electric heaters?
Posted by: Fairfaxed ()
Date: February 22, 2008 10:28AM

It's not PC to call them "Jigawatts" anymore.
The acceptable term is "wattages of high volume".

Options: ReplyQuote


Your Name: 
Your Email (Optional): 
Subject: 
Attach a file
  • No file can be larger than 75 MB
  • All files together cannot be larger than 300 MB
  • 30 more file(s) can be attached to this message
Spam prevention:
Please, enter the code that you see below in the input field. This is for blocking bots that try to post this form automatically.
 ********    *******    ******   ********  **     ** 
 **     **  **     **  **    **  **        **     ** 
 **     **  **     **  **        **        **     ** 
 **     **   ********  **        ******    **     ** 
 **     **         **  **        **        **     ** 
 **     **  **     **  **    **  **        **     ** 
 ********    *******    ******   ********   *******  
This forum powered by Phorum.