Heating baseboards

[Frenchy]

Here is a question for the electricians here, I am looking into putting electrical heating in 2 parts of my home, I have noticed there are 120V and 240V heaters, The ones I am interested are baseboard heaters. One would be 2 to 300 watt (bathroom) the other 1250W Bedroom.
My question is, is there a significant cost differance between 120V and 240V I did notice the 240V do cost a lot more to buy, but do they help save on electricity?

As both rooms are on my second floor, I would be able to drop the electrical from my attic, so droping 240 or 120 is no big difference other then price.

Any Idea how I could save in the long run?
Presently the house is gas heated, and the configuration of the house and duct work just doesnt seem to push much heat upstairs. Just looking to keep these 2 rooms comfy.

[Zef_66]

I am not an electrician or even try to be. But I always thought that 220V (or 240V) is cheaper to run than standard 110V (or 120V). Not sure on the reason, but that was always my thought. As far as wiring, there is no difference in running the wiring. Should be the same.

[pirateron]

Hey Frenchy,
if your heat is going to be off, on, off, on, etc... it might be better to go with the 120v. if it is going to be running constant the 240v might be better. The 240V unit would heat up faster since the larger voltage would force more current through...
basic electric formula is P (watts) = I (amps) x E (voltage)
If you have the Amps from the units, you can calculate the watts each will use and determine the cost efficiency of both.. of course this formula works as a constant, It doesn't take into effect, voltage drop, start up increase or time off, as I said the 240v will heat the room quicker but it will use more juice to start up..

I personally would use the 240v as long as you have the space in your panel. I would also set the temp low so the unit runs pretty much constant which would make it more efficient...

[Roscoe]

I'm in the heating business. Theres no question the 240v heater is less to operate and will give you more btu's per foot of element.

Gas Warm Air ?
If you have access to the duct in the basement you may just need some duct balancing and or you can install a duct booster. Or do some zoning.

PIRATE RON gave it to you straight if you use electric...............

[Frenchy]

I'm in the heating business. Theres no question the 240v heater is less to operate and will give you more btu's per foot of element.

Gas Warm Air ?
If you have access to the duct in the basement you may just need some duct balancing and or you can install a duct booster. Or do some zoning

Actually, this is an old house, and there is not or not much insulation in it other thent he attic. When the house was built, there was "gas" heating going upstairs in seperate heaters that where removed.. I ended up finding th eblack pipes all in the walls, and there is a door at the bottom of the steps to keep the hot air downstairs.

Problem is, if the door is open, the furnace runs all the time, if it is closed and I rely on the ducts to keep the upstairs warm, the downstairs where the thermostat is had to be around 100 degrees to be comfy upstairs. So I think the best all round way to keep the 2 rooms we mainly use would be baseboards.

I have a 100 Amp entrance with free space in it for 220, so getting the power upstairs is not a major pain. Some how opening and closing the vents is not helping much, as the upstairs seems to cool off much faster then the downstairs.
I will be doing insulation work pretty soon that will definately help this situation, but in the meanwhile, I am looking for a solution that will allow me to go take a shower with out freezing and waking up sore from the cold.

[Roscoe]

In that case the electric is a good quick fix depending on your rate, you should check with your utility most times they will give you a better electric rate if you use a heat pump or electric heat, the electric can get a little expensive.

[vetter3006]

Frenchy if installing a booster fan in your ducts is not feasable and baseboard is what you feel will do the job then go with a hydronic electric baseboard heater they heat better and last longer, I would go with the 240 volt. The 240 volt is half the amperage. The liqiud solution is permanently sealed,and reqiures no filling or replacment. I will try and find a link to one and post later.

[JDC]

Hey Frenchy
What are the room dimensions ? The reason I ask is that you may require more than one 220volt circuit. Which could be a problem with a 100 amp service.

[knight0334]

The only advantage 220v has over 110v is the ohm/resistance loss from the wires. 220 will have the overall current divided across (2) hot wires of generally a greater gauge - that wire will stay cooler and have less resistance. Where as 110v with the same wattage(usage) will have it's current on a single hot conductor, usually #12-14 size - which will have more resistance = warm wires = more usage.

On the end usage at the elements, for the most part 300w of heat made is just that-300w of heat made, whether its by 110v(2.727amp) or 220v(1.363amp).

[JDC]

The only advantage 220v has over 110v is the ohm/resistance loss from the wires. 220 will have the overall current divided across (2) hot wires of generally a greater gauge - that wire will stay cooler and have less resistance. Where as 110v with the same wattage(usage) will have it's current on a single hot conductor, usually #12-14 size - which will have more resistance = warm wires = more usage.

On the end usage at the elements, for the most part 300w of heat made is just that-300w of heat made, whether its by 110v(2.727amp) or 220v(1.363amp).

The main difference is you can use a smaller wire size and a smaller breaker for a 220 volt baseboard compared to a 120volt baseboard. The cost will be considerably cheaper to run a 220 volt baseboard and you will be able to put more on a circuit than with a 120 volt unit.