Home Ownership A wide array of heating alternatives run on electric power. In some ways, electricity is better than fossil fuels. It's 100 per cent efficient in use (though not in production); it's cleaner in the home; and, used as a heating source, can allow for individual room temperature control.

Depending on where you live, electric heat may not be practical. Cost and availability are the two obvious reasons.

The common electric baseboard heater is a non-circulatory unitary heating system. Relying on the natural convection of heated air to circulate warmth throughout a room, baseboard heaters are placed under windows and along outer walls.

Each element of a unitary heating system, with its own thermostat, can be independently controlled or can be controlled with a central thermostat. Standard practice is a thermostat for each room, allowing you to balance the whole house according to your needs. There's no wasted energy from heating rooms that remain unoccupied. If used in conjunction with an oil furnace, unitary systems can provide heat at greater efficiency until the outside temperature drops so low that it becomes less costly to heat with the furnace.

Electrical contractors estimate it will cost the average homeowner approximately $2500 to $3000 to convert to electric heat from an oil-fired system. This figure includes the cost of upgrading your electrical system to a 200 ampere (A) service (most are 60 to 100 A) to accommodate the increased load.




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December 4, 2008