Baseboard heat?
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I have a small rental house with 220 baseboard heat that I installed. Average January electric bill is about $350. It is only 20 ft x 20 ft and two stories. I insulated the attic floor with 8 inches of insulation and the bill barely changed.
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Its expensive to run and takes a long time to heat a cold cabin up if you don't have it on all the time.
Ill agree its a very expensive form of heat and can take a long time to keep an area at comfortable temps. One thing I know for sure though is its nice to have it upstairs in the sleeping room when the fireplace is out in the morning. Keeps the upstairs nice and toasty but I attribute a lot of that to the woodburner getting the place hot in the first place.
If you put it in remember to turn it back or off when you leave. We live 3+ hours from camp, packed up and forgot to shut it off. Came home and a few weeks later found out that it was left on via the high electric bill. Had to have a local cut our locks and turn it off
If you put it in remember to turn it back or off when you leave. We live 3+ hours from camp, packed up and forgot to shut it off. Came home and a few weeks later found out that it was left on via the high electric bill. Had to have a local cut our locks and turn it off
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25,730 Posts
I have some in camp for supplemental heat. If I go away for a period of time and the wood stove goes out, the place stays fairly warm until I get back to tend the stove again.
Inexpensive to install, expensive to operate IF it's the only heat. Maintenence is about nil, once it's installed.
On the other hand, I pay around $25 to $30 per month for camp electricity, whether I'm there or not. So running a bit of baseboard heat in the fall, doesn't really amount to much of an additional expense per year.
For the 50 to 65 days per year I stay at camp, suits me fine. It only gets used a bit in the fall, during the two week stay in deer seasons and if I go up for a few days in February or March.
I wouldn't have anything else for supplemental heat at camp.
Inexpensive to install, expensive to operate IF it's the only heat. Maintenence is about nil, once it's installed.
On the other hand, I pay around $25 to $30 per month for camp electricity, whether I'm there or not. So running a bit of baseboard heat in the fall, doesn't really amount to much of an additional expense per year.
For the 50 to 65 days per year I stay at camp, suits me fine. It only gets used a bit in the fall, during the two week stay in deer seasons and if I go up for a few days in February or March.
I wouldn't have anything else for supplemental heat at camp.
Q2, thats a nice cozy looking pic of your camp. Makes me wish I was at mine right now. I use a small electric heater to supplement the furnace. I usually only owe the minimum on the electric bill, so we turn it on in the mornings or evenings for a couple hours.
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Nice looking table!
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Look at the small electric wall units they have out now. we yanked the 8 ftt long 2500 watt baseboards and put these in. Put a 2500 in each bedroom and a 1500 watt 110 in the bathroom. Takes about 8" x 10" of wall space, heats up quickly and has a small fan to get the warm air moving right away. We got em at Home Depot for a little over $100 apiece and they are available in 110 or 220. We installed them in a camp we're fixing up as "helpers" in the bedrooms and bathroom to the gas fired wall unit in the living room /kitchen. Haven't hooked up the gas yet but on the cold days we've been there working on the place, they've kept it comfortable and the bills haven't been bad at all. Keep in mind, we are not leaving them on, Just using them when we're there.
While I agree w/ most of the posts, I'm still glad we installed the baseboards. We have one 8' 220v in the main room [original cabin & the least insulated] and two 4' 220v units in the bedroom which is insulated.
I turn the heat on and promptly build a wood fire to warm up the interior furnishings. The less than air tight Franklin Stove works fine to warm things up and keep things quite warm as long as you keep feeding it.
Waking up the next morning and the whole camo is still 60 degrees although the main rooms uninsulated floor means you need slippers to walk around while making breakfast & coffee.
The only time we exceeded the 'minimum' bill for a recreational cabin was when dad's cousin came down from Maine and stayed around for 4 weeks. His kids used to go up and make thanksgiving dinner [electric stove] and he would leave the heat on after deer season while he spent a few days w/ his kids b/4 packing up to go back.
I do leave it on when I come home mid week and plan to go back Friday night to hunt Saturdays.
Walking into a 60 degree camp beats walking into one that was allowed to cool off. Unheated it is usually within 1 degree of the outside temp.
Can't beat the wood stove to dry the dampness out of your pillows b/4 bed.
Compared to hauling Kero and/or re-filling the propane bottle and still obtain firewood; I'll stick w/ my baseboards.
I turn the heat on and promptly build a wood fire to warm up the interior furnishings. The less than air tight Franklin Stove works fine to warm things up and keep things quite warm as long as you keep feeding it.
Waking up the next morning and the whole camo is still 60 degrees although the main rooms uninsulated floor means you need slippers to walk around while making breakfast & coffee.
The only time we exceeded the 'minimum' bill for a recreational cabin was when dad's cousin came down from Maine and stayed around for 4 weeks. His kids used to go up and make thanksgiving dinner [electric stove] and he would leave the heat on after deer season while he spent a few days w/ his kids b/4 packing up to go back.
I do leave it on when I come home mid week and plan to go back Friday night to hunt Saturdays.
Walking into a 60 degree camp beats walking into one that was allowed to cool off. Unheated it is usually within 1 degree of the outside temp.
Can't beat the wood stove to dry the dampness out of your pillows b/4 bed.
Compared to hauling Kero and/or re-filling the propane bottle and still obtain firewood; I'll stick w/ my baseboards.
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Yep, my sentiments exactly, which is why that kind of heat has been in my camp for over 30 years. Great "back up" for the woodstove, barely budges the minimum monthly electric billing, what little bit it gets used.
Personally, I do not care for propane heaters for a variety of reasons. To each their own.
Apparently some can't get past electric heat being "expensive" as a sole source of year 'round heating and realize how cheap/convenient it really is, at a camp?
Personally, I do not care for propane heaters for a variety of reasons. To each their own.
Apparently some can't get past electric heat being "expensive" as a sole source of year 'round heating and realize how cheap/convenient it really is, at a camp?
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Most of you guys that like electric heat also have a wood stove and use the baseboard as a supliment. I bet if he goes to his cabin with no heat on in Feb and turns on baseboard heat he is 6-8 hrs until it might be comfortable,it doesn't happens often but what happens with a power outage no heat, at least with a vent free wall unit he can light it with a match.
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I wouldn't have a cabin without a woodstove. Not all that hard to install and if you have woods on the camp property, you have firewood available for just a bit of work each year.
We did without one for several years, then I installed a double wall SS chimney and a stove in the early 80s.
Nothing like a woodstove on a cold day, after being out hunting.
And it'll chase the cold and dampness out of the place right quick, when it's been closed up and unoccupied. I've already gotten to camp for deer season and it was 10-15 degrees colder inside, than outside.
To each their own. Never liked gas heat. We had a natural gas spaceheater (vented) in our previous camp. No electric required to operate it, nor tanks to fill. But after a few days in the place during deer seasons, we all had dry sinuses and eyes. Even with a pan of water on top of it.
We did without one for several years, then I installed a double wall SS chimney and a stove in the early 80s.
Nothing like a woodstove on a cold day, after being out hunting.
And it'll chase the cold and dampness out of the place right quick, when it's been closed up and unoccupied. I've already gotten to camp for deer season and it was 10-15 degrees colder inside, than outside.
To each their own. Never liked gas heat. We had a natural gas spaceheater (vented) in our previous camp. No electric required to operate it, nor tanks to fill. But after a few days in the place during deer seasons, we all had dry sinuses and eyes. Even with a pan of water on top of it.
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Wood heat is better to dry clothes, take the chill out, and what's camp without giving the old boys something to do besides turn a knob up or down!
My cousin & her husband reciently purchased a SFL lease camp near mine. The place was tiny [450sq ft] and only contained a wood stove.
In order to get insurance they installed (2) 110v 4' baseboards...
We installed our wood stove long b/4 the old vented propane heater rusted to the point where we did not trust it. The 100# tank that was stolen still lays up in the woods 3/4ths of the way to the nearest development where it was left, must have been too much for them to carry further.
Dad considered a Mobile home oil burner until we all balked about going back to hauling Kero up to fill the tank and a friend reccomended trying the baseboards instead of going "backwards". he worked in an electric supply place and we got his discount on the baseboards.
Yeah it did start a contest to see how much the wood stove could keep the electric heat off.
One of dad's buds was a WWII vet who's feet were frost bit during the battle of the bulge. He was the best fireman! every time his feet felt a draft on the floor he would jump up and feed the stove.
These days I will light a fire to dry the place out & toast my pillows b/4 I let it burn out if it is warm enough outside. That solved the dry sinuses!
My electric service in the Poconos may be better than up in the North Central part of the state
In order to get insurance they installed (2) 110v 4' baseboards...
We installed our wood stove long b/4 the old vented propane heater rusted to the point where we did not trust it. The 100# tank that was stolen still lays up in the woods 3/4ths of the way to the nearest development where it was left, must have been too much for them to carry further.
Dad considered a Mobile home oil burner until we all balked about going back to hauling Kero up to fill the tank and a friend reccomended trying the baseboards instead of going "backwards". he worked in an electric supply place and we got his discount on the baseboards.
Yeah it did start a contest to see how much the wood stove could keep the electric heat off.
One of dad's buds was a WWII vet who's feet were frost bit during the battle of the bulge. He was the best fireman! every time his feet felt a draft on the floor he would jump up and feed the stove.
These days I will light a fire to dry the place out & toast my pillows b/4 I let it burn out if it is warm enough outside. That solved the dry sinuses!
My electric service in the Poconos may be better than up in the North Central part of the state
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Used to be a problem with outtages at camp, but it's been far more reliable in the past 8 years or so. Because Tri-County REC declared war on trees and tree limbs on their ROWs and had crews out clearing them over a long period of time.
Watched some of them work, the summer they spent near camp. Big machines that did the work of a half dozen men and left nothing behind but wood chips. Gave 'em permission to widen their ROW through part of my woods and they also flattened the brush under their wires there.
Actually had more outtages here at home last year, than they did up at camp. We lost the transformer one night for our neighborhood, couple accidents involving poles and two area-wide outtages due to equipment failure, one was for over 12 hours.
Called my cousin that lives across the valley from camp last year, when we had severe winds and were without power at home for several hours. He said their lights flickered a few times, but they never lost power like we did.
He told me I might wanta move up there?
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Watched some of them work, the summer they spent near camp. Big machines that did the work of a half dozen men and left nothing behind but wood chips. Gave 'em permission to widen their ROW through part of my woods and they also flattened the brush under their wires there.
Actually had more outtages here at home last year, than they did up at camp. We lost the transformer one night for our neighborhood, couple accidents involving poles and two area-wide outtages due to equipment failure, one was for over 12 hours.
Called my cousin that lives across the valley from camp last year, when we had severe winds and were without power at home for several hours. He said their lights flickered a few times, but they never lost power like we did.
He told me I might wanta move up there?
I agree a fireplace or woodstve is the way to go but might not be an option I still have a natural gas ventless that heats the place.I would use one or two 8 ft as secondary heat....The ventlees acts up now and then as you can read in another post....Just trying to nail down a rough cost
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8' elec. baseboard heaters (approx. 2000W each) should run around $70-$80 each, another $25 for a unit-mounted thermostat. And a 20A double pole breaker in your panel box. Generally can run 16' to 18' of heat on one 20A circuit without a problem.
Biggest item now, is the cost of the wire (12/2 romex) to supply them, since copper prices are still very high. Takes more wire if you want a wall mounted thermostat.
Biggest item now, is the cost of the wire (12/2 romex) to supply them, since copper prices are still very high. Takes more wire if you want a wall mounted thermostat.
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I have 3 1k watt heaters in my 12x20 with 1 thermostat controlling all 3. Built my cabin in 93 very efficient and no repair costs. My bill for dec. might be 40-50.00 at tops. I sure wouldnt want to full with wood for that lttle cost savings if any.
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