Month: September 2016

Amish Heaters: A Comprehensive Guide to Energy Efficiency

  By ,
Amish heater

Introduction

Amish heaters have been compared to space heaters due to their similar functionality. They’ve gained attention for their claims of drastically reducing power bills. A television commercial even featured a customer whose gas bill dropped significantly after using an Amish heater, leading to a gas company inspection of his meter. This anecdote has sparked curiosity and raised questions about the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of Amish heaters.

Understanding Amish Heaters

Amish heaters are marketed as innovative products leveraging advanced technology. They claim to consume power equivalent to a coffee maker. While this is partially true – an Amish heater does use about 1500 watts when operational, similar to a coffee maker – it’s important to note that the heater will run for a longer duration to heat your home compared to the time your coffee maker takes to brew your morning cup of joe.

Energy Consumption of Amish Heaters

As previously discussed, 1500 watts is equal to 1.5 kW, and over an hour, it amounts to 1.5 kWh. Considering an average cost of $0.10 per kWh, the heater costs about $0.15 per hour to operate.

Impact on Your Gas Bill

The impact of an Amish heater on your gas bill depends on various factors. If you plan to use Amish heaters to heat your entire home, thereby turning off your gas furnace, then yes, the Amish heater can potentially lower your gas bill. However, if you’re heating only one room while leaving your furnace on for the rest of the house, the decrease in your gas bill might not be substantial.

Impact on Your Power Bill

Most likely, your power bill will increase if you are trying to heat your entire home with an Amish heater. Given the current natural gas prices, it’s cheaper to heat with gas than electricity. Therefore, if you’re thinking of buying an Amish heater to save on overall heating costs, you might want to reconsider. Even if you have an electric furnace or a heat pump, it’s unlikely that an Amish heater will lower your power bills, as it’s essentially a space heater with an electric fireplace attached.

How to Save on Your Power Bill with an Amish Heater

You can save on your power bill with an Amish heater, but it requires careful usage. Monitor how long it runs each day, heat only the room you’re in, and keep the door closed. Using the thermostat on the unit to maintain a constant room temperature can also help optimize its efficiency.

If you’re interested in buying an Amish heater for its aesthetic appeal, we encourage you to find a model that best suits your style and heating needs. Remember, informed decisions lead to smart purchases!

For more information on energy efficiency and cost savings, check out our other articles on Electric Meter Reading and Understanding Your Utility Bill.

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Space Heater?

  By ,

An infographic-style image depicting an electric space heater in a cozy room with labeled features such as '1200-2000 watts,' 'Cost: $0.15 - $0.26 per hour,' and safety tips like 'Keep flammable objects away,' 'Use a sturdy outlet,' and 'Automatic shut-off.' The room is warm and inviting, showing a person using the heater responsibly while sitting in a small, tidy space. Include icons for energy efficiency and safety, with a clean and modern design.

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Space Heater?

Electric space heaters are a popular option for heating small spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms, or even additions to homes. They are also used as a backup heating source during emergencies, such as when central HVAC systems or furnaces fail. However, many people wonder, “How much does it cost to run a space heater?” and “Are they an efficient choice for heating?” This guide will break down the costs, energy usage, and safety precautions associated with electric space heaters to help you decide if they’re the right option for your needs.

The Cost of Running a Space Heater

The operating cost of a space heater depends on its wattage and how long you use it. Most electric space heaters use between 1,200 and 2,000 watts of power. Here’s a breakdown:

  • 1200-watt heater: Consumes 1.2 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per hour, costing approximately $0.15/hour at an average electricity rate of $0.13 per kWh.
  • 2000-watt heater: Consumes 2.0 kWh per hour, costing approximately $0.26/hour.

If you run a 1,200-watt heater for 8 hours a day, your monthly cost would be:

  • $0.15/hour × 8 hours/day × 30 days = $36 per month.

For households using multiple heaters in several rooms, these costs can add up quickly. For example, running five heaters for 8 hours daily could cost $180 or more per month.

How Many Watts Do Space Heaters Use?

Understanding wattage is crucial to estimate costs and ensure your home’s electrical system can handle the load. Most space heaters range from 750 watts (low setting) to 2,000 watts (high setting). You can find this information on the product label or user manual. Multiply the wattage by the number of hours used and your electricity rate to calculate the total cost.

Benefits of Electric Space Heaters

  1. Affordable Initial Cost: Electric space heaters are budget-friendly, with prices starting as low as $15. This makes them a great option for emergencies or temporary heating needs.
  2. Portability: These heaters are lightweight and easy to move, making them ideal for heating specific rooms or taking on trips to cabins.
  3. Effective Heating: Modern space heaters provide efficient warmth, often equipped with built-in fans to circulate air evenly.

Drawbacks of Electric Space Heaters

  1. High Operating Costs: As highlighted above, running space heaters for extended periods can be expensive, especially if you’re using multiple units.
  2. Safety Concerns: Space heaters are a common cause of house fires. Even newer models with tip-over and overheat protection require careful use.

Space Heater Safety Tips

To minimize risks, follow these safety precautions:

  • Keep Combustibles Away: Maintain a safe distance between the heater and flammable materials like paper, clothes, or curtains.
  • Inspect Outlets: Plug heaters into sturdy, well-maintained outlets to avoid overheating. Avoid using extension cords or power strips.
  • Automatic Shut-Off: Choose models with safety features like tip-over and overheat shut-offs.
  • Supervise Use: Never leave children unattended around space heaters and turn them off when leaving the room or going to bed.
  • Thermostat: Look for units with thermostats. These types of units will turn off once the space gets to the desired temperature instead of constantly running.

Alternatives to Space Heaters

If you’re looking for a more permanent and energy-efficient solution, consider other heating options:

These options may have a higher upfront cost but often save money in the long run compared to the ongoing expense of space heaters.

Final Thoughts

Electric space heaters can be an effective short-term solution for heating small areas, but their high operating costs and safety risks make them less ideal for long-term use. Always consider energy usage, follow safety guidelines, and explore alternative heating solutions if you need a more sustainable option.

For more energy-saving tips and detailed guides, visit LearnMetering.com.





728x90

Baseboard Heaters

  By ,

728x90




Electric baseboard heaters can provide an excellent way to keep you warm during those freezing cold months when you are longing for spring. They also offer many advantages to homeowners as well as investment property owners. However, be advised that along with the advantages that electric baseboard heaters provide there are also some disadvantages that you should be aware of as well. First, we’ll try to answer what are electric baseboard heaters and how do they work? Then we’ll see if we can answer the question, how much electricity does a baseboard heater use.

Electric baseboard heaters are one type of electric resistance heater that is installed on the wall along the floor. They have metal fins inside that heat the air as the air moves past the metal fins. As the cool air falls and goes through the metal fins, the cool air is heated and rises and this is how the room is heated. Electric baseboard heaters are normally installed beneath window both to take advantage of any falling cool air from the window and because windows are located on outside walls where heat may be lost due to low or no insulation.

Electric baseboard heaters can be cheap to install because they do not require any ducts to be used like in a central HVAC system. This keeps costs to a minimum when building an edition that would be difficult to heat or when remodeling an investment property. Electric baseboard heaters can also be a good option if you live in a climate that does not see very many cold days. They can be a good option versus installing a heat pump.

Electric baseboard heaters allow you to heat different areas of your home or office independently of one another. This can be advantageous for those who live in families or work in offices where one person is cold all of the time and the other person is always freezing. This can also be advantageous if you live in a large home and only want or need to heat your bedroom at night and do not want to pay to heat the entire home. For example, you could set your main thermostat on 65 degrees and in your bedroom have a baseboard heater set to 70 degrees. This way you can be warm in your bedroom at night.








For all of the advantages that electric baseboard heaters provide there are also disadvantages as well. The main disadvantage being electricity usage. Many people ask how much electricity electric baseboard heaters use. Do baseboard heaters use a lot of electricity? Typically electric baseboard heaters consume about 250 watts per foot. This means that if you have a 6 foot electric baseboard heater installed in your bedroom that it would consume about 1500 watts (250 watts per foot x 6 feet). Many people will tell you that baseboard heaters are efficient. And in regard to the amount of electricity that is turned into heat they would be correct. Because they are resistance type heaters they convert nearly 100% of the electricity into heat. However, do not be fooled. Heat pumps are more effective at keeping your power bill low than electric baseboard heaters are.

How much electricity does a baseboard heater use? Let’s do an example of how much a small home with only electric baseboard heaters could cost. For the example let’s say that the house if 1,000 square feet with 3 rooms and one bathroom. Each room has one 6 foot baseboard heater, the bathroom has a 2 foot heater and the living has two 6 foot heaters. So we have 5, 6 foot heaters and one 2 foot heater for a total of 32 feet of baseboard heaters. Remember from before that the average watts per foot is 250 watts. So 32 x 250 = 8,000 watts. So for every hour that the baseboard heater is on you will use 8,000 watts of power. Now let’s say that they run for 8 hours per day for 30 days. 8 hours x 8,000 watts x 30 days = 1,920,000 watthours. If we divide that by 1,000 we get the kilowatt hours which is what you are billed on and that equals 1,920 kilowatt hours. Now if we multiply that times say $0.10 we get $192.00 just to run your baseboard heaters to heat your home.

So, the biggest disadvantage is the usage of the electric baseboard heaters. Do they put off good heat? Yes. Are the cheap and easy to install? Yes. Are they expensive to run? Yes. There is one alternative and it is the electric hydronic baseboard heater. They use a liquid inside that is heated and radiates the heat in the room longer than the metal fins do. This means that they may run less often than regular electric baseboard heaters. But be aware that they also use the same wattage when they are running.

If you want to know more about baseboard heaters, check out How Baseboard Heaters Work.




728x90

The Meter Technician Profession

  By ,





So you are thinking about getting into a career in the electric utility industry and you are not really sure what you want to do. There are several career paths that you could choose. A few are power lineman, or engineer, or even maintenance mechanic. What I want to persuade you to do is to think about becoming an electric Meter Technicians.

The electric meter technician is possibly a job that you have never even heard of. In addition, you may have never given any thought to becoming one. So what does and electric meter technician do?

Well, contrary to popular belief, metering technicians do more than just read watthour meters. We are not just “meter maids” as some lineman would have you think. Electric meter technicians do read electric watthour meters. But we meter techs also do much more than that.

To be an electric meter technician one should have, or be able to develop, a strong electrical background. Furthermore, you will want to have graduated high school. In addition, if possible, have taken some college courses in electrical theory. It would be even better if you could get an associate’s degree in electrical technology. This education will be helpful in understanding how watthour meters work and in understanding some of the more technical things like phasors. It will also help in understanding how the entire electric utility works as a whole.

Electric meter technicians test watthour electric meters either in the shop with test equipment or in the field with watthour meter test equipment. They also check residential, commercial and industrial metering installations for proper wiring and metering accuracy. There are field meter technicians who specialize in some of these areas. Some meter technicians only deal with residential metering installations and customers. Others deal only with commercial and industrial customers. While others may only stay in the shop and test watthour meters.

The ideal electric meter technician will be able to work outside all day. Outside the field meter technician will do things such as change out electric meters, check on high bill complaints, low consumption or stopped meter orders. Meter techs will also work outside installing new metering equipment on instrument rated metering applications.

The electric meter technician will also be called upon to explain billing to customers and have experience dealing with the public.







Many times customers do not understand their bill and the meter technician is usually the last person the customer will talk to. The customer has normally already called in and talked to someone on the phone. They were not satisfied over the phone and now want to talk with someone in person. The meter technician is that someone. Because of this the meter tech will need to have strong interpersonal skills to be able to answer the customer’s questions. In addition they will also need to be as professional as possible. You do not want to go out a customer’s residence or business dressed like a slob. That ruins your credibility right away.

Electric meter technicians will also need to be able to perform above basic tasks on the computer. Part of the job requires the meter technician to be able to program watthour meters, download information from the meters, create new programs for the meters as well as run reports out of the billing system to find out if there are any errors. You will need to have an eye for detail. Many times you will be looking for something that stands out as unusual. Being able to determine from that information if there is a problem that needs to be checked and repaired is crucial.

An ability to do algebra also comes in handy as well. Electric meter technicians also use many formulas to complete their work. If current transformers and potential transformers need to be installed you will need to know how to calculate the meter multiplier. Also, you will need to know how to size the current transformers to the service to be metered. Another thing that you will need to be able to do is calculate and electric bill with demand. Many times customers will not understand demand. So it will be up to you to explain it to them in a way they can understand. There will be times that you will need to explain the math to the customer so that they understand what is going on.

Being a meter technician is a highly rewarding career. Notice that I said career and not job. The electric meter technician is a specialized field and most who are in the field work until retirement. Which also means that there are not a ton of jobs available. So when you get one, keep it! Also worth noting is that it will typically take between 5-7 years to become fully proficient as a meter technician. But even then you will constantly be learning new technology.

So, with that I hope that you give the electric meter technician career a chance. If you are looking for a book to read to help get you interested in the electrical field check out our review on Edison and The Electric Chair.