Electric heating can be defined as an electrical appliance that converts electrical energy into heat. The one thing that drives me crazy is that I see some electric heaters advertised as 20% more efficient than another electric heater. The bottom line in all of this is that the amount of BTU's that can be produced from a kilowatt of electric is defined by the laws of physics.
Take any kilowatt of electric and convert it to heat and you get 3415 Btu per Kw. This fact cannot be altered or changed. So for anyone to make claims of their electric heater being more efficient than the next guy's is totally false.
There are different ways to deliver the heat and the may make some difference in the way you feel from the heat being delivered. Electric heaters that use infra-red technology may make you feel warmer without actually heating the air surrounding you. Heaters that use oil to hold or ceramic to hold the heat may radiate heat even when the element is not on making you feel warm even though the element is not producing more heat. So there are different popular methods to heat, but the bottom line is that the amount of BTU's produced by each on an equal basis will be 3415 BTU's per KW.
The exception to this is the modern heat pump. A heat pump is an appliance that uses an electrically-driven compressor to power a refrigeration cycle that extracts heat energy from the outdoor air or from the ground or ground water. The heat is then transferred to the space being heated. Heat pumps can be many times more efficient than electric resistance heating.
Another way to save a bit is a storage heating system that takes advantage of cheaper electricity prices. You use electric during low demand periods such as overnight to build up heat in a storage stone or water. This heat is then extracted from the stone or water during the day when the electric costs more.
When considering electric heating always remember that a fossil-fuelled power plant may only deliver 4 units of electrical energy for every 10 units of fuel energy released. Even when you use a 100% efficient electric heater, the amount of fuel needed to make the amount of heat needed, is more than if the fuel was burned in a furnace or boiler at the building being heated. The amount of electric that is lost by substation transformers and transmission lines is almost 2/3 thirds of what was initially produced at the power plant.
Electric heating can be good in some cases, but in many situations it is not a responsible use of our resources. Also, do not believe the claims that one electric resistance heater is more efficient than any other. One kilowatt of electricity will always convert to 3415 BTU's of heat.
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