Q. I’ve seen TV ads for portable electric space heaters that lower your heating bills because they use an infrared quartz lamp. It sounds too good to be true. Can you tell me the facts?
A. Glad to. A portable heater of any kind can conserve energy under certain conditions, but it doesn’t necessary lower your energy bills. You see, a portable heater can save central-heating fuel (for your furnace or boiler) when you use the portable heater only in the room you occupy and you keep your central heating system thermostat low so that the rest of the house stays cool. However, the cost of staying warm with a portable electric heater can be as much or more than the savings from keeping the majority of your house cool. This is because electricity is typically more expensive than fossil fuels (gas, oil, propane). Also, keep in mind that heating your entire home does more than keep you comfortable; it helps prevent frozen pipes.
How do infrared-quartz lamp heaters compare to other portable electric space heaters? Well, all electric heaters deliver the same amount of heat per dollar spent. What makes infrared-quartz lamp heaters different from some (but not all) heaters is the way they deliver heat. These heaters give off radiant heat. This means that they warm objects rather than air. When you’re within range of a radiant heater, you feel warm. Conversely, a convection heater (such as a furnace or boiler system or a non-radiant portable heater) warms the air, which means you don’t need to stay near the heater to be warm.
If you’re finding the need for supplemental heat, your house may have larger efficiency issues. It may be more cost-effective to pay to fix the causes of those issues once rather than to pay every winter to overcome the symptom (a cold house). A Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor is specially trained and certified to do a home energy audit, find the causes of cold rooms, and make recommendations about improvements that will make the house warmer and will lower your heating costs by up to 30% for years to come. Efficiency Vermont offers rebates of up to $2,500 toward the cost of home improvements that have been completed by one of these contractors. You can learn more about these rebates and find a list of Vermont contractors at www.EfficiencyVermont.com. Low-income Vermonters can get similar services for free at www.helpforvt.org.
Li Ling for The Home Team