infrared heaters?

good day all. so a few months ago we moved into an all electric place. been getting #ing cold so i have been jacking the het up. gt my bill yesterday and its $330
obviously thats not happening so i am trying to figure a way to heat my # so i can bring that cost way down.

the only thing i can think of is an infrared heater like this

www.homedepot.com... ing%7cVF%7cG%7c0%7cG-VF-PLA%7c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1szP37GO2AIVEZ7ACh0cHA9TEAQYASABEgIC7vD_BwE&gclaw.ds&dclid=CMud-eGxjtgCFU90AQoday8JKA

but i dont want to waste the money. dude at work says he has 2 of these and keeps his main heater set really low with these set a bit higher and his house is comfortable and his main heat does not kick on that much.
i just need a few more opinions before i drop a couple hundred.

is this the best option?

wood burners, propane and kerosene type heaters are not an option so i guess it is basically more electric # unless there is something out there i do not know about.

i know nothing about this

edit

it says that heater heats up to 1000 sq feet. thats what i have but i dont see how that little bastard will heat this whole place

what type of heating do u have right now? a heat pump system? any heater that uses strip heating like a radiant heater or some other such heater it will be considerably less efficient then other methods. if u have a heat pump the colder it gets outside the worse they tend to run. one thing to have checked is to make sure your freon isnt low. if thats the case youll be losing a ton of efficiency and u need every bit u can get with a heat pump. one thing to check if u have a heat pump is to see if the emergency heat setting is on. if so many systems will kick on the strip heating if the system is struggling at raising the temp, or if u set it 2 degrees or more above the temp inside the house then it will automatically kick on the heat strips in some cases. this is something u want to avoid cause heat strips are very expensive to run and not very efficient

originally posted by: TheScale
what type of heating do u have right now? a heat pump system? any heater that uses strip heating like a radiant heater or some other such heater it will be considerably less efficient then other methods. if u have a heat pump the colder it gets outside the worse they tend to run. one thing to have checked is to make sure your freon isnt low. if thats the case youll be losing a ton of efficiency and u need every bit u can get with a heat pump. one thing to check if u have a heat pump is to see if the emergency heat setting is on. if so many systems will kick on the strip heating if the system is struggling at raising the temp, or if u set it 2 degrees or more above the temp inside the house then it will automatically kick on the heat strips in some cases. this is something u want to avoid cause heat strips are very expensive to run and not very efficient

i dont know man. i thought it was forced air or some #.
i have a big ass unit next to my washer. vents in the floor in every room.
whatever type that is.
i didnt think heating units took freon.
you sure about that?

a reply to: TinySickTears

Have you started with simple things to lower your heating costs? It is consider normal to leave all rooms open in the modern world and using room doors only when privacy is required. But keeping bedroom doors and other seldom used rooms closed is an easy way to reduce the load on your central unit. Of course, that also means cutting the flow of heat to that area by cutting back or closing heat vents from the central unit.

My space is about 1300 and keeping just my big bedroom door closed makes a lot of difference in the rest of the house. I opted for no central HVAC, so in the winter, I use what is called zone heating for places such as where I am now, sitting in the corner of my study with one of those oil-filled heater at my knee. They are nice for, totally quiet with an even heat. 'Can't say that I notice much of an increase for the electricity. But then, I try to remember to shut it off when I'm not working in here.

If you are working wth a smallish set up like you say (about 1000 square ft) the infrared guys do ok.

You will also want to get that annoying as hell window tape stuff that seals the edges and makes an air bubble like tent around it. It seems frivolous but makes a huge difference. Especially if only running one big heater. That little pocket of air between window and room is actually a great insulator.

Also, not sure your area in the world, but if you have a big box buyout type store (ollies is best in my area or you could try 'big lots' etc) you can get those infrared heaters at half price or better.

a reply to: seaswine

i am in ohio. big box stores all around

so plastic on the windows and one of those heaters and i should get a bill reduction?

a reply to: TinySickTears

He was writing about "heat pumps." Yes, they use a refrigerant of one sort or another. And the colder the outside temp, then harder they have to work. Many places with that type of system also had baseboard electric heaters to be used as the heat pumps loss efficiency as the outside temp drops.

To see if your unit has a heat pump, find your a/c compressor outside and see if it ever runs in winter temps. If if does, it is a heat pump. If it doesn't than it is a regular a/c and will be off for the season.

Those expencive electric heaters are a joke.
Your wall outlet is limited to a 1500 watt draw.
Meaning 15, 100 watt light bulbs.

You can not get more out than you put in.
Ceramic or infrared be damned.

Read the tech specs on the box of a $200 heater and a $20 electric heater.
Not the sales specs.

Look at output and input numbers.

Just buy the $20 electric heater.

On a side note, if you're using electric heat now, replacing it with different heaters will not change much. I would suggest insulating and a sweater.

if u do what the person said above and see if your outdoor unit is running and blowing cold air out a large fan which sucks air through an aluminum coil then u do have a heat pump. id get someone out there who will take a look at it. depending on your freon and if its low it can be relatively cheap to fix. couple hundred to a few hundred bucks. if u have r22 though it can get expensive since it is no longer produced and is being phased out.

originally posted by: TheScale
if u do what the person said above and see if your outdoor unit is running and blowing cold air out a large fan which sucks air through an aluminum coil then u do have a heat pump. id get someone out there who will take a look at it. depending on your freon and if its low it can be relatively cheap to fix. couple hundred to a few hundred bucks. if u have r22 though it can get expensive since it is no longer produced and is being phased out.

i dont have an outdoor unit. its in my mudroom next to my washer

bluntone, what do i insulate and with what?

thanks everyone

a reply to: TinySickTears

Every crack and cranny you can find. Lol
Plastic window covers.
Caulk.
Foam tape. Wal-Mart has it.

I have used a lighter to check for drafts.
Just put the flame around window and door edges.

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: TheScale
if u do what the person said above and see if your outdoor unit is running and blowing cold air out a large fan which sucks air through an aluminum coil then u do have a heat pump. id get someone out there who will take a look at it. depending on your freon and if its low it can be relatively cheap to fix. couple hundred to a few hundred bucks. if u have r22 though it can get expensive since it is no longer produced and is being phased out.

i dont have an outdoor unit. its in my mudroom next to my washer

bluntone, what do i insulate and with what?

thanks everyone

sounds like its just heat strips then which will be no better efficiency wise then other heaters like the radiant one your looking at. only difference would be that the small heater could be used in one room and u just leave the rest of the house cooler saving u some energy since the strips are most likely 3-5kw. so 3-5x the power usage of the 1000w radiant heater. if u can save up the money and you have natural gas in the area id look into getting a new gas fired furnace. if gas isnt available a heat pump is going to be the next best bet which could possibly utilize your existing air handler. or it may just be better to try and move to a home that has a better heating system aswell. i know the struggle though and not everything is an option. look around though many utilities have programs to help you out and u just pay for the loan in your utility bill monthly. can be quite cheap actually depending on the programs. also you can install window unit heat pumps. some need to have an electrical plug upgraded but others do not and they are small heatpumps and would be the cheapest way to go as long as u can seal up the window well or if your up to the task u cut a hole in the wall and mount it in there but its abit involved if your not familiar with construction.

We like oil radiator space heaters. Keeps our living room a Nice stable temp.
www.amazon.com... 1sv4akku_e

originally posted by: TinySickTears

originally posted by: TheScale
what type of heating do u have right now? a heat pump system? any heater that uses strip heating like a radiant heater or some other such heater it will be considerably less efficient then other methods. if u have a heat pump the colder it gets outside the worse they tend to run. one thing to have checked is to make sure your freon isnt low. if thats the case youll be losing a ton of efficiency and u need every bit u can get with a heat pump. one thing to check if u have a heat pump is to see if the emergency heat setting is on. if so many systems will kick on the strip heating if the system is struggling at raising the temp, or if u set it 2 degrees or more above the temp inside the house then it will automatically kick on the heat strips in some cases. this is something u want to avoid cause heat strips are very expensive to run and not very efficient

i dont know man. i thought it was forced air or some #.
i have a big ass unit next to my washer. vents in the floor in every room.
whatever type that is.
i didnt think heating units took freon.
you sure about that?

Vents in every room "sounds" like a forced air normal furnace.
Inside the door on the front "should" be information on type and model. You'll need this to google it.

You haven't mentioned electric baseboard heating. THAT # is expensive to run.

They sell the window-plastic kits at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart. Believe it or not it makes a HUGE difference. I usually buy a spare roll of the tape for it cause no one knows how long those kits were sitting an nothing sucks worse than doing the windows an two days later the tape starts failing.

Was also told that the newer high efficiency furnaces need all the returns working cause closing them off creates a back pressure over time and will ruin the unit. In a rental it's fair to say "not my problem" but it's still a bad thing.

It's been frigid here an we have the heat on 68. Once I do some more weather stripping of stuff I missed, will probably be able to drop it to 66 easy. With forced air it will feel much warmer with a vaporizer running. I got the cold steam one an sure enough it works!

When I lived in Montana I had the same issues, i resorted to buying a bunch of super good sets of thermal underwear and just wore them relentlessly. I was cheap.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
We like oil radiator space heaters. Keeps our living room a Nice stable temp.
www.amazon.com... 1sv4akku_e

nice.

i like the 1st one
debating on ordering it right now
i like the reviews

a reply to: TinySickTears

Yeah...that's not the one we got, but we've had it for like ten years.
I does take some electricity....and you have to play with the setting to see what you like best.
We have it on like 2-1/2 and either low or medium....

Also, those who mention window leaks, plastic on the windows, etc....DO IT!!!
It does make a difference.

Dress warm. Thermal underwear. Sweats. You get the idea.
Setting the thermostat at 66-68, turning it down at night.
We turn ours to about 60....and sleep better.
But a fleece blanket, and consider fleece sheets.

Call your local electric company. They often offer services to their customers to address needs such as yours. They will come in and evaluate your home for efficiency and tell you your best options.

Ask the pro's.


I assumed you own your home. Do you rent? If so, move.