Look at your overall heating needs, your climate, the cost of installing and operating electric heat against the cost of replacing a gas furnace and your area's electricity rate to determine if this heating option is viable for you before you make the decision to install baseboard electric heat in your home.Įlectric baseboard heaters are available for purchase at most home improvement stores like Lowes and Home Depot and online directly from the manufacturer or another home improvement website. This will give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for heat before purchasing the home. It is wise to ask the electric company for copies of the utility bill from the previous winter if you're considering purchasing a home that has electric heat. Multiply the daily cost by the number of days in the month and you'll have your average monthly cost of heating your home with electricity during the winter months. Kilowatt hours x (your electricity company's rate per kWh) = Daily cost.Multiply the number of kilowatt hours by your electric company's rate per kWh for your daily cost of running the heater (don't forget to move the decimal two spots to the left) Kilowatts x (number of hours in a day that the unit is on) = kilowatt hours (kWh).Multiply the number of kilowatts by the number of hours per day the unit is on Appliance wattage ÷ 1000 = kilowatts (kW).The equation is as follows:ĭetermine the kilowatts of the heater by dividing its wattage by 1000 In order to come up with the daily cost of running the heater, you will need the heater's wattage that is normally found on a metal tag on the unit itself. Use the following equation to determine the cost of electric heat for your home if you have or are considering this option. These figures are based on the national average cost of electric delivery and do not include the home's other electricity usage. If the home is drafty or the region a particularly cold one, the necessary wattage could double, skyrocketing the electric bill to over $800 in heating costs. If the electric heater runs for 12 hours each day over the course of the month, the electricity costs for running the heater alone will be over $411. In most temperate climates, a 1,200 square-foot well-insulated home requires approximately 12,000 watts of electric baseboard heating power.

How to install baseboard heat