I'm working on finishing our basement which does not have any duct work to tie into for heating, so we're planning on using electric baseboard heaters.
How do I calculate the needed size of heater for each room?
Basement – How to calculate the size of electric baseboard heater needed
basementheating
Related Solutions
You should consider a few conditions when deciding what is the most efficient (often cheapest) method for heating your home.
The Department of Energy site has some good resources about regional heating fuel costs.
Their heating fuel comparison calculator is a useful example: http://www.eia.doe.gov/ask/conversionequivalents_faqs.asp#compare_heating_fuels
Consider installation costs as well as operating costs. There are obviously some pretty efficient heating techniques (geothermal and solar) that unfortunately, still have extremely high installation costs. This often makes their installation untenable.
While I have not ben able to find an example of a hardwired baseboard electric heater failing in this manner on a quick search of the web, here's a story about a freestanding but otherwise similar unit making lots of soot. The only way I can envision an electric baseboard making as much soot as you have described (short of filling it with flammables) is if it were both oil-filled, and had failed.
Related Topic
- Replacing a Honeywell Thermostat with a remote thermostat
- Wiring – Removing old thermostat when replacing electric baseboard heaters
- Basement – Sizing Electric Baseboard Heat (Supplemental)
- Best Way to Heat a Ductless Multi-Level Home
- Electrical – Replace forced air heater with electric radiant floors
- Deactivate Baseboard Heaters – How to Do It on an Active Circuit
- Heating – Efficient Whole House Heating on a Budget
Best Answer
There are all sorts of elaborate calculations that you can make to determine the total wattage that you need. These take into account where you live, insulation, room volume, number of people, etc.
The quick and dirty rule of thumb many electricians use is 10 watts per square foot. So if your basement is 1200 sq. ft., you will need 12,000 watts of baseboard heaters. When wired for 240-volt operation, a baseboard heater puts out 250 watts per foot. So a 6-foot long heater, for example, will give you 1500 watts.
Figure out the area (square footage) of each basement room, then multiply by 10 to determine the wattage you will need. Next, figure out how you want to layout out the heaters. They come in increments of 2-feet, from 2-feet long to 8-feet long. If you have any windows, the heaters should be placed underneath them.
Last, decide how you want to control the heaters. Baseboard electric heaters can have individual thermostats installed in the end of each unit or can be controlled by a wall thermostat. However, if you go with an in-line wall thermostat, you will be limited to a maximum of about 3840 watts (about 16 amps at 240 volts). This might work fine if you have two or three small rooms.