On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 04:33:12 -0000, (Chris
Lewis) wrote:

According to skyf :
We're looking at buying a 1961 home in Oregon. It has electric
baseboard heat. I've heard that it's expensive and doesn't heat the
house very well. Is this true? I don't want to buy a house and then buy
a new heating system.

They heat perfectly fine, provided it was spec'd/designed properly.

For the most part, it's about the most expensive way to heat a house, but
these days with oil/gas prices going nuts, it may end up being cheaper.

[Electricity pricing is likely to be more stable than others.]
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

Traditionally, electrical resistance heating has been the most
expensive way to heat a house. Some parts of Oregon have a milder
climate than olthers. If the house was particularly well designed
and insulated, though, it may not be so bad. Right now, gas and oil
prices are high, but this also puts upward pressure on the price of
electricity. There isn't enough cheap hydro electricity to go
around.

In Oregon, utilities are required to inform prospective buyers of the
estimated costs based on previous bills. They are not required to
show you actual copies of those bills though. They will give you the
general range of the bill for winter vs. summer conditions. You give
them the address of the house you want to buy.

Beachcomber