From: (X)


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
.com...
"X" wrote in message ...
I was looking through a copy of a woodworking magazine when I found an
ad for
hydro-sil electric heaters. My house has electric heat, but I don't
use it, and installed gas heat for the primary heat source. Now the
price of natural gas is going up. Has anyone bought/installed the
hydro-sil electric heaters? On their web site they claim to have an
energy-star rating with up to a 50% reduction in heating cost. I'm in
Michigan, so it's going to get very cold soon...

This used to be easy to answer when the gas was so much cheaper, but energy
is getting expensive in any form.

Electric heat is 100% efficient. Do the comparisons with the cost of
electric at the present rate per Kw versus the gas at the efficiency rating
for your heater.

1000 watts equals the same at 3412 Btu from the gas.

Any electric heater should do the same job. What makes the Hydro-sil so
much better? If it is meant to be located on the window sill line, it will
reduce drafts and perhaps make you feel a bit warmer at a given
temperature,
but a Btu is a Btu.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome


Not to sound like I'm selling product for them, but here's a link to
their website www.hydrosil.com

They say that they've got an Energy-star rating from the U.S.
government. That's usually a good sign isn't it?

Usually it's a good sign, but to give an energy star rating to an electric
baseboard is disingenious. Here's why:


The reason they say they are so much better is that thier units use
silicon to store the heat, for more even heating-

All this means is, heat is produced, and some is "stored" and released slowly.
You are NOT getting any "free heat" just more "even" heating.

and the heating
elements have a variable heat setting also.

Which is probably how they got an energy star rating, the consumer has the
ability to adjust how much energy the unit consumes while it is actually on.

You have to understand, that when heating with electric, you are going to get X
amount of BTUs *per* Y amount of electricity, and it does not matter if it's a
1200 watt ceramic plug in heater, or a 600 watt 220v standard electric
baseboard, or a 3600 watt water filled or silicone filled fancy-arse unit with
digital controls...

It'll all cost the same to haet the room from 50 to 70 degrees.


The hydrosil units cost a whole lot more than a regular electric
heating register. I've got a portable electric heater with a radiator
that operates on the same princliple as the hydrosil but it doesn't
seem to heat larger rooms.

Steve

The unit seems to address some of the cons associated with standard electric
baseboards...
-They get VERY hot, causing an oder because they get hot enough to burn off the
dust that accumuliates on them
-You can't locate drapes or furniture above, or too close to them
-They make cracking and popping noises, when all that metal goes from 60
degrees to 120 degrees in a matter of seconds - due to expansion