February 21, 2009
"Amish heater" does a good job, but don't expect any miracles

When is an electric space heater more than just an appliance? When
it's an "Amish heater."

At least that's what those spread newspaper and magazine ads and
television commercials for the "miracle" Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow
Electric Fireplace would have you believe. The marketing for this
appliance says it will help reduce your heating bills and even touts
that the heater is free. There is the small matter of the wood
surround you have to buy for about $350 to $400—which is where the
Amish apparently come in, since the heater itself is made in China.
Heat Surge itself is based in Canton, Ohio. (Check out the TV spots by
searching for "Amish heater" on YouTube.)

"Miracle heater" is certainly an attention-grabbing way to describe
what is essentially a space heater with a lightbulb-powered display of
faux burning logs. Some checking in our labs confirmed that the Roll-n-
Glow and its built-in light show are no more miraculous than other
space heaters we've tested. Some specifics:

The Roll-n-Glow functions primarily as a fan-forced convection heater
like those we've tested. Heat Surge says its heater produces "an
amazing 5,110 BTUs," but that's just another way of saying it's a
1,500-watt electric heater (it has a 750-watt setting, too), like most
we tested. And while the oak surround on the model we bought appears
well-built, some pieces are actually veneers, and we saw some nail
holes in the trim. So much for that "superior craftsmanship."

The surround also comes in cherry and black and white. The list price
on the Web site for the oak surround and heater is about $550 and for
the cherry version it's around $590. A current promotion cuts $200 off
the price, and some newspaper ads list a price that's $50 lower still.
A bookcase and a hearth and mirror are optional add-ons.

How about those lower heating bills and Heat Surge's statement that
the heater "can handle a 325 sq. ft. room for about 16 cents an hour"?
Any similarly sized electric heater will do that, provided you use it
in one room and keep others chillier—that's just basic zone heating.
Note, however, that electricity costs roughly two and a half times
more than natural gas, which is what most homes use. So any electric
heater will cost you more to provide comparable heat unless you cut
down significantly on heating elsewhere in your home.

As for performance, we found using this heater reasonably convenient,
quiet, and safe. A remote control lets you turn the heater and its
display on and off, switch the heat between low and high, and choose
from more than a dozen brightness settings for the fake flames. But
the heater lacks a thermostat, a key feature that allows you to
regulate room temperature. The metal heater cabinet and its glass
front panel did make our version somewhat front heavy. That and wheels
recessed about an inch inward from the front increase its potential to
tip forward, though a built-in tipover protection switch, found on
many heaters these days, shut it off quickly when we intentionally
tipped it in our tests. After two hours of continuous heating on high,
most of its surfaces weren't hot to the touch, and even the center air-
discharge grille above the front glass panel wasn't extremely hot. The
Heat Surge complies with nationally recognized standards for safety
and construction.

You'll find many less expensive but high-performing convection and
radiant space heaters that will do a good job in a small space. In
fact, David Baker, Heat Surge vice president, recently told The New
York Times, "If someone would come to me and say, 'I need a heater and
I want to spend as little as possible,' I would say go to a local big-
box store and buy one for $29.99. Our heater represents a fireplace
rather than just some space heater."

The Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow is not terribly overpriced compared with
other faux fireplaces on the market, which start at about $250.

Just don't look for any money-saving miracles.—Jim Nanni, Manager,
Technical Department

Essential information: As we reported in “Better Business Bureau
Complaints and ‘Amish Heaters,’” the BBB has looked into some issues
with the Roll-n-Glow. Use our advice to lower your heating bills this
winter.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/hom...ts-review.html

I wish this product could be stopped. All of the products made by
Suarez Corporation Industries (Canton, OH) use half-truth and innuendo
to sell their grossly over-priced products from heaters to
air-purifiers. Two suggestions are patently false:
(1) That their heaters are "miracles" that somehow are better than
a $15 heater you can buy at a hardware store. You can't get more than
5120 BTU's (at 1500 watts) out of a standard wall outlet whether the
product costs $15 or $400.
(2) That you can easily save money on your energy bill by using
this (or any other) electric heater, since electric heat is by far the
most expensive form. *You might* if you use "zone" heating which means
the concept of heating one room and letting the others go cool, so you
move the heater from room to room as necessary. But most people won't
want to do that, or won't know how to do it effectively. There is an
optimum "cool" temperature for the unused rooms, because if you let
them go too cold then need to use them again, the energy needed to get
them back to a comfortable level becomes huge. Add to this the factors
of room size, number of windows, degree of insulation and it all
becomes a pig in a poke.
Techies probably won't fall for this, but what really worries me
is old folks who are technically unsophisticated, on fixed incomes,
and are looking for affordable ways to stay warm.
Why the FTC hasn't gone after this company is beyond me, but I
must admit the ads are very cleverly worded to avoid out-and-out
glaring lies- they merely leave completely false impressions! It all
goes to show that the days of snake oil are not dead, and that this
country lacks an effective system to protect its citizens from scams
and fraud.








On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:58:50 -0800 (PST), Ablang
wrote:

February 21, 2009
"Amish heater" does a good job, but don't expect any miracles

When is an electric space heater more than just an appliance? When
it's an "Amish heater."

At least that's what those spread newspaper and magazine ads and
television commercials for the "miracle" Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow
Electric Fireplace would have you believe. The marketing for this
appliance says it will help reduce your heating bills and even touts
that the heater is free. There is the small matter of the wood
surround you have to buy for about $350 to $400—which is where the
Amish apparently come in, since the heater itself is made in China.
Heat Surge itself is based in Canton, Ohio. (Check out the TV spots by
searching for "Amish heater" on YouTube.)

"Miracle heater" is certainly an attention-grabbing way to describe
what is essentially a space heater with a lightbulb-powered display of
faux burning logs. Some checking in our labs confirmed that the Roll-n-
Glow and its built-in light show are no more miraculous than other
space heaters we've tested. Some specifics:

The Roll-n-Glow functions primarily as a fan-forced convection heater
like those we've tested. Heat Surge says its heater produces "an
amazing 5,110 BTUs," but that's just another way of saying it's a
1,500-watt electric heater (it has a 750-watt setting, too), like most
we tested. And while the oak surround on the model we bought appears
well-built, some pieces are actually veneers, and we saw some nail
holes in the trim. So much for that "superior craftsmanship."

The surround also comes in cherry and black and white. The list price
on the Web site for the oak surround and heater is about $550 and for
the cherry version it's around $590. A current promotion cuts $200 off
the price, and some newspaper ads list a price that's $50 lower still.
A bookcase and a hearth and mirror are optional add-ons.

How about those lower heating bills and Heat Surge's statement that
the heater "can handle a 325 sq. ft. room for about 16 cents an hour"?
Any similarly sized electric heater will do that, provided you use it
in one room and keep others chillier—that's just basic zone heating.
Note, however, that electricity costs roughly two and a half times
more than natural gas, which is what most homes use. So any electric
heater will cost you more to provide comparable heat unless you cut
down significantly on heating elsewhere in your home.

As for performance, we found using this heater reasonably convenient,
quiet, and safe. A remote control lets you turn the heater and its
display on and off, switch the heat between low and high, and choose
from more than a dozen brightness settings for the fake flames. But
the heater lacks a thermostat, a key feature that allows you to
regulate room temperature. The metal heater cabinet and its glass
front panel did make our version somewhat front heavy. That and wheels
recessed about an inch inward from the front increase its potential to
tip forward, though a built-in tipover protection switch, found on
many heaters these days, shut it off quickly when we intentionally
tipped it in our tests. After two hours of continuous heating on high,
most of its surfaces weren't hot to the touch, and even the center air-
discharge grille above the front glass panel wasn't extremely hot. The
Heat Surge complies with nationally recognized standards for safety
and construction.

You'll find many less expensive but high-performing convection and
radiant space heaters that will do a good job in a small space. In
fact, David Baker, Heat Surge vice president, recently told The New
York Times, "If someone would come to me and say, 'I need a heater and
I want to spend as little as possible,' I would say go to a local big-
box store and buy one for $29.99. Our heater represents a fireplace
rather than just some space heater."

The Heat Surge Roll-n-Glow is not terribly overpriced compared with
other faux fireplaces on the market, which start at about $250.

Just don't look for any money-saving miracles.—Jim Nanni, Manager,
Technical Department

Essential information: As we reported in “Better Business Bureau
Complaints and ‘Amish Heaters,’” the BBB has looked into some issues
with the Roll-n-Glow. Use our advice to lower your heating bills this
winter.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/hom...ts-review.html

On Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:18:26 -0500, frank1492 wrote:

I wish this product could be stopped. All of the products made by
Suarez Corporation Industries (Canton, OH) use half-truth and innuendo
to sell their grossly over-priced products from heaters to
air-purifiers. Two suggestions are patently false:
(1) That their heaters are "miracles" that somehow are better than
a $15 heater you can buy at a hardware store. You can't get more than
5120 BTU's (at 1500 watts) out of a standard wall outlet whether the
product costs $15 or $400.
(2) That you can easily save money on your energy bill by using
this (or any other) electric heater, since electric heat is by far the
most expensive form. *You might* if you use "zone" heating which means
the concept of heating one room and letting the others go cool, so you
move the heater from room to room as necessary. But most people won't
want to do that, or won't know how to do it effectively. There is an
optimum "cool" temperature for the unused rooms, because if you let
them go too cold then need to use them again, the energy needed to get
them back to a comfortable level becomes huge. Add to this the factors
of room size, number of windows, degree of insulation and it all
becomes a pig in a poke.

Not to mention possible damage from failing to heat the area, such as
condensation damage. Same goes with AC. We really didn't need AC that much,
but it kept the humidity down and kept mold and mildew from starting.

On Nov 24, 12:18*pm, frank1492 wrote:
I wish this product could be stopped. All of the products made by
Suarez Corporation Industries (Canton, OH) use half-truth and innuendo
to sell their grossly over-priced products from heaters to
air-purifiers. Two suggestions are patently false:
* *(1) That their heaters are "miracles" that somehow are better than
a $15 heater you can buy at a hardware store. You can't get more than
5120 BTU's (at 1500 watts) out of a standard wall outlet whether the
product costs $15 or $400.
* *(2) That you can easily save money on your energy bill by using
this (or any other) electric heater, since electric heat is by far the
most expensive form. *You might* if you use "zone" heating which means
the concept of heating one room and letting the others go cool, so you
move the heater from room to room as necessary. But most people won't
want to do that, or won't know how to do it effectively. There is an
optimum "cool" temperature for the unused rooms, because if you let
them go too cold then need to use them again, the energy needed to get
them back to a comfortable level becomes huge.

Oh no, here we go again. Anytime you let a room or a whole house go
to a lower temperature you are saving energy. The rate of heat loss
is proportional to the temp difference. And no, there isn't some
magical point below which it takes more energy to recover. You
always come out ahead, unless there is a difference in the cost of
recovery energy rates or fuels. An example where you could lose
would be if you had a heat pump system and in recovery mode electric
resistance heat kicks in. But if you have an oil or gas system for
example, you will save as soon as the temp drops below it's original
kick in. And the lower, the more you save.





Add to this the factors
of room size, number of windows, degree of insulation and it all
becomes a pig in a poke.
* * Techies probably won't fall for this, but what really worries me
is old folks who are technically unsophisticated, on fixed incomes,
and are looking for affordable ways to stay warm.
* * *Why the FTC hasn't gone after this company is beyond me, but I
must admit the ads are very cleverly worded to avoid out-and-out
glaring lies- they merely leave completely false impressions!

Yes, I would agree the ads are VERY misleading. IMO, More misleading
than other ads the FTC has gone after.



It all
goes to show that the days of snake oil are not dead, and that this
country lacks an effective system to protect its citizens from scams
and fraud.