# Figuring cost to run electric infrared heater



## MeLikeUmFire

Need equation help.

Heater: 
115 volts
12.6 amps
1500 watts

My electric charges:
.069 KWH supply chg
.04969 KWH Distribution chg
.002538 KWH Optimization chg

all the electric charges equal= .121228

It will probably be running for 8 hrs. I know it will not be running constantly since it is set thermostatically.



Also do they have any websites where u can calculate how much it costs to run your LP high efficiency forced air furnace, I want to know if using the electric infrared heater to just heat the upstairs(turn down the t-stat on furnace).
 at night will save me money


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## woodgeek

1500 W = 1.5 killwatts (kW) of power.

power *time = energy:   1.5 kW*8 hours = 12 killowatt.hours (kWh)

$$: 12 kWh * $0.1212/kWh = $1.45 /day.

For the other question, figure out your cost of propane/gallon and go here:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/


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## jebatty

1500 watts = 5100 btu's. One pound of seasoned stove wood has 6050 btu's available heat energy. A one pound split is pretty small.


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## schlot

I have some experience with infrared electric heaters. My fiance (now my wife) used one for the living room in our small house. The furnace is an old gravity gas furnace mounted in the center of the house. Some one put a electric fan on one side of the furnace to force air across the furnace and up through the one central vent. It helps but because of the walls it did not flow into the adjacent rooms well. 

AFter first year living with her, I install duct work from the central vent box to the adjacent rooms and install in-line fans in the ducts. The second winter we did not use the electric heater at all. It still isn't ideal and probably not as warm as with the electric space heater going but it was tolerable. The heat bills dropped an average of $60 dollars a month. The two winters were very similar in how cold the days were.

Since then we use the wood stove to supply most the heat and have decreased our bills per month further.

Just anecdotal information but electric heat is very expensive as compared to gas/lp/oil.


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## Pallet Pete

MeLikeUmFire said:
			
		

> Need equation help.
> 
> Heater:
> 115 volts
> 12.6 amps
> 1500 watts
> 
> My electric charges:
> .069 KWH supply chg
> .04969 KWH Distribution chg
> .002538 KWH Optimization chg
> 
> all the electric charges equal= .121228
> 
> It will probably be running for 8 hrs. I know it will not be running constantly since it is set thermostatically.
> 
> 
> 
> Also do they have any websites where u can calculate how much it costs to run your LP high efficiency forced air furnace, I want to know if using the electric infrared heater to just heat the upstairs(turn down the t-stat on furnace).
> at night will save me money



I see someone gave you the equations already so I will tell you my experience with them. My wife ordered a infrared heater a few years back and we use it in the back of our house as the heat from our old stove had a hard time reaching there. It was horribly expensive to run the electric jumped almost 200 dollars just for the heater that was supposed to cost pennies a day. This being said my sister in law uses 3 of them to heat a 1800 sq ft home and pays about 160 a month for a 3 which is much better ! What i am getting at is they are very good in the right circumstances however if you lack insulation or have a drafty home they can run the bill up very fast as they won't shut off. Infrared heats objects to warm the room/house up if the house is drafty it won't be able to warm the room up and will constantly run which is very expensive. 

Good luck 
Pete


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## Retired Guy

$0.18 per hour


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