# Econo-Heat electric panel heater



## Boris

*Product Description*
"Econo-Heat wall panel heaters offer out-of-the-way wall mounting and are an economic way of providing efficient room heating at a low cost. 
*Using natural convection technology, heat is mainly generated behind the heater in the space between the panel and the wall, which leads to an efficient up draught of heated air circulated into the room (the heated air rises at a speed of 0.7m per second!). This principle of convection means that about 90% of the heat comes from the back of the panel, while only 10% is radiated from the front of the panel. This form of background heating is extremely economical, safe and efficient.* Your Econo-Heat wall panel heater is designed as an alternative to conventional bar heaters and other forms of high output heaters that use large amounts of electricity. It operates at relatively low surface temperatures (75 - 90Â°C, dependent on the ambient temperature), and uses minimal electricity. 
There are numerous advantages to using Econo-Heat electric wall panel heaters. They save on floorspace, are safe to use around children and pets, operate at the same electricity cost of just four incandescent light bulbs and can be painted to match any dÃ©cor with PVA or emulsion type paint (do not use oil based paint). Econo-Heat wall panel heaters are designed to be left on for long periods of time, giving you comfortable background heat at a low cost. This is similar in concept to a central heating system - yet far less expensive. Econo-Heat wall panel heaters are International Safety Standards approved."

More details are posted here:
Amazon.com: Econo-Heat electric panel heater: Home & Kitchen

And according to the northerntool.com "This Econo-Heat 400 Watt Wall Panel Convection Heater lets you save up to 50% on heating costs...", but I did not find any confirmation of this statement...



Boris Romanov
www.borisromanov.com


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## TnAndy

An electric heater is an electric heater is an electric heater. 

Only way one would save 50% with it is if they finally shut the front door.

The reviews don't look that good either......7 out of 15 are one star. 

The first one I read:

*I would give this product 5 stars if all of mine hadn't cracked. I bought 3 and my coworker bought 6 and they have all cracked. The one in my bedroom started humming after it cracked, and the one in my laundry room cracked so badly that it has almost fallen apart. The econo-heat company gave me the runaround every time I contacted them, so I finally gave up. If you go to their web site, you'll find that they don't even sell this type anymore. These should be pulled off the market because they are too expensive to become useless after a year or two. 

*


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## Belfrybat

I had 4 of these and they work fairly well as long as you realise they are not a primary heat source unless you use several in a room. Two cracked the first year and the company replaced them. After 6 years and a move I have two left. They are great for supplemental heat, but won't heat an entire room unless you live in a fairly warm climate. I have one in the guest room and one in the office -- both rooms face north. Since I keep the central heat at 60, I use the one in the office when I'm sedentary, and guests used to a warmer house appreciate the one in their room. I like the fact they are on the wall and out of the way, and although they get hot, they won't burn you. 

The only savings I could see is the ability to keep the main heat lower than normal and spot heat those areas you need to. BTW, due to their convection design, they take quite a while to actually produce heat. I have the one in the office on a timer during colder weather. It comes on at 5 am so the room is warmish by 6.


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## Boris

Belfrybat said:


> ... They are great for supplemental heat, but won't heat an entire room unless you live in a fairly warm climate...


*Some notes:*
- the link that I posted above shows many different models from the different manufacturers.
- personally, I prefer to buy products with 4 star review minimum. The model Econo-Heat 0603 E-Heaterbelow (see below) is on of the best ($84 with FREE shipping!): 








More details are posted here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...IN=B005DKN20W&linkCode=as2&tag=beebehavior-20
- I like the review about this model:
"I live in BC Canada and live in an older home. I took temperature readings around the house before and after installing these heaters. I have 5 of them in 3 bedrooms and two large hallways. My old energy consumption was 7500 watts per hour for the 5 old heaters. Currently my new heaters use a total of 2000 watts per hour and far more efficient so they run less than my old heaters. That is a 73% Energy savings!!! Each of these panels use 400 watts of power (which is like running FOUR 100 watt light bulbs)

This heater is more like a "room temperature maintainer" than a heater. It's great to use in a bedroom and bathroom (up to 120 Sq feet) however remember that this heater works best to keep a room temperature at a certain temp, rather than heating a room quickly. So if you room is at a certain temp, this heater will make sure it stays at that temp. In fact it takes HOURS to heat up a room with this heater, but that's how radiant heat works. It's a slow and steady process. Once it gets to a target temp, it keeps temperatures nice and warm and comfortable rather than feeling like you are in a blast furnace. Think of a camp fire. You can warm yourself directly off the fire (like a traditional heater) or heat your feet on some fire stones around the fire for many many hours (like these heaters.

I highly suggest you buy a temperature control wall socket switch (or build one using a single pole thermostat). That's where you get the most energy savings. That's because once you hit the target temp, these heaters really do a great job kicking on for a few minutes to maintain a temp and shutting off. NOTE: even when power is cut to the panels they still generate heat for 30 to 45 minutes. This is because the panels are nothing but an electric element encased in a ceramic panel. *The element heats up the cermanic panel and that's what really heats up the room. Takes a while for these panels to cool down, so you get a heating bonus even with power is shut off.*

====TESTING========

Here's my Test numbers using the Panel heaters:

BEFORE
Bedroom at 8 pm (before heaters) : 20 degrees Celsius (or 68 F)
Bedroom at 8 am (when I get up before the heaters): 12 degrees Celsius (or 53.6 F)

AFTER
Bedroom at 8 pm (with heaters) : 20 degrees Celsius (or 68 F)
Bedroom at 8 am (when I get up): 21 degrees Celsius (or 70 F)

These numbers are consistent in all the rooms I tested. So use these panels do work.

=====IMPORTANT OBSERVATIONS======
1) When they mean 120 sq feet. They REALLY mean 120 sq feet in a well insulated room. If you have bad insulation, these heaters will do nothing. Don't even think about using these to heat an open concept large room.

2) The lower to the ground, the better these things work. The instructions suggest 3 to 6 inches off the ground and that's the best. I mounted one in the centre of the wall because of all the stuff in the room. Compared to the one's I have at the 6 inches off the ground, the performance difference is quite extreme. Almost a 60% loss in efficiency. Makes sense because these heaters send heat upwards and not forward. So it sends hot air up the wall..heating also the wall on the way up to the ceiling. The longer the stretch of wall to heat, the more effective it is.

3) These heaters do get hot but don't damage the walls. I have pets that like to sleep close to them and you can touch them by hand and not get burned...but not for long. Please don't put crap in front of the heater. That just should be obvious.

4) Painting these do help it blend into the environment of the room walls very well. You kind of forget about them unless you get near them.

5) Heaters are completely silent. No fans.

6) The heat feels different. My old heaters felt like a hair-dryer on my face when the fans kicked on. This heat is more subtle and more cozy. Feels more like being in a blanket of warm air in summer time.

===== Cons =========

1) THE SMELL!!! When you first fire these heaters up, they have a toxic smelling scent off the heaters. NO! IT'S NOT ACTUALLY TOXIC but enough to take notice and go on-line to see if this stuff is safe to breath. Turns out it's a protective coating (for shipping purposes) that needs to burn off for 8 hours to one day. After you burn it off, there is no scent at all.

2) No instant gratification. It's a hard adjustment for some people not to turn on a heater and not get blasted with heat. These heaters take some time to get used to but once you understand they are meant to stay on for long periods rather than short bursts, you sort of forget that these heaters are on.

===== CONCLUSION =====

*I would only recommend these heaters under very SPECIFIC situations* (like not freezing in your bedroom while sleeping. It does what it does incredibly well as long as you stay within those specifics situations. I have used these heaters when it was snowing and they worked great, especially with my temperature controlled wall sockets. *My energy bill has gone down by 70% from the previous year. *It maintains the temperature of the house better than any heater I have ever own...short of a Central Heating unit and those cost alot more to run than these heaters. So if you have a bedroom or a place with pets or kids where a heater can be a fire hazard (under 120 sq feet), then this heater will work great to get the chill out of a cold climate area."
From: Amazon.com: Econo-Heat 0603 E-Heater, White: Home Improvement


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## bassmaster17327

Any 400 watt heater will put out the same amount of heat as any other 400 watt heater, they just have different cases and fans. The only way they will save money is if you put one in a room and have the rest of the heat turned down


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## jwal10

Ah, but the fan, these don't have one. My Son put these in his new cabin. They are 110 volt, programable thermostat and low watt. A fan heater blows cold air, these use convection heating and do not dry the air. Nice even heat....James

Seasonal Sale


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## Jim-mi

You could make up a bank of ( 4 ) 100watt light bulbs and mount them to the wall and bingo . . .you have a fan-less convection heater . . . . . .for a lot less money......


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## jwal10

You could but they are not safe and very annoying to look at....James


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## Jim-mi

You totally missed my point................


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## blooba

These use the same concept as baseboard heaters but they are mounted to the wall. They won't save you money but are a neat design. I sure wouldn't pay too much extra for them vs baseboard or other heat sources. 

Too many people out there are making money on suckering you into thinking your saving money (edenpure..cough...cough..)

These are the equivelant to any other fanless 400 watt heater. So compare prices and only take into account the "floorsaving" design


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## Boris

blooba said:


> .... So compare prices and only take into account the *"floorsaving" design*


I support this statement.

There are three oil filled electric heaters in my house. And in my opinion for the $29 (thermostat included) this is the best type of supplemental electric heater. 
But as you can see below - this heater "eats" space. Therefore I like new design haters similar to Econo Heaters.










Boris Romanov


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## jwal10

Jim-mi said:


> You totally missed my point................


I didn't miss your point. There are trade offs with anything. Light bulbs were made for light, not the best heat source. Heatlamps work differently, but very intense. The cabin is small and space and safety are concerns. Son doesn't need a lot of heat but during the 2-3 cold spells we have, and during the day while he is at work, to keep the cabin from geting cold and having to warm it all back up. It rains a lot in the winter and gets damp without heat. Electricity is cheap. With a generator for backup for the 2-3 outages, it is clean, efficient, simple and cheap. Not best for everyone, but works well for him. His cabin was built for passive solar heat gain and has solar water and space heating systems....James


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## Esteban29304

The " radiator type " heater you already have, is a much better investment than the cheaply made wall panel heater. YES, it does take up more room , but initial cost is cheaper, quality is MUCH better, & is overall a winner. Find some fee space to use them, or just try placing them in different areas of a room . Most people put them up against a wall, but I have one that I put near the center of a room & it seems to heat better. You can also place a thick board or tile on top, & use it as a skinny end table. The tile or wood absorbs some of the heat.


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## ET1 SS

A 400 Watt heater, is a 400 Watt heater.

I have looked at specs for different heaters [long ago] and the efficiency between one and another is tiny.

Electric heat is not going to save you anything.

Current Energy Costs per kBTU [1,000btu] for:
Electricity $3.22 
Heating Oil $3.17
Propane $3.13 
Natural Gas $2.60 
Pellet Stove Fuel $2.16
Firewood $1.20
Coal $1.10

Table Comparing Current Home Heating Costs for Oil, Gas, Electricity, Firewood, coal, natural gas, propane, kerosene, heat pumps in the U.S.


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## Esteban29304

ET1 SS said:


> A 400 Watt heater, is a 400 Watt heater.
> 
> I have looked at specs for different heaters [long ago] and the efficiency between one and another is tiny.
> 
> Electric heat is not going to save you anything.
> 
> Current Energy Costs per kBTU [1,000btu] for:
> Electricity $3.22
> Heating Oil $3.17
> Propane $3.13
> Natural Gas $2.60
> Pellet Stove Fuel $2.16
> Firewood $1.20
> Coal $1.10
> 
> Table Comparing Current Home Heating Costs for Oil, Gas, Electricity, Firewood, coal, natural gas, propane, kerosene, heat pumps in the U.S.


 
This does not take into consideration the local costs of the fuels , which must be researched . Where I live, Propane is outrageous & natural gas is unavailable. I talked an old friend of mine into converting his older mobile home, without a/c, to a heat pump. His Winter heating bill dropped for $200, to $80 & that including him adding an electric stove after the conversion ! Now , he also has a/c & his Summer bill is about the same as the Winter. Propane is NOT cheap in many areas of the country.


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## Boris

ET1 SS said:


> ...Electric heat is not going to save you anything...


In my region all utility companies offer off-peak (sometimes called &#8220;time of use&#8221 billing/pricing: "Customers who use time-of-use billing have special meters installed at their homes that measure how much and when electricity is used. Customers are billed on-peak and off-peak rates for the Energy Delivery charge, and on and off-peak rates for the Market Price Charge and Market Price Adjustment. Participants will receive an annual letter that compare total charges for their usage under the Time-of-Use and standard rates.

Customers can choose from three time periods for their weekday, 
on-peak usage: 1) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 2) 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., or 3) 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The on-peak and off-peak rates are the same for all three periods. All weekends and six major holidays per year (New Year&#8217;s Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas) are considered off-peak.

For example, a resident enrolled in the Time-of-Use program using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month and shifting 60 percent of their electricity use to off-peak hours will pay the same amount under standard residential electric service and the Time-of-Use program.* Using more electricity during off-peak hours will provide savings as compared to the standard rates,* while using less than 60 percent will result in higher charges."


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## ET1 SS

Boris said:


> In my region all utility companies offer off-peak (sometimes called âtime of useâ) billing/pricing: "Customers who use time-of-use billing have special meters installed at their homes that measure how much and when electricity is used. Customers are billed on-peak and off-peak rates for the Energy Delivery charge, and on and off-peak rates for the Market Price Charge and Market Price Adjustment. Participants will receive an annual letter that compare total charges for their usage under the Time-of-Use and standard rates.
> 
> Customers can choose from three time periods for their weekday,
> on-peak usage: 1) 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 2) 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., or 3) 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The on-peak and off-peak rates are the same for all three periods. All weekends and six major holidays per year (New Yearâs Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas) are considered off-peak.
> 
> For example, a resident enrolled in the Time-of-Use program using 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month and shifting 60 percent of their electricity use to off-peak hours will pay the same amount under standard residential electric service and the Time-of-Use program.* Using more electricity during off-peak hours will provide savings as compared to the standard rates,* while using less than 60 percent will result in higher charges."


I do not think that we have anything like that up in the North East.

Our Utility Company has no such program.

Sounds interesting. Is that a feature of the 'smart metering' that we see being protested?


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## Jim-mi

Not available in my area . . . . . . . .thankgoodness . . . 

Means when I am up and about during the day time I would need to pay more to do my daily activity's ........
And if it is electric heat that I want . .well the evening and night time is when thermostats / heat is turned way back..........

The big ticket item for the power company's is all the electric stoves and water heaters kicking on in the am . . . . .then the air conditioners . . .

That program is a win win for the utility's and a hardship for the customer.............


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## Boris

Jim-mi said:


> ...That program is a win win for the utility's and a hardship for the customer.............


"Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) is the technology of converting off-peak electricity to heat and storing this low cost heat for use in satisfying comfort requirements of a home or business 24 hours a day.

An ETS system contains electric heating elements which lie within special, high-density ceramic bricks. These bricks are capable of storing vast amounts of heat for extended periods of time.

*Power is cheaper when demand is low*

Electricity is more expensive during certain times of the day when we use a lot of it due to operating dishwashers, washers and dryers, computers, blow dryers, heating and cooling systems&#8230; it&#8217;s a long list. A power company may refer to the hours when the demand for electricity and associated costs are high as on-peak hours. In the commercial and industrial market, on-peak times are when their electric consumption is at its highest point, usually during daytime hours.

Off-peak hours are the times of day or night when the power companies have excess energy supply due to low demand. In commercial and industrial applications, it is those hours when "demand free" power is available and generally when consumption within the facility is low. Some power companies offer reduced rates or substantial discounts on electricity consumed during off-peak times. These rates are called &#8220;off-peak rates.&#8221;

During hours a power company deems as off-peak, the electric elements generate the heat that will be stored in the bricks of the ETS Heating Systems. This stored heat is used to satisfy immediate heating requirements and to provide total comfort during peak hours.

*Environmentally Friendly*

Today, there is great interest for energy efficiency, conservation, and preservation of our environment. Steffes ETS Heating Systems make the most efficient use of power generation, transmission and distribution. These innovative heating products allow for full utilization of power from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Steffes ETS heating systems are your green heating solution that brings benefit to consumers, power companies and our environment." From: Save on Heating With Electric Thermal storage heating (ETS) Systems

*Residential Systems*
New Electric Thermal Storage for Home Slashes Heating Bills

Boris Romanov
www.borisromanov.com


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## Jim-mi

My ..you are good at cutting and pasting this nice pie in the sky green stuff.

Now please tell me how many have even heard of these "high-density ceramic blocks" and even more so, how many here on HT can / will use these in building a new home. . .or retrofitting an existing home.

How about something far more simpler and much cheaper . . . . .Take a barrel of water and heat it up with a water heating element and then you have a heat storage device with a good fly-wheel effect........


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## Boris

Jim-mi said:


> ...Now please tell me how many have even heard of these "high-density ceramic blocks" and even more so...


In my previous post I provided just one example to show that your statement ("_That program is a win win for the utility's and a hardship for the customer_") is incorrect once again.

The idea of Thermal Storage is not new and people use it for many centuries:




































I use the thermal storage(in form of stones and blocks) in my house since 1999, when I finished my Sauna (Banya). http://www.beebehavior.com/wood_stove_sauna.php









The Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) idea is not new either: "*These are commonplace in European homes and consist of high-density ceramic bricks heated to a high temperature with electricity, and well insulated to release heat over a number of hours*."
From: Thermal energy storage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Finally, according to the Pike Research: "the annual U.S. market for incremental Thermal energy storage (TES) capacity totals $268 million, with 246 megawatts (MW) of new capacity installed in 2011 in five market segments: packaged air conditioning, chiller TES systems, district energy, residential heat TES, and commercial heat TES. *The report forecasts that the TES market will expand at a compound annual growth rate of 13.5% through 2020, resulting in an $850 million annual domestic market and cumulative TES capacity of 4,500 MW*. Globally, TES is expected to grow substantially through 2020, with worldwide revenues of $3.6 billion and added capacity of 3,824 MW in that year."


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## Drizler

Esteban29304 said:


> The " radiator type " heater you already have, is a much better investment than the cheaply made wall panel heater. YES, it does take up more room , but initial cost is cheaper, quality is MUCH better, & is overall a winner. Find some fee space to use them, or just try placing them in different areas of a room . Most people put them up against a wall, but I have one that I put near the center of a room & it seems to heat better. You can also place a thick board or tile on top, & use it as a skinny end table. The tile or wood absorbs some of the heat.


Darned straight, these radiator type heaters are the best of the breed. I use 3 of them to heat most of the 1400sf house most of the time. They are safe, fairly small, plug in anywhere and toss as much heat as any other 110 V heater out there. Get the cheaper ones with only the dial thermostat and they will last for decades. Look at the reviews for those ceramic units. Nothing spells junk like consistant bad reviews and they are expensive :nono:to boot.


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## Jim-mi

I am having trouble under standing what the connection is between those monster thermal mass "heaters" and the OP about those cheapy 400 watt wall heaters. ?????


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## Boris

Jim-mi said:


> I am having trouble under standing ...


 - as usually...

I just wanted to deny your wrong statements - see my post #16, your posts ##18,20 and my replies (posts #19, 21)


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