A Baseboard or Wall Heater?

Sure, there’s a lot to consider when buying an electric  heaters (like wattage, space, look, etc.) but  we are often asked if a baseboard or wall heater is right for their needs. First off, you cannot go wrong with an electric heater, its really a question of which one? 

What are baseboard and wall heaters?

A baseboard heater is a convection heater. In such heaters, cold air coming in from a window enters the heater through a vent and hot air is dispersed through metal fins that are heated through electricity. Since hot air is lighter and rises to the top and cold air is heavier and settles at the bottom of a room, a baseboard heater circulates hot air by heating the room from a lower level.  

A wall heater or fan forced heater uses a fan to disperse hot air very quickly into the room by heating up an ‘element’ which the fan uses to blow hot air into the room. Wall heaters speed up the air circulation process and, hence, will benefit from a thermostat in order to not make the room too hot too soon.

While either option is great, we know that to make the most out of your heater there are some things to keep in mind. In this article we will explore how the heaters disperse heat, there noise levels, how much space they take and how long they will last.

Heat dispersion

Wall heaters are great in rooms that you want to heat up fast. The fan helps circulate air through the room, while baseboards rely just on the natural convection process. Although all electric heat is 100 percent efficient, you can see some energy savings with a wall heater because it takes less time to heat a room.

Noise levels

All our heaters are quiet but baseboards are nearly silent because there are no moving parts. Wall heaters make a little noise when the fans are on but are quieter then the average refrigerator. To illustrate: household noises are usually at 40 decibels and the noise level of a wall heater is approximately at 50 decibels at a distance of one meter away from the heater.

Space saving

Wall heaters are more compact and use less wall space, which gives you more flexibility with furniture arrangement. For example, our Com-Pak heaters are only one inch thick and must be installed 12 inches from the floor. This can help save precious floor space, especially in smaller rooms where there never seems to be enough space.

Durability

Wall heaters usually last somewhere between 8 and 12 years. Baseboards usually last more than 20 years. Since baseboard heaters use convection heating, they do not have parts that are rapidly spinning or moving, like in the case of wall heaters. This reduces the amount of wear and tear baseboard heaters go through, resulting in a longer lifespan.

Baseboard or Wall Heater?

To help you with your decision process, here are a few of the things to consider when choosing between a baseboard and wall heater:

1. Wall heaters are great in rooms that you want to heat up fast. The fan helps circulate air through the room, while baseboards rely just on the natural convection process. Although all electric heat is 100 percent efficient, you can see some energy savings with a wall heater because it takes less time to heat a room.

2. All our heaters are quiet but baseboards are nearly silent because there are no moving parts. Wall heaters make a little noise when the fans are on but are quieter than the average refrigerator.

3. Wall heaters are more compact and use less wall space, which gives your more flexibility with furniture arrangement.

4. Wall heaters usually last somewhere between 8 and 12 years. Baseboards usually last more than 20 years.

A lot of it comes down to individual preference and needs in the particular room you are looking to heat.

A sunroom for instance, will have a lot of windows and little to no wallspace to install a wall heater. A baseboard might be the only option in that room. Small rooms like bathrooms, often don't have long stretches of free space near the floor, which would make a wall heater the logical choice. It just depends on your particular installation.

If you're still not sure which one is right, get in touch with our customer support team we would welcome helping you through the decision process.