Tuesday, December 3, 2013

How many btu need to heat and cool 550 sq feet apartment with Split air unit?

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Peter





Answer
Hi Peter! Typically, a 10,000 BTU heater should be sufficient to heat a 500 sq. ft room. Your mileage will vary depending on the height of your ceiling, how many walls are dividing your 550 sq. ft apartment, and how well insulated the place is. 10,000 BTU is pretty standard for most electric fireplaces and some higher-level heaters (a Honeywell space heater for $20 at Target will not heat your whole apartment, for example).

Will it cost more to heat up your house using just space heaters or just using the heating system?




mikespad78





Answer
I have had almost 30 years experience in designing and correcting heating systems for houses and commercial buildings.

You can actually save money using electric space heaters sometimes.
Here is when and how:

The first situation is if the actual cost per BTU of your heat is cheaper by electricity is less then by your other method of heat. You need to factor the efficiency into your calculation. Some areas of the country (like the northwest) actually have quite cheap electricity rates compared to oil or propane, for example. Electric heat is nearly 100 percent efficient, Gas ranges from 60 percent for older systems to slightly over 90 percent for the best new systems. Oil ranges 50 to 85 percent or so. If your main source of heat is electric then see the second situation below.

The second method is if you can close off all of your house and basically "live" in one room. Heat that room ONLY with the electric space heater to a comfortable temperature and turn down the temperature of the rest of the house as low as possible to avoid freezing the pipes. Make sure that the room that you heat with the space heater does not contain the thermostat for the main heating system or it won't have an accurate measurement.

The electric heat may be more expensive, but you aren't heating much of the house with it so your total bill will be much smaller.

Remember that all electric heat is almost 100 percent efficient, wether it is a light bulb or a fancy heater that looks like a fireplace. So there is no need to buy anything more then a basic safe heater for $20 to $30 at the hardware store or Target. Avoid the cheapest, since they aren't as dependable.

Check out this link for an excellent Fuel Cost Comparison Chart.




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