[VAC] Re: Heater, safe and reliable

["Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <geraldj@xxxxxxxx>]

Electric heating IS locally energy efficient. Not necessarily COST
efficient. Not necessarily energy efficient figuring the fuel required
at the power plant compared to burning that fuel locally for heat.

Electric heat tends to cost about $4 per 100,000 BTU. (3412 BTU / kwh,
14 cents per kwh).

In a perfect combustor, 1 gallon of propane has 96,000 BTU. Vintage
furnaces probably are under 50% efficiency, though there's a chance that
catalytic heaters without vents may be close to 100% efficient. At home
I've paid from 54 cents to $1.25 per gallon for propane in the past
couple years.

On the road, campgrounds tend to not charge anywhere near as low as 14
cents per KWH, nor to meter electric consumption. When they charge extra
for electric heat, they charge plenty to cover their costs of
electricity and service equipment. They probably are paying a minimum
electric bill for a substantial electric service year round (and at
least in this territory) with no users half the year. I know that's the
case in a Story County Iowa campground that I designed new service for
last year.

Also whether at home or one the road, one tends to pay upwards of $2.00
a gallon for fills of RV sized tanks of propane. Which clouds the
economics.

Except for the recent dramatic rises in propane (and natural gas)
prices, those gaseous fuels have had a long history of being more cost
effective than electric heat. And even today, natural gas costs tend to
be lower than one half the price of propane. Natural gas, propane, and
electricity costs do vary considerably with location in the USA. However
electric rates have not risen as fast as these gas fuel prices, except
maybe in California where electric rates have been artificially
depressed by faulty regulation.

Liquid petroleum fuels have a far greater energy density than electric
energy stored in a battery. That is what makes it so hard to build a
competitive electric car.

Having been treated to CO by faulty propane appliances in the past at
home, I'm somewhat reluctant to depend on propane combustion for heat
whether at home or away.

Gerald J.