Author Topic: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?  (Read 3065 times)

redrocker

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I have a rental unit in New Orleans that needs heat for maybe 8 weeks out of the year. It's basically a bedroom and kitchen, no central heat, no natural gas connection, and tenant has been getting by with a window unit although he supplements with a little space heater sometimes.

He told me this week that his window unit isn't heating like it used to, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth getting a new window unit that has a heat option or if I should get a beefier space heater.

The window unit obviously will cost more. Cheapest one I see at the big box stores is about $400:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-8000-BTU-350-sq-ft-115-Volt-Window-Air-Condition-with-Heater/50342324

There's some space heaters in the $100-150 range that look like they could do the job, most specify ~5000BTU but the range of areas they claim to heat varies quite a bit. I'm not really sure what to make of the specs and I don't know how to compare different in units in terms of utility cost.

I'm looking for an option that keeps energy efficiency/utility bill in mind, can sufficiently heat a 300-400sqft area, and is durable enough to last at least a few years. Any recommendations?

redrocker

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Re: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?
« Reply #1 on: December 06, 2016, 05:44:19 PM »
Found some old threads regarding space heaters:
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/room-heater-recommendation/
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/space-heaters-cold-basement-in-winter/

and from one of those, a pretty good website for space heater recommendations:
http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-space-heaters/

BUT, no info on window units used for heat or how they compare to space heaters. It's interesting that under the manufacturer specifications for the window units I'm looking at, it specifically says "to be used for supplemental heat" and not as a primary heat source. A commenter on the product site at Lowe's said this:

Quote
Festus on 10/18/2015
You can tell from the current drawn on heat versus cool that it is not a heat pump. It draws 20 amps on heat and 8.3 amps on cool. (See answer regarding current drawn elsewhere in this section.) That means it uses 4600 watts maximum on heat and 1900 on cool. So, 4600 watts, is 4.6 kilowatts and running at that rate for an hour will consume 4.6 kilowatt-hours of electric power. Even at 10 cents per KWH, that works out to 46 cents per hour. At 10 hours a day, it could cost $4.60 a day and $138 a month. If it is used more, the operating cost will increase. The cost to cool would be around $57 a month for the same usage. In addition, this unit provides about 13 percent less capacity on heat than it does on cool. It is really not a good choice for heating given the high operating cost. If it used heat pump technology, the operating cost should be much lower. I suspect it uses resistance heating which is the same way portable electric heaters generate heat. So, you MIGHT be better off with three 1500 watt electric heaters - Same operating cost, increased versatility and lower initial cost.
(emphasis mine)

So, the window units with heat options aren't as efficient at heating as they are cooling. Ok, still unclear if a space heater is more efficient. That seems to be implied above.
« Last Edit: December 06, 2016, 05:45:53 PM by redrocker »

katsiki

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Re: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?
« Reply #2 on: December 06, 2016, 06:23:24 PM »
We have had good luck with this model: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Remote-Control-Ceramic-Tower-Heater-with-Digital-Display/7855541

Have had 2 for approximately 3-4 years.  No issues.

We use it to warm a bedroom.  We have central heat but this helps heat the room that is being used more than the rest of the house.

Hope this helps.

Rural

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Re: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?
« Reply #3 on: December 06, 2016, 06:52:47 PM »
There are window unit heat pumps that use a true pump for both the heat and AC; we heat our place with them when the sun isn't shining (passive solar primary heat). But you probably don't want to spend what they cost on a rental. For us it was a great deal instead of the price of a full HVAC system. Here's what we have:
   
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Amana-9-000-BTU-R-410A-Window-Heat-Pump-Air-Conditioner-with-3-5-kW-Electric-Heat-and-Remote-AH093G35AX/206140958

Phenix

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Re: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2016, 10:13:34 AM »
We have had good luck with this model: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lasko-Remote-Control-Ceramic-Tower-Heater-with-Digital-Display/7855541

Have had 2 for approximately 3-4 years.  No issues.

We use it to warm a bedroom.  We have central heat but this helps heat the room that is being used more than the rest of the house.

Hope this helps.

I can second this.  We have 2 of these in our house for a few years and have had no issues.  I love that is has a thermostat, oscillates, and doesn't wake us up at night when it turns on/off.  The only feature I wish it had was a fan setting so we could use it to circulate the air in the summer time without the heat.  I digress.
Bottom Line: Great little heater for the price.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy a few in your situation.

mrl

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Re: For heating 1-2 rooms, space heater / window unit recommendation?
« Reply #5 on: December 08, 2016, 10:57:13 PM »
I recently installed a mini-split to heat and cool a 550 square foot rental. I pay the utilities on this rental, so I wanted it to be more efficient than the window units that had been up there for years. The garage apartment is 100 years old, with single pane windows, no wall insulation, etc, and man can this thing heat and cool. It uses heat pump technology, and it can put out some serious heat. I paid about $1200 and did all the install by myself. It looks like the price has gone up to about $1400 which is still a pretty good price considering. Its in Houston, so similar heating and cooling needs to NOLA. I was surprised when I was showing it this time around at how many people commented "oh, finally, an apartment with real A/C. What I used was a Mr Cool DIY 18000 BTU unit, which required 220 service, but your space sounds smaller, so you might get by with the 12000 BTU that uses a (dedicated) 110 circuit.