Electric Space Heating Methods
– Space Heating
– Infrared Radiant Heaters
– Convection Heaters
– Fan Heaters
– Storage Heating
Lighting System Integration
– Lighting system integrated with heating and ventilation system in large office towers
– Waste heat from fluorescent lamps captured in return air of heating system
– Substantial part of annual heating energy supplied by lighting system
– Energy efficient lighting system can create electric heat source
– Avoids expenses of waste heat when using air conditioning
Heat Pumps
– Heat pump uses electrically driven compressor for refrigeration cycle
– Extracts heat energy from outdoor air, ground, or ground water
– Moves heat to space to be warmed
– Ground source heat pumps more efficient in areas with low winter temperatures
– Geothermal heat pumps can reduce energy consumption up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating
Liquid Heating
– Immersion heater has electrical resistance heating element in tube
– Heating element inserted directly into liquid or inside metal pipe
– Permanently installed heating elements in insulated hot water tank
– Electric shower and tankless heaters use immersion heater
– Minerals in water can cause scale and sediment buildup
Industrial Electric Heating
– Electric heating is widely used in industry
– Advantages of electric heating include precise temperature control, distribution of heat energy, and the ability to attain high temperatures
– Electric heating devices can be built in any required size and located anywhere within a plant
– Electric heating processes are generally clean, quiet, and have a high speed of response
– Limitations and disadvantages of electric heating in industry include higher energy costs compared to direct use of fuel and the capital cost of infrastructure required Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_heating
Electric heating is a process in which electrical energy is converted directly to heat energy. Common applications include space heating, cooking, water heating and industrial processes. An electric heater is an electrical device that converts an electric current into heat. The heating element inside every electric heater is an electrical resistor, and works on the principle of Joule heating: an electric current passing through a resistor will convert that electrical energy into heat energy. Most modern electric heating devices use nichrome wire as the active element; the heating element, depicted on the right, uses nichrome wire supported by ceramic insulators.
Alternatively, a heat pump can achieve around 150% – 600% efficiency for heating, or COP 1.5 - 6.0 Coefficient of performance, because it uses electric power only for transferring existing thermal energy. The heat pump uses an electric motor to drive a reversed refrigeration cycle, that draws heat energy from an external source such as the ground or outside air (or the interior of a refrigerator) and directs that heat into the space to be warmed (in case of a fridge, the kitchen). This makes much better use of electric energy than direct electric heating, but requires much more expensive equipment, plus plumbing. Some heating systems can be operated in reverse for air conditioning so that the interior space is cooled and even hotter air or water is discharged outside or into the ground.
