Electric Baseboard Heat: Fast Fixes for Cold Spaces
In addition to being the quickest, most cost-effective way to expand whole-house heating, electric baseboard heaters are also the ideal solution for new additions, renovated rooms and challenging spaces.
Electric baseboard heaters
Can be installed as single units or used to expand an existing system.
Are very affordable.
Don’t require ductwork.
Can be controlled individually or used to create heating zones.
Are attached to the lower wall or baseboard so there’s no need for major renovations.
Are self-contained so there’s no need for a new or replacement furnace.
Are powered by electricity so additional fuel sources such as gas, propane or heating fuel aren’t necessary.
With these factors in mind, let’s look at a few situations where this type of heating can be especially useful.
Existing Homes
Electric baseboard heaters are an excellent retrofit solution for existing homes both old and new. There’s no need to find a way to install ductwork in tight spaces or risk damaging walls by cutting vent openings. Many homes today feature large, open family or multipurpose rooms with high ceilings. As attractive as these spaces can be, they’re especially challenging to heat. Installing a few baseboard heaters in select locations will significantly increase your comfort level without the need for radical changes to the space, your furnace or both.
Additions & Renovations
Electric baseboard heaters are also well-suited to new construction or unheated areas that have been renovated to increase living or working space, so you can get the heat you need in unheated or under-heated areas without the risk of over-taxing or replacing your existing furnace. While baseboard heaters work in almost any setting, some of the most common installations include:
Attics and gabled spaces.
Basements and lower-level walkout rooms.
Bathrooms, powder rooms, laundry rooms and kitchens.
Eating nooks and bumpouts that often suffer from cold floors, particularly in older homes.
Enclosed patios, porches, sunrooms and similar three-season spaces.
Garages both attached and unattached.
Separate structures that function as home offices, workshops, studios, potting sheds and storage areas.
Challenging Spaces
Electric baseboard heaters come with different heat outputs in a range of sizes that can be scaled to the room available, so they’re the ideal solution for challenging spaces. Toe-kick heaters, for example, are a modified form of baseboard heater. Specifically designed to replace the toe-kick, they can be installed under existing cabinets as an effective, space-saving way to warm a compact bathroom, powder room, kitchen, laundry room or any room with installed cabinetry.