110 Volt Portable VS 220 V baseboard

They will both give exactly the same power output of 1500Watts.

The current will be different as will the resistance of the heating elements, but if they are rated at 1500 Watts they will both consume the same amount of power and produce the same heating effect, as well as costing the same to run.

Assuming you use them at their correct rated voltage.

John.

I come up with the 120 htr drawing 12.5 amps, compared to the 220 drawing 6.8 amps.

I assume that the 220 Volt baseboard heater may give more heat (because of size or efficiency ??) within that time period but still cost the same.

If they are accurately rated (both 1500 watts) then the amount of heat produced will be identical. Electrical heaters are 100 percent efficient, so it doesn't matter whether the heater is big, small, oil-filled, red green or blue... all the energy input goes off as heat. Even if the heater has a fan, it is still 100% efficient: the fan stirs the air, adding to its heat, and any inefficiency in the motor goes off as heat, too.

heating effect will be same for identical condition of both application but for higher voltage, current will be less and for lower voltage, current will be more, so you have to select your feeder and protection device accordingly hence your installation cost will be vary. can any body put light from safety point of view in this 110 v, 13.6 A and 220 v, 6.8 A system.

thanks

can any body put light from safety point of view in this 110 v, 13.6 A and 220 v, 6.8 A system.

A good question. It is easier to obtain the conditions for electrocution with 220 volts, I'd say. In the US, people are most commonly electrocuted by 120 V, but that is largely because the exposure rates are so much higher than for 480V (commonly used in industry) or 220 (used for large hardwired appliances, and clothes dryers, etc., which use a much larger plug and cord that is rarely touched). In the US, 50V is considered generally non-lethal by OSHA (although it is possible to become electrocuted at lower voltages -- all that is required is a few milliamps (especially passing through the chest area).

I wonder what the electrocution rates are in the US (120 volts being standard for plug-in appliances and lighting) and in Europe (where 220 or so is used for the same purposes.)

One ampere represents the rate of 1 coulomb of charge per second.

1500/110=13.63amp or coulombs per sec to operate

1500/220=6.81 amp or coulomb per sec to operate(cheaper)

1500/220=6.81 amp or coulomb per sec to operate(cheaper)

I'm not aware of any country in which electricity is sold by the amp. Do you live in one? Ordinarily, electricity is sold by the kilowatt hour in North America, and megajoule in many other places. Either one is a measure of energy (power x time) whereas an amp is not. (A joule is a watt second, so 3600 watt seconds = a watt hour. 3.6 megajoules = 1 kWh)

More info here.

you are right, it is KWH which is sold in our Asian country also, I think he want to say production and transportation cost but i am not sure, better he should enlightened his point of view.

thanks

Duh!

I think I get it. 1500 is 1500. It's the different resistance in the elements.

I've found the question I'm looking for an answer to. I've registered and logged in. I'm also asking as a guest. But can't seem to get an answer to the question Fred asked. I assume somewhere an answer is hidden. Why it's hidden away, I don't know. I give up.

Electroman's answer at post Number 2 is concise and correct.

Most of the other answers elaborate in one way or another. For example, although the answer in post #1 is generally correct, one would never plug in a 220 volt heater into a 110 volt outlet.

I assume Fred's original question had to do with whether it is better (more efficient) to use (hardwired) baseboard heaters or portable plug-in heaters. The answer is that they are exactly the same: 1500 watts is 1500 watts. The ads that suggest that an oil-filled heater (etc.) is more efficient than any other electric heater are simply wrong -- there is no difference: all electric heaters are 100% efficient.

There is another answer that gets a little esoteric: Baseboard heaters tend to be mounted on outside walls: thus some of their heat is conducted through the wall to outside. They are mounted on outside walls not for efficiency but for comfort reasons. If you work near an inside wall (as I do in my office) then a small portable heater can keep the area around your desk warm enough for comfort, without making the entire room warm enough for comfort at every spot. This is more efficient than using a baseboard heater on the other side of my office, because I am keeping a smaller area warm, and by keeping the outer walls cooler, I am loosing less heat to the outside.

But ignoring position differences, 1500 watts is 1500 watts, the voltage does not matter.

"one would never plug in a 220 volt heater into a 110 volt outlet."

why not?

If I need just the 1/4 of the heating power it will cost me 1/4 of the price to run. I use a 2000 w baseboard heater on 110 to get 500 w because 1) I already have the heater 2) I dont want to run a 220 wire and 3) I only need 500 w to heat a little space.

Good reply. It reminds me to never say never. Actually, I was thinking pragmatically. In the US, the plugs used for 110 and 220 are very different.

The only other issue of possible concern is the "watt density" of the heating element. In the portable heater, the heating element is generally smaller than in the baseboard heater, So for the same amount of watt output, the smaller physical size means the heating elements themselves are going to be much hotter on their surface, probably red hot. This could be slightly more susceptible to ignition of things that might come in contact with it.

Is there any efficiency difference in the wiring that supports a 220 volt outlet vs. a 110 volt outlet? I'm guessing there's a small one at least since the ratio of resistivity of the appliance to the wiring is higher (assuming they consume the same wattage.) But I'm not sure about my math there... maybe I'm on the wrong track.

Anyway, this might be a reason that a 220 volt heater is (slightly) more efficient than a 110 volt heater. In the latter case you put more electricity into heating outside wiring and transformers and stuff. (?)