electric furnace question

[blackdart66]

Am looking for an economical way to heat my 30 x 40 building. It is finished on the inside and well insulated. I had forced air natural gas in my last shop and loved it. Natural gas is not available where I am now. Propane does not seem like a viable option at over $3.00 per gallon. I have found a 37,000 btu electric furnace online for a touch under $500 designed for mobile homes,Questions are

1) will it heat my shop ?
2) what will I need for duct and how much should that cost
3) will it be horribly expensive to keep the building around 50 degrees.

 

[jvitez]

The devil is in the details.

What is your cost per kwh for electricity? Check out some on line heat loss calculators for an estimate of your actual heat loss. Here's an example:

http://www.mrhvac.com/free-hvac-stuff/free-heat-gain-and-loss-calculator/

What's your location? How cold does it get? All these details help.

 

[blackdart66]

I am in West Virginia........Up where Western Maryland gets very narrow, I actually work in Hagerstown, Md.

This is my first winter here and it seems mild but it has been a strange year. I am from Western Iowa so am familiar with the cold......I would guess average lows in the winter here to be in the 20's.....?

 

[jvitez]

A rule of thumb is 10 watt/sq ft of heating to heat an insulated average sealed house, as least here on the Canadian prairies which is closer to Iowa than WV in climate. As always, just a rule of thumb. I was able to heat my old house's attached garage with 9 watt/sq ft to 50 F when it was 0 to -5F, R40 ceiling R12 walls, insulated garage door, one wall attached to house. Conversion factor watt:btu is 3.413, so your heater is 10,841 watts, or 9 watts per sq ft.

Cost? No idea. Ask your power company if they have data on cost comparisons. Ours does, and electricity costs 1.86 times more to heat than heating using an 80% efficient furnace. Propane costs 3.3 times more than NG! It's all in the relatives prices.

Only with a detailed heat loss calc and knowing the degree days of your location, and how warm you want your garage can anyone calculate the overall cost you'll have.

 

[napaAl]

get a heat pump