How efficient is it for a supplemental heat source for Maine winters?
282009
we keep our furnace set at 65 for the house, we have this fireplace in the living room, it keeps the temp. right about 70. we turn it on every morning and off every night. works great. we love it.
282010
Great for ambiance and good heating for a small area. Uses a fair amount of electricity, though.
282011
we have it in a bedroom (approx. 20+ X 16) and it keeps it nice n toasty, even with several unusualsub-zero days.
282012
I believe the Duraflame would be a good supplement heat source, however I do not think it should be your only heat source. We have teens and twenty degree nights but 5o in the daytime in the winter. We do have strong wind and it seems that we must turn up the fireplace heat some when the wind is strong. However it still lowered our fuel bill even then. I hope this helps your decision.
282013
it is definitely "supplemental".we have it in our lake michigan cottage. it makes the living room cozy, but does not heat the rest of the cottage. great ambiance, tho!
282014
My mother did not use it long enough because she passed away. She was always cold and it was a God send. We used it for. Couple months in our home in PA. I didn't notice a difference but we heat with electric
282015
It's a deacent additinal heat source, but not a stand alone heat source in larger rooms such as living rooms.
282016
I live in Minnesota and use this to help heat a small basement apartment. Without it the temp is about 54 degrees, (outside temps -0) with it, the apartment heats to around 70. I am very very happy with my Duraflame!
282017
Mine is in Houston and I would say it looks prettier than it heats. Furthermore, uses a decent amount of electricity.
282018
we have it in a bedroom (approx. 20+ X 16) and it keeps it nice n toasty, even with several unusual sub-zero days.
2207665
I somewhat agree with ChrisMP. This unit can heat a large area (20X20) but not much more than that. I agree that the unit will be on all the time. It does not produce a lot of heat (hot air). It is best used to supplement your house heating system, used at a lower temp. I was using the Enerzen as a primary heater for my finished basement. On cold days (20's or below), this unit could not heat the room above 62 degrees. That's a little to cold for me. Now, on very cold days, I use the Enerzen to supplement a Vornado ATH1 that I purchased. The basement gets quite toasty. I hope this helps. I somewhat agree with ChrisMP. This unit can heat a large area (20X20) but not much more than that. I agree that the unit will be on all the time. It does not produce a lot of heat (hot air). It is best used to supplement your house heating system, used at a lower temp. I was using the Enerzen as a primary heater for my finished basement. On cold days (20's or below), this unit could not heat the room above 62 degrees. That's a little to cold for me. Now, on very cold days, I use the Enerzen to supplement a Vornado ATH1 that I purchased. The basement gets quite toasty. I hope this helps.
37410
Not even close...in general if you live in the cold countries you would beFAR FAR better off by looking at an alternate source of heat such as kerosene,Propane, wood stove, etc. and save your solar energy for everything (almost)else. To put this in perpective...I have 10 batterries for a total of aboutclose to 900 Ah, with a 9 panel total wattage of around 960w, and I wouldnot attempt this. You would need WAY WAY-more than this to be able to runYour 1000w heater (especially if you're using it at night)Why not go with an indoor kerosene or propane and have a little dc fanbehind it to circulate the air ? Unless you have a wood stove option Not even close...in general if you live in the cold countries you would beFAR FAR better off by looking at an alternate source of heat such as kerosene,Propane, wood stove, etc. and save your solar energy for everything (almost)else. To put this in perpective...I have 10 batterries for a total of aboutclose to 900 Ah, with a 9 panel total wattage of around 960w, and I wouldnot attempt this. You would need WAY WAY-more than this to be able to runYour 1000w heater (especially if you're using it at night)Why not go with an indoor kerosene or propane... » Read More Not even close...in general if you live in the cold countries you would beFAR FAR better off by looking at an alternate source of heat such as kerosene,Propane, wood stove, etc. and save your solar energy for everything (almost)else. To put this in perpective...I have 10 batterries for a total of aboutclose to 900 Ah, with a 9 panel total wattage of around 960w, and I wouldnot attempt this. You would need WAY WAY-more than this to be able to runYour 1000w heater (especially if you're using it at night)Why not go with an indoor kerosene or propane and have a little dc fanbehind it to circulate the air ? Unless you have a wood stove option « Show Less
1146803
Depends how far up in Maine you are. I lived in Ct and it kept my small room, about 650 sq ft at 68 degrees easily. The fan only stays on until the unit is cooled. Set it up automatically and don't worry about it. Nice machine
1143210
I have ours hung up but as a temporary set up I don't think it would heart. But they are a little spendy to run. I'm planning on selling the one I have. Put it in in oct in my shop need to find cheaper source of heat
2233080
It of course depends on you usage, but the one I was using as a primary heat source in a 32' camper raised the bill around 125$ a month, in Wyoming through 2 winters. The one we now use in our garage raises the bill around 50$ a month and is used 2-3 hours a day on average.
82539
Last winter it was our only heat left on in our Northern Idaho home while we would be in and out every couple weeks. We were so happy that in our 3700 sqft home, it was left on in its lowest setting and we would arrive in the winter surprised to 50 degress and secure/safe plumbing. Love it.
1800111
It is a very low cost. Electric bill barley moved up last winter. I can't give you an exact figure since that was the first winter here but my son keeps his heat at 65 and uses the duraflame day and night. His bills are about $100.00 per month. He is in a double wide trailer. Far cheaper than oil.
1804472
Yes, with some hesitation. I am in N. MI and I heat a room in an otherwise unheated building that is 12x24 with 10.5' ceilings. I only need to keep the room just above 65 to maintain the temperature of the equipment so it actually works quite well and we've already had nights down to 14 degrees this year. I assist the heater with a ceiling fan and the space is as well insulated as most homes but with a concrete floor. The thermostat feature is quite good at maintaining a consistent temperature. If you live in a place that is colder it might not work as well for you but if you're south then it should work well enough but might struggle to keep it at 75 or be on all the time as this size space really does require more BTUs. Download the manual, there is a chart in it to help you figure out your space to know how many BTUs you really need.
459486
I have two since '08. I live in NWPA. One I use only in my basement low mode, which runs 24/7 when single digits hit. One I use on my first floor constantly if I am at home in the day and definitely in the evening as an additional supplemental heat because I have no heat source in my kitchen and tends to make the whole down stairs cool. My electric bill increased last winter by approx. $35 a month, my gas bill I found before I had them ran higher without having them. Short of the long, for what I am paying in electricity I am saving in gas. Definitely a better heat. An increase if there is one is minimal enough because my gas bill drops. I would go out and replace either if they failed. I have two since '08. I live in NWPA. One I use only in my basement low mode, which runs 24/7 when single digits hit. One I use on my first floor constantly if I am at home in the day and definitely in the evening as an additional supplemental heat because I have no heat source in my kitchen and tends to make the whole down stairs cool. My electric bill increased last winter by approx. $35 a month, my gas bill I found before I had them ran higher without having them. Short of the long, for what I am paying in electricity I am saving in gas. Definitely a better heat. An increase if there is... » Read More I have two since '08. I live in NWPA. One I use only in my basement low mode, which runs 24/7 when single digits hit. One I use on my first floor constantly if I am at home in the day and definitely in the evening as an additional supplemental heat because I have no heat source in my kitchen and tends to make the whole down stairs cool. My electric bill increased last winter by approx. $35 a month, my gas bill I found before I had them ran higher without having them. Short of the long, for what I am paying in electricity I am saving in gas. Definitely a better heat. An increase if there is one is minimal enough because my gas bill drops. I would go out and replace either if they failed. « Show Less
1483489
I don't run this make/model anymore because it died after about 3 months, but I still run two others by a different manufacturer. I don't know about sole source because I don't know how cold it gets where you are, but it should definitely take the chill off. I keep my boiler at about 62-64 all season in upstate NY, as backup just in case and to heat the upstairs. I use two infrared heaters in my downstairs because that's where I mainly spend time. I put an insulated curtain up in the archway to keep the heat it in the 3 main rooms - kitchen, livingroom and office, and I'd say those are about 750-800 sq ft with 10' ceilings. I keep one infrared heater on during the day set at about 64-66 and turn the second one on after I get home from work, both up to about 72-74 (i like it toasty). It takes about an hour to bring it up to temp with 2 running. When heading to bed I'll turn one off leaving one running until morning down at about 64-66 again. They say it costs $1 a day to run, or as much as a coffee maker, and I believe that's an accurate figure. My electric bill went up about $60-$75/mo running two infrared heaters a day. I'd much rather pay $75/mo extra in electric than $600/mo in fuel oil running the boiler. I hope this helps!
1526597
Not very.... I live in New England and I use 1 to supplement baseboard heat to poor results.... I'm going to add a zone to my hot water system...
417545
We have ours in southern Pennsylvania and let it run non stop all winter long. Some of the winter we had our pond heater plugged in but for most (and -20 windchill nights) we went without the heater. It's solidly built so you should be fine if you just let it run
1374539
Hello, I agree with the other folks that have provided answers. The electrical demand, taken from the spec sheet are Normal,42 watts, Standby 2 watts, and the Anti frost protection, 146 watts. This is fairly small load and could easily be taken care of with an inverter/ marine battery set up. A generator could be utilized also.
579198
Works great in California. 110 heat is no prob but this will be my first winter coming up. If it's covered from rain and built into one of the house walls I would give it a shot.
495527
I use this as a supplemental heat in my elderly mother's room. I was pleased to note that it heats up the rest of my home as well. I am pleased with how well the heat radiates out of her room and distributes throughout the rest of my home.
202486
Yes. The cabinet is always cool to the touch. Very good source of supplemental heat. I ran two last winter, sometimes around the clock, with no problems.