ECN Forum Forums Technical Discussion Electrical Theory and Applications Electric Baseboard Heat

Is 2.0 watts per cubic foot a good general formula to calculate for baseboard heat. eg. If a room is 15ft x 15ft 8ft ceiling would one 2000 watt baseboard heater be sufficient? It has been working well for me. I was curious if anybody else used it. I believe I saw the formula in a magazine many years ago.

I use 1000w in a room that size in Oklahoma.

You need to do accurate heat loss calculations to determine how much heat you need. Too much heat is often better than too little.

I use 8-12 watts/sq.ft. depending on insulation levels.

I've always used 10 watts/sq ft.

It really depends on your area of the country.

I spoke to a HVAC Supervisor today at work. I didn't think to do that before my original post. He looked in his engineering book. He told me the formula for electric baseboard heat is: 2.03 watts per cubic foot. (Pennsylvania) Thank you for your respective inputs.