Re: Dilbert: Company policy against space heaters


"Default User" <defaultuserbr@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:49l9sdFouethU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blinky the Wonder Wombat wrote:


Default User wrote:

There are no losses in converting electricity to heat in a space
heater. As to the relative cost (not efficiency) of electricity
versus combustive methods, that's true in most cases.

There is always losses when converting from one energy form to another
(see: entropy).

What? Where did it go? You seem to not be familiar with the concept of
"conservation of energy".

Plus, as I mention in repsonse to Peter trei, some of
the energy is converted no to heat but to light energy (technically
electromagnetic radiation).

Not in the space heater I have, which has an enclosure to isolate the
heating element. You can run that in a dark room and see no emanations.
Besides, even for ones that do produce in the visible spectrum, most of
the light will reach a surface and be absorbed, to be converted to heat.

When you look at the overall energy loss
from primary source (fossil fuel fopr the most part in the US) to the
final work performed, there is a significant energy loss, hence a loss
of overall efficiency. Of course, cost is a simple method to reflect
system efficiency

Yet there are homes that use electricity to heat. Odd, isn't it?

From my experience in the Northeast, electric resistance heat is installed
in new homes as a cheap alternative to fossil-fuel fired heaters. The people
I know with electric heat shudder when it kicks in as they watch their
electric meters rapidly spin. WIth the recently announced electric rate
increase of about 70%, there is going to be a lot of sweaters sold for next
heating season/



In a large open space, a small space heater will warm
only a relatively small fraction of the volume of air, which is
quickly concected to the larger space.

So? You think it would be better to heat that entire volume? That's
the only other choice.

Yes, there will be a temperature gradient, and consequent heat
transfer between warmer and cooler areas, but without a source of
convection the warmer and cooler zones will tend to stabilize to
certain degree.


The source of convection is the air blowing into and sucked out of the
open space, so the warmer zones will quickly disapate.

What sucking and blowing? Most heaters have a fan, but some don't even
have that (baseboard heaters). At any rate, at a small distance from
heat source the convection is mostly damped by the ambient air.

I'm talking about large air handling units used in modern offifce buildings.
Large volumes of air are heated and or cooled in roof top untis and
distributed via fans and ductwork to various spaces in the building. Lots of
air movement involved....




.

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