Baseboard heaters provide a cheap, almost maintenance-free way of heating a room. They operate quietly; they seldom need servicing; and considering stand alone portable units, they are easily replaced when faulty.
But some are still in doubt as to their cost effectiveness, citing that in areas where electricity is more expensive, coal-fired and gas-fired centralized heating systems can still be cheaper to maintain. Baseboard heaters with thermostats can provide more energy-efficient service.
While most modern heaters already come with built-in thermostats, some units will still need to be paired with thermostats bought separately.
2 Different Types Of Thermostats And The Benefits
Thermostats for baseboard heaters, or more appropriately, line voltage thermostats, can either be mechanical or digital. Mechanical thermostats are the cheapest available. They will most likely use a bi-metalic strip system which simply turns a heater on or off when a temperature is set.
These aren’t really accurate, with some units being at least 2 degrees colder or warmer than what they indicate. None of these line voltage thermostats are programmable however, but baseboard heaters with thermostats that are mechanical can still be used in rooms which are seldom occupied.
Some mechanical thermostats offer a thermometer mounted on their control surfaces, if only to indicate the room temperature, while some have obscure arbitrary graduated markings on the dials, such as low, medium or high.
Which Type Depends On Your Room Occupancy
Digital line voltage thermostats offer a more modern way of controlling and monitoring the heat given by baseboard heaters. Having no moving parts, these devices may employ a thermistor or some other semi-conductor device to switch the heater on or off.
What sets these apart from the more simple mechanical thermostats are their accuracy, being less than 1 degree cooler or warmer than what may be programmed. Digital thermostats often have an LCD or LED display that feedback information to the user such as the status of the room or the functioning of the heater.
Some digital thermostats may require batteries to be installed in the control unit to operate. Baseboard heaters with thermostats that are digital are indispensable for places where room temperature needs to be controlled and maintained accurately.
Also The Type Of Thermostat Depends On Your Budget
The more expensive digital thermostats are programmable. Reportedly, these offer the best efficiency. Programmable systems allow temperature adjustments to be set in advance.
For instance some units allow users to input separate desired temperature settings for weekdays and weekends. Some even have advanced functions that automatically calculate how long a heater will take to bring the room up to the desired temperature, and switch the heater on or off accordingly.