What Do You Tell Members About Electric Heaters Research and Recommendations

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What Do You Tell Members About Electric
Heaters?Research and Recommendations
CRN End Use Solutions Member Advisory
Committee December 11, 2006 Ed Thomas, Market
Development Group [phone],
ethomas_at_marketdevelop.com Brought to you by
ConvectAir J.M. Falquet and Lon Garrison,
ConvectAir [phone], www.convectair.com
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Topics Ill Cover Today

• Member Questions and Co-op Answers
• What I Learned in France
• Performance Standards
• Research Findings
• Efficient Design and Load Control
• Proposed CRN Action Steps
• Technical Surveillance Report
• Guest Speakers
• Hardware Tests

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Co-op Threat

• 50 savings claims of Paul Harvey and Sun
  Heaters
• Turn down your thermostat and carry heater
  room-to-room
• Ignores importance of home sealing and insulation
• Preying on Seniors and Young Families

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Member Questions

• Whats the most affordable way to heat my home
  with electricity?
• I just bought one of those electric heaters
  advertised in the paper and on Paul Harvey. They
  say I will save 50 on my energy bill. Isnt
  that great?

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Co-op Answers

• Electric Heat is 100 Efficient
• Electric Heat is Too Expensive
• Electric Heat is Bad for the Co-ops Peak Demand
• Burn Wood and Buy More Blankets (but not electric
  ones)

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In the Real World....

• Members Want Affordable Comfort
• Co-ops Want to Clip Peaks and Fill Valleys
• Members Buy Heaters at WalMart, Home Depot and
  now.. from Paul Harvey
• Members Decide How to Heat Their Homes, Not
  Co-ops
• Homes Dont Pay Demand Charges... Yet... So.....
• Electric Heat is Cheaper Than Propane
• For Rural Homeowners

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CRN Should Help Co-opsAnswer These Questions

• What should co-ops be telling members about
  electric heat?
• What are co-op economics vs. member economics?
• When is electricity the right choice for
  affordable comfort? And in those cases, how can
  electricity best provide affordable comfort?
• Whats better whole house or room-to-room
  heaters?
• When appropriate, what should I look for when
  selecting a portable heater?
• How can members make their homes more comfortable
  and reduce their overall heating needs? (hint
  sealing and insulation)

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What I learned in France

• International standards for heater performance
• Key Factors in Design and Manufacturing
• Utility-driven research and development projects

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European Standards

• International Electrotechnical Commission
  (www.ice.ch) sets performance measurement
  standards
• In France, electric heater thermostats must have
• maximum 0.9 degree F temperature swing
• maximum 2.7 degree F droop
• 30 years ago, France banned all electric heaters
  that allow warm air to creep along outside walls
  such as vertical outlet heaters or baseboards

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Designed to Heat a Room
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Designed to Heat a Wall
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Canadian Standards

• Similar thermostat performance standard
• Also sets thermostat precision
• when thermostat is at 68 degrees F, the
  temperature measured in center of room shall not
  deviate by more than 0.5 degree C.
• Standard was updated in 2006
• Expected to become code requirement in 2007 or
  2008 in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia

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Hydro-Quebec

• Extensive testing of electric heaters and
  thermostat since the early 90's at Laboratory for
  Electrical Technologies
• Concluded electronic thermostat reduces energy
  consumption by about 10
• Subsidizes installation of electronic thermostats
  meeting CSA performance standard

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ConvectAir Labs

• 4 Electric heating factories have own lab
• 6 Dual-climate testing rooms total
• 2 Recognized by French Central Laboratory for
  Electrical Industries for standards approval

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ConvectAir Labs conduct

• Quality control for equipment and all measuring
  instruments used in the testing and production
  processes
• Safety tests (thermal, electric, wet environment)
• Performance tests (impact on room temperature
  under different weather conditions
• Comfort tests (temperature distribution, radiant
  vs. air temperatures, impact of air changes, air
  movement), electrical consumption tests and
  standby heat loss measurements
• Provide visualization tools (surface temperatures
  of room surfaces, temperature of heater surfaces
  and components, convective air movements in a
  room, impact of a radiant heat source)

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Utility-DrivenResearch and Development

• Efficiency Research Findings
• Key Factors in Design and Manufacturing
• Sensory Marketing
• Whole House Load Limiters

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Efficiency Research Findings

• Requires 20 more energy to maintain 68 deg F in
  a room using baseboards and mechanical
  thermostats than using natural convection heaters
  with electronic thermostats. 
• Comfort was significantly improved using the
  convection heaters (more constant and more evenly
  distributed heat). 
• Simulations using actual weather data for the
  Montreal area showed over 30 difference over
  entire heating season (with variations due to
  user behavior).
• ConvectAir and HydroQuebec now conducting field
  comparisons in several apartment buildings

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Key Factors in Design and Manufacturing

• Electronic Thermostats with Setbacks and Zoning
• Heating elements
• Cabinets

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Sensory Marketing

• Électricité de France (EDF) created comfort and
  sensory evaluation" lab in 2003
• Conducted multiple consumer tests in controlled
  environment to describe/quantify sensory
  perceptions
• Using data to develop heating/cooling solutions
  create communication strategies based on sensory
  aspects of a product
• Lead to development of new heater line in Europe,
  available in U.S. in 2008

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Whole House Load Limiter

• In France, residential electric meters limit
  power use in a home to a set Kw maximum.  If that
  maximum is exceeded, a breaker cuts the power. 
• Load Controller applies variable load shedding
  cycle to
• Room-by-room heaters or zones
• ETS units (if any)
• Water Heater
• Central programmable thermostat provides
  automatic setback over two zones with instant
  cost and consumption data
• Utility can adjust/impose limit on electric heat
  use during peak demand times
• ConvectAir looking for utility demonstration
  sites in U.S.

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Proposed CRN Action Steps

• Technical Surveillance Report
• HydroQuebec and EdF Speakers at CRN webcasts and
  conferences
• Hardware Demonstrations for Energy Efficiency and
  Load Control
• CRN Field Trip!!!

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First Action Step

• Draft and publish a Technical Surveillance Report
  on Portable Electric Heaters
• Assist NRECA in producing Consumer Reports type
  templates for member newsletter articles and new
  releases
• Guide co-ops to partner with reputable suppliers
  (and shun hucksters)

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