algorizmi:

raginrayguns:

ESYudkowsky:

Thermodynamics thought of the day: no electric heater is any more energy-efficient than any other electric heater.

As usual, there are epicycles of nuance. While all resistive heaters electrical use per unit heat, they don’t necessarily have the same electricity use per task. For example: Heat dissipation scales with area, heating a person (~2 m^2) can have a lower intrinsic power cost than an entire room. Heaters that predominantly transfer heat via shortwave IR radiation open up more directed use cases than models that act via convection to air. There’s a reason you see heat lamps used for outdoor dining rather than finned ‘radiators’ (really convectors).