Why Electric Home Heat is So Expensive
Heat is so expensive! Especially is this so for electric heat. Why? Electricity flowing through a conductor obeys the simple mathematical relationship, E = IR That equation reads: electromotive force (E) equals current (I) times resistance (R). Since the power consumed (P) equals the current times the voltage, P = EI = IR x I = I2R P = I2R This equation informs us that the power consumed by a device is equal to the square of the current (that is, the current times itself, I x I), times the resistance to current flow of the device. If an electrical conductor is very good—for example, a thick copper wire—the power consumed is quite small. This is because the resistance to electrical flow is small. If current is measured in amperes…