Do PTC heaters actually reduce your electricity bill?

[KStatefan]

So, doesn't even matter if the heater is glass or titanium?


Why not make heaters all the same size regardless of wattage then?

No it does not.

Why would you want a 500 watt heater when you only need a 100 watt. It cost more to make a 500 watt compared to a 100 watt.

 

[FSP]

Is there an answer you're looking for? You won't get great responses by asking a question and shooting every bird that flies your way

If you're really, really trying to save money heating a tank, the heater itself would be pretty far down my list of things to change. I'm sure Schego makes a decent heater (at least in Europe. Reviews in the US don't look so hot ), but the most I expect of heaters is for them to do their job for a few years before they die or my Ranco bails me out. The closest thing to "heater loyalty" I ever had were to the Italian made Marineland Stealth/Aqueon Pro heaters before they both shipped out to China. No clue who makes them now. They just seemed to last a bit longer, didn't break when dropped and weren't $$$ like the Cobalt/Aquel heaters.

On the other hand, if it's comfortably within your price range and you're dying to try it (sure seems like it ), go for it and let us know how it goes

 

[Muffin87]

you're dying to try it (sure seems like it )

Not really dying to try it, just astounded by the lack of open-mindedness, and simplistic approach to a not-so-simple subject such as heating efficiency.

 

[KStatefan]

Not really dying to try it, just astounded by the lack of open-mindedness, and simplistic approach to a not-so-simple subject such as heating efficiency.

Why did you ask the question if you know all the answers?

Please show the heat transfer equations showing how these are more efficient.

 

[Muffin87]

Why did you ask the question if you know all the answers?

I don't know all the answers, that's the whole point.
You guys seem to have them all on the other hand!

Anyways, I hoped someone had some experience with these heaters, wasn't really looking for a debate on thermodynamics.
Will unwatch the thread, not in the mood for more controversy.

 

[PeterC99]

Amazing what people will do to the high energy prices we are experiencing this winter???

 

[FSP]

I'm sure it can be as complex as Schego wants it to be, but in an actual aquarium, a piece of cling film over the sump openings would probably accomplish the same or more for less. They weren't my prettiest efforts, but I even had some tanks with styro glued to 3 sides and the bottom way back.

 

[Gtinnel]

I have spent the last half hour or so reading online about ptc heaters. I don’t understand the physics of why it’s energy saving but my gut says if the manufacturers aren’t strongly advertising the efficiency of their heaters then any energy savings are probably insignificant.

 

[Gtinnel]

Also for the OP, if still watching, your best bet may be to reach out to the manufacturer and see if they can provide any information on the energy saving of their heaters.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Well, they certainly do use less electricity, since when they reach maximum temperature they consume 0w, instead of whatever wattage the heater can reach.

Basically a standard heater always consumes its wattage.
The wattage of a PTC heater depends on its temperature, so that the heater "waits" for the heat transfer to happen, before asking for more electricity.

The matter is whether the electricity you save is marginal, or noticeable $$$-wise.

It's just physics. A heater is just some sort of giant resistor. When you run electricity through a resistor, some of the energy becomes heat. There is no way to make a heater more efficient because a heater is essentially just a 0% efficient electronic device.

Energy = Energy whether the heater is on or off. Keeping a tank 10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature requires the same amount of energy no matter how you do it.

 

[a.t.t.r]

So, doesn't even matter if the heater is glass or titanium?


Why not make heaters all the same size regardless of wattage then?

More rapid distribution of heat. Heater it self will be lower temp and safer to touch while lowering the risk of over shooting the target temperature from latent heat that remains after it reaches cut off(and wasting energy in the process) Btw. This is how these products can claim to save energy over a single cycle Over the long term however under real world use it makes no difference as none of the heaters are large enough to create a massive temperature gradient between the water and air

heat loss is a product of transfer material and temperature difference so in a small amount of water let’s say just enough to cover the heater precision of temp would mater as the heat generated would warm the water beyond target and that increased differential between the water and the cold room would pull the heat back out faster then if the water was at the exact target temp (the excess heat is wasted energy). However in a fish tank of even one gallon unless your heater is so bad at transferring energy to the water that you end up over shooting by multiple degrees this impact would never come into play.

 

[Chrisanthellae]

PTC is not more energy efficient than a traditional heater. Any seller that makes such a claim is engaging in marketing wank.

PTC is still a type of resistive heater. Resistive heaters turn electricity directly into heat, and they all do it with 100% efficiency. You can't exceed 100%...

The real advantage of PTC is that it is SAFER and should offer more STABLE temps. PTC heating elements are self regulating. PTC stands for Positive Temperature Coefficient. This means that as the temp of the heating element goes up, the electrical resistance of the material also goes up. So if the heater gets too hot, the resistance goes up which reduces the electrical current, thus bringing the temperature back down even without the intervention of a thermostat. Traditional heaters are the opposite. As temperature goes up, resistance goes down, which could lead to thermal runaway if the thermostat fails.

If you want more efficiency, you need a heat pump. Heat pumps don't turn electricity into heat. They use electricity to move heat from one place to another. Doing so is 3-5x more efficient.

 

[zoomonster]

I just dropped $163 the other day for a 500 Watt Helio PTC Smart Heater to give it a try. 500w is more than enough to get my 200g tank through slight temp drops at night with AC blasting. If that lasts, I may add another element by next winter.

Interesting though about Schego that supposedly make BRS branded heaters. Wonder if they actually make the Helio also and it's just another rebranding for the sake of hiding bad history. Not had much luck for years with Finnex or BRS heaters (and others) and controllers.

Didn't really care about energy savings so much as the new tech with ceramic chips that supposedly can't overheat. Of course, even at that it depends on how good the controller is. Might cook the tank but the element won't burn out lol. Then again, I always run a controller safeguarded by Apex. Of course, that only works when the EB832 doesn't croak. My old one was unrepairable and begrudgingly have a new one coming tomorrow along with the heater.

 

[zoomonster]

I just dropped $163 the other day for a 500 Watt Helio PTC Smart Heater to give it a try. 500w is more than enough to get my 200g tank through slight temp drops at night with AC blasting. If that lasts, I may add another element by next winter.

Interesting though about Schego that supposedly make BRS branded heaters. Wonder if they actually make the Helio also and it's just another rebranding for the sake of hiding bad history. Not had much luck for years with Finnex or BRS heaters (and others) and controllers.

Didn't really care about energy savings so much as the new tech with ceramic chips that supposedly can't overheat. Of course, even at that it depends on how good the controller is. Might cook the tank but the element won't burn out lol. Then again, I always run a controller safeguarded by Apex. Of course, that only works when the EB832 doesn't croak. My old one was unrepairable and begrudgingly have a new one coming tomorrow along with the heater.

Got my heater today and Helio is actually Innovative Marine though maybe still made by Schego. In any case pretty nice looking right down to the deluxe boxing lol