GCSE PHYSICS - What is the Efficiency of an Electric Heater?

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Energy - What is the Efficiency of an Electric Heater?

An electric heater can be used to
heat a room (called space heating) or a hot water tank.

There are many different types of electric heater.
Some include an electric motor turning a fan to
help convection, but they all work by passing a
high current through a conductor causing it to get hot.

If the heater does not give out light or sound, then it
is 100 % efficient because any "wasted" energy will
also be heat. In this case, the energy is not wasted.

This does not mean that electric heating is the
best or cheapest form of heating. Electricity is a
secondary energy resource and is generated from
a primary energy resource. The efficiency of
generating electricity is often only 30 to 40%
and so electricity is a relatively expensive fuel.

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