January 21, 2008

Amish Miracle Heater!

The ads have been going around about an Amish Miracle Heater. It claims it will save you tons of money. It claims to use less electricity than a coffee pot. Today, I will be looking at those claims.

First of all it is a 1500watt heater. Therefore, it uses 1500 watts of electricity. 1 kw of electricity is about $.08. So, 1.5kw x .08kwh = $0.12 an hour to operate.

$0.12 x 24 hours x 30 days = $86.40 per month to heat one room. The heater costs anywhere from $250 to $550. My house has 9 rooms (not including the garage/basement) so that would be $86.40 x 9 = $777.60 per month (plus the initial cost of the heater).

Currently, I use an average of 3.5 gallons of fuel oil a day at about $3 a gallon. So, 3.5 x 30 x 3 = $315 a month to heat my entire house. This is still a lot of money and I plan on looking into a Pellet stove this summer.

Secondly, does it use less electricity than a coffee pot? An average coffee pot uses about 900watts for the few minutes it is brewing. If the miracle heater is on the low setting then only 750 watts of electricity are being used. Therefore, they are correct, the heater uses less electricity than a coffee for the same time period.

This electric heater is really no different than any other electric heater. I have a $70 Vornado heater that seems to heat a room very well. If you are looking to simply provide heat for a room you are in, almost any electric heater will work.

Don’t be fooled by the ads, run the numbers for yourself.

10 comments:

Junnie said...

Every ten years or so a "scientific" breakthrough attempts to change the laws of physics. Remember the "Quartz Heaters"? They didn't heat the room.....they heated the furniture IN the room...and every piece of furniture became a heater. They sold millions under that goofy claim.

Wesley Matthews said...

Yep. A 1500 watt heater is a 1500 watt heater. When they are on and running they are using the same amount of electricity!

Anonymous said...

DONT BUY THIS PIECE OF JUNK, THIS IS A TV INFOMERCIAL RIPOFF, where the only people making tons of money are the TV INFOMERCIAL AMISH and INFOMERCIAL TEAM !!!!!! See for yourself at http://peachthink.com/infomercial.html and find out about how they are making TONS OF MONEY using TV Infomercials !!!

Also, a Pellet Stove is a GREAT INVESTMENT. For no more than $5 a day, I heat a 1,600 square foot home wth solid heat, like summer inside. It cost me about $1,500 investment for the stove and is one of the best investments I have ever made in my life.

Good Luck to everyone

Wesley Matthews said...

Thanks for the comment.

I too own a pellet stove. I burn about 2 40lb bags a day, each costs about $4.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the comments.

I have a two-story house in New England, with a wood pellet stove in the kitchen/ TV room area, and one upstairs in the master bedroom. When it gets REALLY cold, we use a woodstove in the livingroom, as well.

The bad thing about pellet stoves is, the heat doesn't circulate (obviously) and the outer, farther away rooms get chilly while the ones with the stoves get hot.

Anyway, I'd been thinking of getting one of these
"miracle heaters" for my son's room, instead of turning up the thermostat (we have oil for central heat but rarely use it). I'm glad I found this site.

I could never understand why

1) If the Amish believe using electricity is wrong, why would they be helping to manufacture something that uses it? That's like saying you don't use drugs because you think it's wrong, but you work maufacturing crack pipes.

2) If these are true Amish people, why are they allowing themselves to be filmed, for TV, to sell something, nonetheless?

Something smells fishy. And if the heater is "free" how is the Heatsurge company making any money on it?

Besides, running a coffee maker nearly non-stop, as I'd probably have to run this heater for a very cold room, would probably cost more than just turning up the thermostat.

It's a shame people take advantage of others for the sake of a buck...

Wesley Matthews said...

I have no problem with people making a profit in their business, that is after all why they are in business. (Excessive profit is another story though.)

I DO have a problem with taking advantage of people and misleading them into believing something that isn't quite true.

Thanks for your comments.

Anonymous said...

it looks like just a heater like everyone is saying...

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/02/amish_heaters.html

Wesley Matthews said...

Yep. It is a heater just like any other. It heats like the $20 1500 watt heater available at wal*mart.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

thanks for this tips