eli5: If most electronic appliances’ efficiency losses are through heat, does that mean that electric heaters are 100% efficient?

Question

Edit:

Many thanks for your input everyone!

Just to clarify, I don’t want to take into account the method of generating electricity or shipping it to the home, or the relative costs of gas and electricity. I just want to look at the heater itself! i.e. does 1500W of input into a heater produce 1500W of heat, for example? Or are there other losses I haven’t thought of. Heat pumps are off-topic.

In: 1063

Answer 1

Maybe there is an accidental equivocation of the word “efficient” happening.

For us laypeople, we want to know how much useful heat some appliance is going to produce for a given amount of electricity that we have to pay for. That’s the “efficiency” for us.

I’d bet that my oil-filler heater makes the room comfortable and keeps it near the same temp for less electricity cost overall than a cheaper toaster-like heater.