Heat output from a 200W electric radiator?

Yes, electric heaters are basically a resistor.

A resistor converts electric energy into heat, it does that with 100% efficiency.

That might sound weird but think about it this way: if a resistor was 90% efficient, where would the 10% "lost" power go?

Nearly all not 100% efficient devices lose the wasted energy as heat. Generating heat is the sole purpose of a (resistor) heater. So even if the heater was only 90% effcient, that 10% would still be heat, making the efficiency 100%.

So indeed the heater consumes 200 W (when it is in operation) and it will then also emit 200 W of heat.


Yes (maybe a couple of watts more for electrical losses in the cabling from the energy meter) and yes (unless there are losses through the wall to the outside world). Of course it may only produce 95% of the rated output - nothing is perfect of course and, it may indeed produce 105% of the rated labelled power.


Dose that mean that it would both:

  • use 200w of electricity

Yes. It would consume 200 W of electrical power.

  • provide 200w of heat output to the room ?

It would give of 200 W in the form of heat.


'W' for watt, 'V' for volt, 'A' for ampere.

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Heat