Ideally, it’s always best to extend existing ductwork from your central furnace or air conditioning system.

But sometimes, it’s just not possible to route additional ductwork.

The wiring may route through a wall-mounted thermostat, or the thermostats may be built into the heaters themselves.

Close-up of a baseboard heater

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For the most efficient heating, it’s best to install permanent baseboard heaters mounted to the wall.

Permanent heaters are available in both 120-volt and240-volt models.

Wherever possible, install 240-volt heaters, as these are more efficient in terms of energy use.

Warning

240 volts is beyond what most DIYers can safely handle.

In general, longer baseboard heaters will produce more wattage.

The answer to this will involve calculating your specific heating needs.

For example, if you are heating a 12-foot x 12-foot bedroom, the space includes 144 square feet.

Multiplying this by 10 watts shows that the necessary heater wattage for the room is 1440.

This calculation is designed to tell you how long your baseboard heater should be.

The resulting number will be the total wattage required for baseboard heaters to heat the room.

Now, divide by 250 to arrive at the length of the baseboard heater required.