Options for upgrading baseboard heating

[Ross Leavitt]

We just bought a duplex near Corvallis, Oregon that we are remodeling to rent out. Both sides have baseboard heaters (as far as I can tell, they are original from the 50s), and they need to go. What would you all put in their place? Each side is 3 bed, 1 bath.

My initial choice is cadet heaters. My electrician said they would be about $400 each, installed, and I will need six per side. For that price, each unit will simply have a dial on the unit rather than a separately-wired thermostat. 

It seems like a lot of money to spend on a low-end heating system, but the other options don't sound good either. Ductless is more expensive but much more desirable, but I'm concerned that the tenants won't be diligent about cleaning the filter and it won't last as long as it should. What has your experience been with ductless units in rentals? Also, I think for a 3-bedroom I will need some cadets anyway to supplement the heating.

Are there any other options I should consider? Thanks so much for your advice!

[Jason Powell]

Go cadets. If you are getting at home depot, you can do bid room and get a discount on them too. Total cost should be roughly $100/unit and $100/unit labor tops if you're using an expensive electrical company. $400 seems way high. My electrician does a baseboard to cadet swap in 30 minutes per unit. You can also have a lower cost person pull the baseboards out as part of demo to save a couple bucks. 

Mini splits are good but only adequate for the kitchen/living area of a 3 bedroom. Still need cadets in the bedrooms anyway so it's a lot costlier option. Plus you're right, only about 10% of your tenants will actually clean the filters.