pros and cons of electric baseboard heating in northeast region

[Nicole Sun]

Hi all,

I plan to install electric baseboard in order to remove heating expenses for a multi. The obvious advantage to me is some financial gain. Like to hear some experiences other landlords have with this option. Does electric baseboard increase tenant's heating cost significantly? Do future tenants avoid renting apartments with this type of heating with expectation of higher heating cost? Do you see higher turn over rate for the same reason? This is my first time to separate heating, any other better options? Any feedback is appreciated.

[Marc Winter]

We have done a few dozen conversions from oil or natural gas boilers/furnaces to electric baseboard heat.

Some tenants think it will be more expensive to heat (we are in PA), however, we always tell them true about our experiences:

Electric baseboard can be controlled in each room with it's own thermostat.  If they are not in the bedroom during the day, they may turn down the heat.  Same for any other room they are not using, except for rooms with plumbing.

We have found it averages the same or a bit less than heating with gas/oil.  Plus it's cleaner, does not need the maintenance a boiler or furnace does, and (this is debatable) is better for environmental reasons.