You might take a look at the Runtal Omni Panel radiators. You don't say where you live, or how many BTU's might be required to heat your shop, but Omni Panels might fit the bill. They're available in electric models generating up to 2,400 BTUH per unit. Here is a link that might be useful: Runtal Omni Panel Radiators

Hoo boy...what an off-topic clusterfreak this thread has become! Might as well add to it... I have to disagree with the US as the be-all, end-all of origin and influence. At least that was not the case when I lived in Singapore and Indonesia. For example, US diesel vehicles do not meet emissions requirements for Singapore. Toyota, Isusu, and Mitsubishi dominate the market there. Just like many European countries, all three use particulate traps for thier diesel engines. You will not see a smoking diesel auto, truck, or bus in Singapore. Some US autos can't be sold in S'pore because of the brakelights and turn signals. They require that rear turn signals use a completely seperate bulb from the brake lights. in addition, rear turn signals must be amber. This is a safety protocol inherited from Europe. US banks also have trouble in the Singapore market. The Lion City has adopted EU guidelines for customer privacy that US firms simply could not stomach. Such laws cut down junk mail and reduce the chance of identity theft. Then there is the mobile phone market. US-based standards such as CDMA are virtually unheard of in Asia. The European GSM standard rules, and for good reason. GSM requires the least battery power to produce a usable signal. There is US influence in Asia, to be sure. However, it is not the prime-mover some people would believe. And to our friends from the Great White North... My furnace install has a few components from Canada. The 13ga, 275 gallon Crown oil tank (no relation whatsoever to Crown Boiler Company) I picked up from the Big Orange Box was made in New Brunswick. The 24ga black T's and black solid 90° elbow for the flue I bought at a local hardware store were made in Canada. A flue cover plate, as well as some of the assorted hardware I needed, was also Canadian made. Lot's of things come from, or are influenced by, the American market. Unless you have lived abroad, however, you may be tempted to overrate the effect. Peace. Marco

Yes, your numbers are right, and you are, as you know, taking electric at the straight resistance rate, not even allowing for the efficiency of the heat pump -- a good, conservative approach -- but the heat pump will in reality be at least twice as efficient as resistance. So there's no weather where the oil is going to be cheaper at $5.69/gallon. Your only challenge will be to make sure you don't start tripping breakers with all of those plug-in heaters. In your situation, I might want to see if it would be feasible in your furnace to put in some electric strip heaters for your backup heat rather than using the oil furnace. Then you wouldn't have to buy a drop of oil. Alternatively, you could put in some electric baseboard heaters (on dedicated circuits).

Our problem in the Northeast is that electric rates are extremely high. Before buying a unit, caulk, weather-strip and insulate the room you plan on heating. In this way it will minimize the length of time you will need to heat that area. Wear the proper winter clothes (sweaters) to further reduce body heat loss. With the high cost, electric heaters should be used to supplement your central heating unit. Heating a room solely using space heaters would be extremely expensive. Understanding the basics of hot air, in that it rises, the type of electric unit you purchase is important. Metal is a great conductor or distributor of heat while plastic or glass will slow down that distribution. Plastic also tends to crack with high levels of heat. There is a reason why home baseboards are made of steel not plastic. Have found that convention heaters are best for heating a area for a sustained periods of time. Oil filled or metal baseboard units are convection type heaters, while preferring oil filled ones cause they continue to throw heat after they have been turned off. Last, would recommend putting a metal shelve or table, with necessary clearance, above your portable heater. The metal will slow down heat escaping right up to the ceiling and will absorb the heat to slowly redistribute. Always remember to be careful when using any electric heater both for safety and affordability.