- RV Propane Heater vs Electric: What’s Right For Your RV? Image source: Wonder Wherever We Wander
The Top Two Ways to Heat RVs in Winter
With winter in full swing, many campers are missing their RVs like crazy. Meanwhile, there are RVers who choose to keep on camping despite the chilly weather. The trick to enjoying winter camping trips? A heater, of course!
Most people who camp in cold weather occasionally turn on the RV propane heater. That’s the one included with their trailer or motorhome. This is fine in some cases. But depending on your camping style and preferences, it might not be the best option for you.
Wondering what options you have besides the traditional RV propane heater? Or which heating option would work best for you? In this article, we will discuss both of these things. Then, you can head out on your winter camping trips with confidence.
RV Propane Heater vs Electric Smackdown
Let’s start by talking about each of the RV heater options. We will touch on the pros and cons of each in order to help you better understand your options. This helps you make a well-informed choice.
RV propane heater
An RV propane heater is what most trailers and motorhomes come equipped with out of the factory. This type of heater uses propane to heat the rig. But it does still require some battery power to get going and to run the fan. You must to battery usage into account.
This built-in furnace has ductwork running alongside the pipes and into the underbelly. Running it keeps plumbing from freezing. This is especially true if you have an enclosed underbelly. That said, this kind of furnace is notoriously inefficient. It sends lots of heat outside and eats through propane quickly.
Related: How Do You Repair An RV Furnace?
RV A/Cs with heat pumps
Some RVs come equipped with air conditioner units that include heat pumps. In some cases, this feature is in addition to an RV propane heater. But in other cases it is the only heater included in the RV.
These heat pumps run off electricity. No propane is needed to keep them going. They save money if electricity is included in your campground fees. Unfortunately, these heat pumps only work in temperatures above 40°F. They aren’t a great option for camping in super cold weather.
Portable propane heaters
Portable propane heaters are great if you want a propane heater, but don’t want to use battery power. These little heaters are small but mighty. A single unit can easily heat an average sized RV. Because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, leaving a window open is necessary for proper ventilation. But they are still much more efficient than the big, built-in RV propane heater furnaces out there.
Unfortunately, they don’t heat any of the plumbing. You will need to find other ways to keep pipes and tanks from freezing in super cold temps.
Electric space heaters
Finally, there is the option of using an electric space heater in your RV.
These are great because they don’t require propane. They are free to use whenever you’re at a campsite with included electricity. Additionally, these heaters are much better at heating a room than the heat pumps mentioned above. Only a couple will be needed to keep an RV warm.
Of course, using electric space heaters is much more difficult when camping off-grid, so that is something to keep in mind.
What is the best type of heater for my RV?
Now that you know the kinds of heaters available to you, let’s narrow down your options by looking at the kind of camping you do. Let’s consider the factors that matter most when choosing between an RV propane heater and an electric heater. This helps you decide which is ideal for you.
How often do you camp in cold weather?
If you only camp in cold weather once in a while, it might not be worth investing in new heaters. Your built-in RV propane heater is likely your best option. It will keep you and your pipes warm without any extra effort on your part. If your cold-weather camping ventures are rare, the cost of propane won’t be too much to handle.
How cold does it get?
When you do camp in cold weather, how cold does it get? Do you routinely find yourself in temperatures below 40 degrees F? If RV only has a heat pump, look into additional heating options. But if you never camp in freezing cold temps, the heat pump might be sufficient.
Is electricity included in your site fee?
Where do you tend to camp? If you are usually in a campground and if electricity is included in your fees, it’s probably best to take advantage of the included electricity by choosing electric heating options. That said, some campgrounds ban the use of electric space heaters, so be sure to watch out for that.
Do you have easy access to affordable propane?
Using a propane heating option means you will need to have a way to refill your propane whenever needed. If you’re in an area where propane is hard to come by—or the fuel is incredibly expensive—you might be better off turning to an electric option, or at least supplementing with electric space heaters in order to keep propane usage down.
Do you boondock in cold weather?
Those who choose to boondock often will almost certainly want one of the propane options on hand. Running electric heaters while boondocking requires running a generator, and since these shouldn’t be run all night, propane is definitely your best bet for staying warm whenever hookups aren’t available.
If you’re looking to conserve battery power and get the most out of your fuel, a portable propane heater is definitely the best bet. However, the stock RV propane heater should be just fine for the occasional boondocking adventure.
At this point you should have a pretty good idea which type of heater will best suit you during the majority of your camping trips. However, some RVers choose to have a couple of different options handy, and if you camp often and in a variety of conditions, you may want to do this as well.
No matter which RV heater option(s) you choose, be sure to have a great time enjoying the beauty of winter in your tiny home-on-wheels!
For more tips on RV heating, check out these posts:
- 3 Ways To Keep Warm When RVing In Winter
- 10 Winter Camping Items You Shouldn’t Travel Without
- How To Avoid Winter Camping Problems In Your RV
Chelsea Gonzales is a full-time RVer, freelance writer, and roadschooling mama who loves sharing her expertise about RVing with kids, roadschooling, and full-time RVing. The entrepreneurial and free-spirited author is also artistic director of the Aistear Mobile Irish Dance Academy, and currently travels with her family in a 27-foot travel trailer. Chelsea’s informational articles about full-time RVing, raising children on the road, camping, and destination features appear on her blog, Wonder Wherever We Wander. throughout the RV LIFE network, and in RV industry media outlets such as Outdoorsy, Coach-Net, and RV Share.
We full timed in a Beaver coach. Propane heater was noisy and sucked a lot of fuel. We wanted to replace the carpet and wood flooring so we had NuHeat floor heat installed in 3 separate zones. Under front carpet under kitchen and bath tile and under bedroom carpet. All 3 zones on together drew just under 10 amps. We never used the furnace again. The best upgrade we ever did.
Chelsea have you heard about the Cheep Heat systems I have been looking at them ? not sure if I would use them enough to pay for them but it would be great when pugged in.
Thanks Stan
Diesel heaters are a good option to
I have used cheap heat for 7 years now. It saves money over propane and does a good job of heating my fifth wheel. It can get too cold where it just can’t keep up but in seven years this has happened just a handful of times. It is far better than space heaters because it keeps heat going into the under belly. It has been reliable. I have only had two problems, one was just a controller going out, the other due to the installation that I had done. In both cases I got fantastic service from the company and was up and running in no time at all. I will always spend the money to put one in any fifth wheel I own, it is a big time saver over the years. GREAT PRODUCT.
I find that using a small electric heater is very adequate but only use it during hours
I’m awake. If it’s below freezing outside, I prefer the RV’s propate heater to insure plumbing doesn’t freeze as mentioned in the article.
There is also a conversion option to convert your existing LP furnace into an electric forced air furnace. You can use either LP or electric.
https://www.rvcomfortsystems.com/
A unique option not mentioned in the article is product called CheapHeat by RV Comfort Systems. It adds electric heat to the standard furnace giving you the option to run the furnace on LP or electricity. We’ve had it on our last 2 rigs and it’s awesome.
My 2 heat pumps work down to around 28 degrees before the propane heat kicks in automatically–
I winter in Gulfport, MS and have been doing this for 14 years–
I have two “Pelonis” electric space heaters and I use one in the water bay (where the water pump is located) and one inside the unit itself–
Wal-Mart carries the “Pelonis” units this season (2021)
Max H
You haven’t mentioned diesel heaters, I installed one a few months ago and it’s fantastic and cheap to run.
Also very cheap to buy and easy to install yourself.
You left out diesel heaters which are more efficient than any of the heaters you mentioned.
Specifically on-board, the portable versions are not as efficient.
How about adding an electric duct heater to your a/c unit? Sometimes called a chill chaser I think they are 1500 watts and are an inexpensive upgrade to an existing roof type a/c unit. Most of the time the installation is plug and play. I have installed several but they were on Coleman Mach units. They are available on Amazon and they may be available for Dometic units, too. Depending on your setup, they are usually controlled by your existing thermostat.
Heat strips in the Rooftop A/C were not mentioned. They work very well.
There are other options – radiant heating and electric heating running from electricity generated by your diesel tow vehicle.
You will not keep a 40 ft 5th wheel warm with “a couple of heaters”. There’s an option to keep you warm at night and that’s an electric blanket. They take very little power and there’s no need to heat the whole RV if only the bedroom is occupied. It also helps to keep the bedroom door closed if you have a door. We run our furnace supplemented with electric heaters when we’re up but at bedtime we let things cool down. If you find the bedroom is too cool for your liking, then use an electric heater. BUT, there again there are options. If you use an electric heater with a fan then half the power consumption is used to heat the heating element and half is used to run the fan so that sucks power. I use a radiant heater in the living area before bed, it works very well. If I need electric heat in the bedroom to supplement the electric blanket, I might use a radiant heater or a fan blowing heater but get one with a thermostat so it turns on an off as needed. To know how much power you’re using get a Kill-a-watt meter. Actually you can test all your appliances with one. Another option when we’re travelling and overnighting on the road is keep the umbilical cord (if you have a travel trailer or 5th wheel) hooked up to your tow vehicle*. I only run one very good deep cycle battery in my RV and if that fades at 5 AM I use my remote to start the truck and put 12 volt power to the RV. *NOTE: If you don’t have a battery isolator from your tow vehicle to your RV, then you could drain your tow vehicle battery overnight and it won’t start in the morning.
I have a electric/LP furnace combination (Truma Combi) which is also an option.
I’ve used my Truma on electricity the whole of this winter so far in the north. Many in the RV resort have their propane filled weekly some every two days. Electricity consumption is almost 3 times higher than in summer but still cheaper and more convenient than propane
We were rv remodler newbies. We removed the heater(never used ) we need the extra space it housed. Discovered afterwards a/c doesn’t work. What did we do wrong and how to fix it?
I’ve used my Truma on electricity the whole of this winter so far in the north. Many in the RV resort have their propane filled weekly some every two days. Electricity consumption is almost 3 times higher than in summer but still cheaper and more convenient than propane
I have seen many problems with electric heaters in the past. Most of them exceed the amp rating of the receptacle and breakers causing them to melt.
Your built in propane heater is much safer, much more effective and a lot less dangerous.
Nothing but junk..save your money !
I want to clrify the danger of the catalytic propane heater and carbon monoxide. I use one in my shop and as a precaution, l have a CO detector. NEVER has CO been detected…however…oxygen depletion was evident in that a propane lighter or torch, could not be ignited unless l moved outdoor. The detector goes off whenever l fire up my snowblower, with shop doors open, so the detector works for CO ,registering around 53 ppm for that brief exposure to exhaust gases. With the catalytic heater….zero ppm.
Depends on whether or not I am paying to stay warm, or not! Space Heaters if I’m plugged in to Shore Power and someone else is footing the bill. Or, Propane if I’m on my own buck and want some quick heat.
Most People are familiar with Solar PV panels and that they generate a DC power from the sun. Great for 12V DC and battery charging.
But we can’t ignore solar thermal and yet we do. It >=4X more efficient than PV and EvT (Evacuated Tube) collectors still generate lots of heat even at -30C in.
I have seen solar thermal low tech as pipes on a rigs roof, for hot water I was told, plumbed to offset propane which can cut back in.
I a. In the Poconos pa I am there every weekend fri evening to Monday afternoon i use electric heater to heat camper 80 % i set the propane heater on 70 the electric heater won’t keep the camper warm enough for me so about every 2 hr the propane heater comes on for about 10 minutes works well for me electric runs about 3 dollars for 24 hr propane last a long time because I only run it a short period if I use only propane it uses 30 lbs in same time 25 dollars to fill 30 lb propane electric for me is mutch cheaper will see how mutch propane i use this weekend guessing about 25 % of 30 pounder or 6 dollars for 3 days 6 propane 9 electric 15 dollars for 3 days if I want to keep camper at 67 electric will do fine no propane needed
I hope some one can help me with this. I have a motor home, it is appx. 40 feet long. The heat control is located in the bedroom. It has a gas setting, and an electricity. The gas setting meaning propane works great, however the electric setting only puts out cool air. when I want to use it for heat. There is also an air-conditioning switch on this heat control. So my question is, why will my heat not work when I switch on the electrical mode?
I had my last travel trailer for ten years. I bet I didn’t use the propane furnace more tan 2-3 times. I used a small electric ceramic heater. In the 1 1/2 years I’ve had my current MH I have not used the propane furnace. Same electric heater. We don’t boondock in cold weather, so it’s never been a problem.
Look into the diesel heaters advertised on Amazon. They put out 230 degree heat, no moisture, run on about $5 a day of diesel and can keep a 45’ Toy Hauler at 72 degrees when it’s 20 degrees out.
We are in the RV (Arctic Fox travel trailer) every weekend from September to end of January in Colorado. Using an electric oil space heater makes all the difference when it’s below 15. We run a 4500 generator all night with no issues and have been doing it for 15 years. RV heater kicks on but not much until its well below zero.
My Class B has an Espar system and it works great.
you did not mention the condensation issue using electric over propane in the colder weather. I spent a full day cleaning out mold from my closets and pantry due to condensation. Electric is a dryer heat where as propane adds moisture to the air. We just invested in a small dehumidifier for our 5th wheel. Just thought I would throw that bit of info out there. One more thing to consider when winter camping.
The only choice is between Propane and Electricity. And that choice is only available if you have a reliable source of electricity. Otherwise, propane is your only option. If both are available, which incurs the least expense to you? I haven’t found a park yet that charges a “per killwatt” fee to short-term campers that have electricity in their site. In that case, ALWAYSchoose electricity, it is already paid for. If you have to generate your own electricity, which is more cost efficient? Use that one, save the money for your next trip!
how can you possibly stand the noise running you ac in reverse cycle mode. the forced air propane heater is by far the best option as there is no carbon monoxide danger and mo fire danger from an electric space heater
This winter I added a Pelonis radiator style electric heater to my winter trailering. I very much appreciate the quiet performance of this unit. it added to my monthly RV elec bill. but i did save on propane too. i like to ramp up the propane furnace upon arrival and use it during daytime if a quick warmup is needed. the Pelonis is very effective in maintaining ambient heat overnight. the pelonis has run time options and a remote. The run times can be 2 hour, or four hours, etc.
I’ve used Camco Wave series catalytic heaters for years with no problems. They are safe and produce no carbon monoxide. They should’ve been listed here.
Our “go to” for winter heat has been to install electric tank heating pads on all tanks, fresh and holding, and use electric heaters inside. Today’s 20# propane tanks are a joke (if you’re going to use your RV heater, upgrade to 30 or 40 #ers), they are expensive to fill. It’s a pain to remove the bottom lid and wire the pads up, but well worth it. Beats leaving the faucet trickling all night.
Humidity is also a factor. If the RV is located in high humidity environments (near the beach, or in the bathroom, inside closets) for extended periods, mold is encouraged to grow in the RV interior.
One of a portable propane heater’s disadvantages is that propane combustion by-products is water vapor, adding to the RV’s interior humidity and encouraging mold growth.
Built-in RV propane heaters typically use a heat exchanger that re-circulates interior air, eliminating the mold issue. Similarly, electric heaters have no combustion by-products and actually expand the air volume while the residual water content remains the same, (That’s how gas clothes dryers work.), reducing the encouragement of mold growth.
Roof ventilation can help but unfortunately heat rises and is the first air sucked out of the RV by the roof vents.
RV COST of PROPANE vs ELECTRIC
ASSUMPTIONS:
RV Propane Heater = 3,500 BTU Portable Electric Heater = 1200 Watts
75% combustion efficiency 100% efficiency
Cost of Propane =$3.00 per gallon Cost of electricity = $0.50 per kilowatt hour
RV’r purchased the propane outright RV’r purchased the electricity outright
COMPARRISON: Propane vs Electricity, at point of use (RV) in British Thermal Units
PROPANE
1 gallon of propane = 91,500 BTU’s @ 75% combustion efficiency = 68,625 BTU’s
Propane heater used continuously for 1 hour = 3,500 BTU’s or $0.51/hour
7 gallon Propane Tank (filled 80%) = 15.7 hours continuous use
ELECTRICITY
1 Kilowatt Hour (KWH) of electricity @ 100% efficiency = 3,413 BTU’s
1200 watt electric heater used continuously for 1 hour = 4,096 BTU or $0.60/hour
Electricity = continuously available
So, assuming the propane and electric heaters have the same electrical consumption for the blower fans and control circuitry and the assumptions stated above are accurate, propane is 15% more economically efficient choice for the RV’er who is not staying in an RV park.
Electric heaters are often considered to be close to 100 percent efficient. This is true at the point of use. However, if you consider the overall energy efficiency (from production of the electricity to the point of use), the result is much less. The overall system efficiency of an electric heating system-including the energy consumed to produce the electricity in the first place – is about 28.5 percent whereas the overall efficiency of a propane system is close to 93 percent. Therefore, a propane model with 75 percent combustion efficiency is actually more efficient than an electric model rated at 100 percent efficiency.