• Baseboard heaters work by warming the cool air drawn in through the underside of the baseboard across the heat element inside. Additional heat radiates from fins that span the length of the baseboard unit. The benefits of these systems are that they're zoned, so each room in your home can be heated separately, or not at all, and almost all the electricity they use is converted to heat. That said, baseboard radiator heating has several disadvantages as well.
  
  

Unreliable Quality

• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the quality of baseboard units varies widely. Poorly constructed baseboards may have inaccurate thermostats, which make it difficult to control temperatures. The thermostat gauges room temperature and triggers the baseboard when the temperature drops below the temperature at which it's set. Low quality units can also be quite noisy, rattling and banging whenever the heat comes on.
  
  

Slow Warming

• Baseboard radiator heating gradually replaces cold air with warm. It takes longer to heat a room this way than it does to heat one with a system that uses fans to distribute the heat quickly by blowing it into the room. It may be necessary to anticipate heating needs and set the thermostat accordingly in advance or, as also suggested in a guide to heating offered by the town of Holden, Massachusetts, keep the thermostat set to the minimum temperature at which you're comfortable.
  
  

Limits Wall Space

• Baseboards generally are four to six feet long and run along the wall near the floor, so usable wall spaces is taken up. Blocking them with furniture or curtains reduces their efficiency because they rely on airflow to work. Also, because they radiate heat, they get quite hot. Allowing furnishings to touch the baseboards poses a fire risk. For these reasons, baseboards should have several inches of clearance.