Last Updated: February 26, 2024
Your house gets colder in freezing winter months; keeping it warm is no ordinary feat. Wanting to remain warm and comfortable requires a considerable amount of power consumption, thus increasing the running costs. Space heaters are convenient if you need extra warmth on frigid days and provide a quick and efficient way to heat small to moderate-sized areas. We all want to remain warm and comfortable in our homes, but finding affordable ways of keeping a house warm depends on several factors.
See also – Heater with humidifier
How Do Space Heaters Work?
Space heaters generate heat from electricity based on electrical resistance by passing an electric current through the appliance that converts electricity into heat and spreads it indoors. A space heater generally contains coils wrapped around a ceramic core and a reflector radiating the coils’ heat. Some advanced space heaters are equipped with bulbs emitting infrared radiation and come with a copper heat exchanger to receive the radiation.
Space heaters vary based on sizes, shapes, output, and power consumption. Space heaters use convection, radiant heat through infrared light, a fan, or other heating elements to heat air, which rises and makes way for cool air to come in and get heated.
Electric heaters are portable and can be moved from one room to another depending on the current needs. Space heaters are highly energy efficient. As per the Department of Energy, electric space heaters don’t vent any gas, such as a kerosene space heater that emits carbon dioxide and other hazardous gases.
Electricity Consumption of Space Heaters
Find the wattage of your space heater to determine how much electricity is needed to power your device. This information is generally available on the owner’s manual or printed on the heater. Most electric heaters require 1,500 watts. Your choice of electric appliances and their usage can significantly impact your electricity bill. While electric heaters are efficient and small in size, they consume a lot of electricity. If you are not careful, heating your home with electric space heaters can easily double or triple your electric bill.
Cost of Running a Space Heater?
Typically there are two costs associated with a space heater:
Upfront cost:
The cost of a space heater depends on the amount of heat you want and the area you want to cover with the heater. A small space heater under the desk can cost you around $30, while powerful space heaters designed to warm up a larger room can be as much as $150. It is essential to get the requirement right for the heating capacity. A smaller-than-required space heater will lead to running it excessively to reach the comfort level you want. Get one that is too big and pay too much money upfront for the power you don’t need.
Electricity rate:
To determine the running cost of your space heater, you need to know the current rate of electricity you are paying. As per the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy rates charged by companies depend on several factors, including “the availability of power plants and fuels, local fuel costs, and pricing regulations.” You can find the current electricity rate in your area in the ‘electric charges’ section of your utility bill. You can also calculate the amount based on the average electricity rate in your state. While the average U.S electric charge is approximately 14¢ per kWh, it can vary from as high as 29¢ per kWh in Hawaii to as low as 9¢ per kWh in Louisiana.
Depending on the hour many hours you use the heater, you can determine the cost of running your space heater year-round:
Running cost of a space heater per day:
(Wattage/1000) x (usage per day by hours) * (Kilowatt-hour cost)
Kilowatt-hours (kWh) describe the energy you use when a one-kilowatt appliance runs for 60 minutes. E.g., if you want to use a 1500 watts space heater for 8 hours to keep a room warm, multiply those 8 hours by 1,500, then divide by 1,000, and you will get a total of 12 kilowatt-hours.
Running your heater per day (8 hours): 8 hours X 14c per kWh = $1.12 per day.
If you are using your heater for 8 hours per day in the month: $1.12 X 30 = $33.6/month
If you are want to use an electric heater for around six months of the year:
Heater cost per year (6 months use) = $33.6 X 6 = $201.6/year
How Much Area Does a Space Heater Cover?
As a general rule, you need approximately 10 watts of heating power per square foot for supplemental heating.
We need to determine whether you will use the space heater as a supplemental heat source and whether your room is insulated to select the appropriate coverage area.
Calculate the area of your room before determining which model would be appropriate.
For areas up to 50 square feet, whether it is 5*10 or 7*7, such as a bathroom, cubicle, a heater with 500 watts should be sufficient.
For areas up to 75 square feet, whether it is 7.5*10 or 8*9, such as a bathroom, small office, or bedroom, a heater with 750 watts would be ideal.
For areas up to 100 square feet, whether it is 10*10 or 12*8, such as a large bathroom, den, small office, dorm room, or galley kitchen, a 1000 watts heater would be ideal.
For areas up to 150 square feet, whether it is 10*15 or 12*12, such as a large bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, small living room, a 1500 watts heater would be suitable.
If the room where the heater is placed has poor insulation, such as a basement, the coverage requirement may vary.
A small unit of about 750W will be sufficient for an area up to 75 sq. ft. For a00 sq. ft. and more, look for a space heater rated at 1500W.
Comparing the Cost of Running a Space Heater to other Appliances
Running a 1500 watts electric space heater for 12 hours a day for a month would take about 540 kWh per month, as compared to a baseboard heater that will consume 200 and 500 kWh/month for the same time while running a heat pump could use anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 kWh/month. Please note that a space heater heats only a small area, while a heat pump can cover the entire house.
Compared to other household appliances, running a microwave takes about 25 watts, while an oven uses approximately 5,000 watts, and a refrigerator uses about 780 watts.
How to Heat Your Home More Efficiently
Although space heaters consume a great deal of energy, they are both practical and cost-efficient. As per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), space heaters are ideal for smaller rooms that are occupied infrequently, in conjunction with lower thermostat settings on your central system.
Consider Ceramics: A convective space heater with ceramic heating units is more energy-efficient than ones with metal parts because ceramics warm up faster and retain heat longer. However, they are a bit expensive.
Use Settings as per requirement: Most space heaters feature multiple settings that help you utilize the heater optimally as required. You can also set up your space heater to automatically shut off after a couple of hours, ensuring you don’t waste more electricity than you need.
Use Space Heater in the room you stay in: If you spend most of your time in one room, turn down your central heat source and use the heater only in the room you’re using. If you have centralized heating, lower the temperature and use your space heater to heat the room you’re in. Also, remember to turn off heaters when you leave the room.
Insulate and Weatherproof: Many homes have insufficient insulation, such as drafty windows, crawl spaces, and plumbing lines passing through the house.
Consider a space heater that is ideal for your room requirement.
Select a space heater that comes with thermostat and timer settings that helps in saving energy and preventing the room from getting too hot. Use a thermometer to monitor room temperature and set the heat that keeps you warm without overheating the space and wasting energy.
Add insulation to attics, basements, crawl spaces, ceilings, and floors to ensure warm air remains in.
How to make your house more energy-efficient
Apart from using an electric space heater, you can follow a few more tips to keep yourself warm and save money on your utility bills.
- Install a ground-source or air-source heat pump to heat your home in the winter and cool in summer
- Install a programmable thermostat
- Regularly change your furnace filter. A dirty filter leads the furnace to work harder, decreasing its efficiency and increasing heating costs.
- Regularly inspect ductwork in your house from a professional to ensure that the ducts are insulated and sealed. If there are leaks, air from outside will leak into the insides and not allow proper heating and lead to an unreasonable amount of extra cash when it comes to paying utility bills.
- Get a home energy audit done and implement the recommended measures
- Use Caulking: The house loses a lot of heat through the points where plumbing and electrical lines pass through your home. Prevent leakage by caulking around these points to form a seal.
Space Heater Fire Hazards
You can never be careful enough while using space heaters. As per the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters are associated with more than 25,000 residential fires every year, resulting in more than 300 fatalities. Additionally, an estimated 6,000 people receive emergency hospital care for burn injuries linked with contacting the hot surfaces of room heaters. Portable or stationary space heaters account for 43% of home heating fires and 85% of home heating fire deaths during winter months.
Electric Heater safety Tips
- Space heaters should always be placed in locations clear of flammable materials and out of reach of small children, pets, or anyone with impaired mobility.
- It would be best if you always plugged the electric heaters directly into a wall whenever possible. If you need to use an extension cord, it should be heavy-duty and made of 14-gauge wire or more.
- Check if your heater is certified by a nationally recognized testing institution such as Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.).
- Consider a space heater that is equipped with a guard around the heating element.
- Never leave a space heater unattended.
- Check if your heater has a tip-over safety switch that automatically shuts off the space heater if it’s knocked over.
- Do not place the space heater on a shelf, bench, or any uneven or raised surface.
- Do not use an electric heater in bathrooms, kitchens, or any other wet areas.
- Do not leave the space heater unattended, especially if there are small children around. Unplug your space heater if you are leaving the room for a while. This is important to keep the electricity bill down and for the safety of your home and family.