Energy Efficiency & Space Heaters

Electric space heaters are intended to offer you comfort and supplement your home’s heating system. Electric heat is efficient, as all of the energy used to create heat comes out as heat, but the energy required to operate a space heater can certainly pad your next utility bill. Be sure to:

Use a unit that is designed to heat the appropriate room size.
Look for a unit with a thermostat and timer settings.
Only use space heaters to add comfort – they are not designed for permanent home heating.
Do not use a space heater when you are not home or occupying a room – for efficiency and safety.

Common Types of Electric Space Heaters

Radiant Heaters: Designed to heat objects, not the air in the room. Use this when you want to get warm quickly for a shorter period of time.
Convection Heaters: Designed to heat the room by circulating warm air up and away from the unit. This is best used when the goal is to warm the air in the room and is ideal for longer periods.
Combination Infrared Heaters: A popular style of space heaters that combines infrared technology and a fan which distributes heat into the room. These are most often in a cabinet that makes them an attractive option and safer for living spaces.

What does this mean on your electric bill?

The reality is that almost all electric space heaters use the same amount of electricity. So no matter what it looks like and how much you spent on the unit, it will likely require the same amount of power to operate – 1,500 watts.

Your monthly electric bill is the total kilowatt-hours (kWh) used in one month. A kWh is 1,000 watts used for one hour. So that 1,500 watt space heater is using 1.5 kWh (kilowatt-hour) each hour it is in operation. Given our current rates, a space heater will cost $0.17 per hour.

Here are some more stats:
8 hours per day, every day = $40 per month
24 hours per day, everyday = $122 per month

Click on the Space Heater Calculator to investigate more.