Facts About Space Heaters

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December 2009

Choosing a space heater

Before purchasing a space heater you should determine how and where it will be used, and whether a radiant, convection or combination heater will do the job best. Combination units are versatile, but you will most likely get better performance from a radiant or convection heater. Use a radiant heater if you want heat instantly and will not move from one spot. If you need to warm an entire room, a convection heater should do the trick.
Most space heaters use between 600 and 1,500 watts of electricity. If a homeowner were to use a space heater 8 hours a day, 5 days a week for a month it would cost approximately $15.26.

So, can using a space heater cut your home heating bill?

Maybe.

Space heaters can only heat a small space. You can save significant money if you use the space heater with this in mind: turn the thermostat of your central heating system down considerably (as low as 50 degrees in some cases). Place the space heater in a room that is occupied by people, and close that room off from the rest of the home. This method of “zone heating” will save money.

Space heaters do have their place in warming a house. But they simply cannot replace energy efficient central heating or weatherization improvements to the home. For example, all electric space heaters produce 1 unit of heat for every 1 unit of electricity consumed, meaning they are 100 percent energy efficient. Those that use natural gas are 80 percent efficient. In comparison, geothermal heat pumps can produce more than 3 units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed, making them 300 percent efficient.

While it may be technically possible to cut your heating bill by 50 percent using a space heater, it is impractical for most people.

Brian Sloboda is a program manger specializing in energy efficiency for the Cooperative Research Network, a research arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.