In many places in the US where winters are cold and heating is kept on consistently, natural gas heating is the preferred method. In most cases it is considered to be cheaper than electric heat, and there are quite a few applications. For example, some homes have natural gas water heaters and fireplaces, many people prefer gas ranges and ovens over electric ranges and ovens. Even though having natural gas heating is a money saver for many homes, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still ways to cut your energy bills even further. Space heaters can be a great way to cut down energy waste and reduce your bills.
When everyone is gone during the day, and sometimes at night when everyone is bundled up in bed, it is a good idea to turn down the heat to cut down on unnecessary waste. However, turning the heat completely off is not recommended because the cost of maintaining heat in a properly insulated home is less than heating a home back up to comfortable temperature after being off. The exception to this, of course, is if the home will be empty for more than a few days (vacation, etc). In that case, special steps need to be taken to winterize your home. In combination with turning down the heat, space heaters can be used to efficiently heat smaller spaces in order to further cut waste, or to add additional heat where needed without overheating the rest of the house.
When should I use a space heater?
Good times to keep the heat a little lower and use a space heater or to use a space heater to add extra heat might be:
1. Working in a home office during the day
2. Sleeping at night
3. Baby’s nursery to keep it cozy at all times
4. Working in a closed garage
5. Keeping a small room warm for pets that are home alone during the day (see safety tips below)
Should I choose a portable space heater or consider a permanent installation?
There are many types of space heaters, but a major distinction is whether or not a space heater is designed for permanent installation or portable use. If you are someone who works from a home office during the day, and typically only stay in that room, a permanent installation may be a good choice for you. Permanent installations leave the user with the option of using gas or another type of fuel, and these options are cheaper to operate than electric space heaters, but using them indoors requires permanent venting to be installed to keep the heater from depleting the air space in the room and to release unwanted combustion gases outside the home. These space heaters that use vents are called “vented” space heaters. “Unvented” combustion units are not recommended for use inside the home. Another good place to consider a permanent installation of a vented space heater is in a garage workshop. This is a space you may regularly use for long periods at a time that may deserve a more permanent solution with a lower operating cost than a portable electric space heater. It is also typically a simpler task to install the necessary venting in a garage than it is to install it in the walls of your home.
Portable space heaters are better for “as needed” applications. This might include especially cold nights when you keep the heat low and lots of blankets don’t quite cut it, or for a home office where you only occasionally need an extra boost of heat to keep out the chill. For these “as needed” applications, portable electric space heaters are the best solution. These can be moved anywhere within the home and plugged into a wall outlet. Although using electricity for heat instead of natural gas is not as cost efficient, in this case using electricity with a portable space heater to heat a small space will cost less overall than heating a whole home to a comfortable temperature. Electric space heaters, while slightly more expensive to run than combustion heaters, are the only unvented, portable space heaters that are safe to use within your home.
What types of electric space heaters are there?
Within the category of electric space heaters, there are a number of options, including:
• Oil filled radiators
• Radiant heaters
• Ceramic space heaters (with or without fans)
• Electric fan
How do these electric space heaters work? What are the pros and cons?
Oil filled radiators use the movement of electricity through coils to heat up oil filling the radiator. The oil can hold heat well, and transfers the heat through the radiator to the surrounding air. These are good for heating a room for a long period of time, like a home office or a bedroom at night. Radiant heaters use infrared heat to directly heat objects that are within “line of sight” by radiation. These heat up very quickly and are very warm, but are a greater fire hazard for this reason and more likely to cause burns. A heater like this might work well for use in the garage where you want quick heating, where there is less risk of children or pets coming into contact with it, and where it can be placed on a concrete floor away from fire hazards like carpet and curtains. Ceramic space heaters heat up quickly but are cooler to the touch than other types of space heaters. For this reason, they often have fans to help spread the heated air throughout a larger space. However, this might be the only reasonable answer for use in a room like a nursery or where pets may come into contact with the space heater. These “safe touch” ceramic heaters are very popular in homes for this reason. Electric fans use electricity to heat metal coils and blow air over the coils, warming the air and spreading it throughout the room. Using fans in this manner to heat and circulate air (both in ceramic heaters and also electric fan heaters) can cause the air to dry out quickly, however, and may not be the right answer for a baby’s nursery or for regular use for long periods of time.
Keep safe when using a space heater indoors
Safety is critical when it comes to using space heaters, so be sure to read the safety instructions on any space heater you are considering before you buy. To reduce the risk of fire or burns, it is important to look for a space heater with overheat sensor with automatic shut off and tip-over safety switch. Depending on your needs, you may also want a “cool touch” space heater. Be sure your space heater is set up on a hard, level surface with no flammable objects nearby. Your space heater will come with its own requirements for how much clearance it needs around it. Also, take care to secure loose cords and set up the space heater out of the way of foot traffic so that it doesn’t get kicked over and so cords don’t get tripped on.
