The chilling cold inside cannot be ignored, which is why we will always be tempted to do everything we can to remain comfortable and feel good. The electric space heater makes all the difference by quickly heating the room or an area in the house and provide the needed convenience.
Of course, since it runs on household electricity, you don’t have to buy fuel for them. Still, it’s not free. When the utility bill gets in at the end of the month, and you notice the hefty hike from regularly using your space heater, the relaxed feelings leave again.
The amount of money that would cost you to run a space heater depends on the size and frequency of use. And knowing this will help you maintain your comfort and manage your budget at the same time.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Space Heater For An Hour?
Asides from all that has been mentioned, figuring out the running cost of the space heater depends on a plethora of variables. Some include the insulation of the room, the amount and sizes of windows, the outdoor temperature, and lots more.
To determine the probable cost required to run the space heater for an hour,If you take the 15 cents and multiply it by the 24 hours constant running time, that’s $3.6. But over the usual 30 days billing period, you will end up paying over $100 more on energy bills than the normal.To be safe,
The accurate cost of running a space heater for an hour is nearly impossible to determine, but we can easily calculate the probable energy consumption. This is good enough since the calculation will help you make a better choice. Ideally, you want a device that is capable of catering for your needs while requiring minimum power.
- You need to know the power rating of the heater in watts.
- You should also know your average cost per kWh.
The space heater’s power rating is how much electricity it uses in an hour. To get the cost for the hour, multiply watt rating in kilos by the price of a unit of electrical power. It’s as simple as that!
For instance, if you have a 500-watt unit, which is half of a kilowatt, and your cost per unit of electricity is $0.12, you calculate this way:
0.5 X 0.12 = 0.06 – meaning your heater costs 6 cents to run in an hour.
The calculations above are accurate, but still, bear in mind that if you run your heater with a thermostat during the hour, it’s not going to work for the entire hour.
The thermostat makes the space heater kick in only when the room drops below your desired temperature and stops when the heat is stable. So, in this case, the 6 cents per hour is only valid as long as your heater is running non-stop.
How much does it cost to run a 1500 watt heater for 24 hours?
Just like we described above, even if you know the watt rating of the space heater, you still need to figure out the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity being charged – which varies around the world. Let’s assume that the average price of our energy measurement is 10 cents per unit of electricity.
The first thing you do is convert the watt rating to kilowatt-hours. Since 1,000 watts is the equivalent of 1kwh, you make the conversion by diving 1500 watt by 1,000. This means our heater will use 1.5kW of electricity per hour for each straight hour they keep running.
Now from our original method, we will multiply 1.5kW by the electric rate of 10 cents to get the total running of the heater. In this case, it would cost $0.15. Affordable right?
So if you consider the actual operating costs of the space heater, even when you’re not running it in full, it seems pretty expensive. But if there’s a possibility of reducing the running time – take it!
Also, you need to know while you are gathering information on the cost per unit of electricity, that in some states, the rates can vary based on the time of day. In this case, you can adjust your HVAC to reach a certain kilowatt threshold per month.
While you are making the calculations, don’t also forget that the heater will not run continuously all through the whole 24 hours as longs the thermostat kicks in.
Depending on your thermostats, it senses the room temperature a few times during every hour, turns off when it reaches the necessary degree and remains off until the room temperature falls below the set temperature.
Do Space Heaters Save Money?
If you have been reading from above, you will see that space heaters can be quite expensive to run, especially if your electricity rates are high. Before you can decide on whether they save money or not, you might want to do the maths first. However, you can avoid spending so much if you make some adjustment.
For instance, if you use only a single room of the home during winter, you don’t have to heat the entire house, it costs less to operate.
Instead, you can set up the space heater in a room while the temperature in the rest of the house is lowered. Reducing the thermostat by 10 to 15 degrees for averagely eight hours can save about 5 to 15 percent of your heating bill.
Proper insulation in the basements, crawl spaces, attics, ceilings, and floors that is capable of retaining heat in the room is also going to lower the heating bills. It keeps the warm air in and cold out to supplementing the space heater and in the long run, save money.
You should also use models of space heaters that are environmentally friendly to use with lesser energy — may be as little as 400-500 watts rather than the regular convection heaters. Even if the smaller ones are rarely as efficient as the central heating system, they are less expensive to use.
Do Space Heaters Use A Lot Of Electricity?
Of course, it’s already general knowledge that the space heater takes a significant toll on energy consumption. From our previous discussion, we have also established that it all comes down to the way you manage the heater.
The charge on electric companies by their customers are rated in kilowatt-hour, and they vary from one company to the other. For you, it depends on how much electricity you use and the specific season.
The first step into finding out if space heaters use a lot of electricity is to find the wattage. It’s most times in the owner’s manual or printed on the heater itself. The wattages tell the measure of electricity needed to power it.
Most space heaters sold use 1500 watts, although some are slightly lower or higher. Then multiply the energy of the space heater in kilowatt-hours by the applicable rate to get the amount it costs to operate.
The way you operate the heater determines how much of your electricity it’s going to use. Leaving it to run continuously even when no one is in the room wastes energy. You can avoid this by programing the heater to run on a timer. If it doesn’t have a timer, you can use a plug-in timer.
The room or specific place in your house stays warm and retains heat for a while after the heater automatically shuts off and come back on when you need it on again. Also, you can always manually turn it on.
The amount of time you have to run the heater can be reduced by closing of doors and windows, and insulations. Don’t worry; the device does not produce dangerous flames that need to get out. Just so you know, it’s not only the space heater; other factors can cause potentially cause the bill to hike up.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A 1500 Watt Infrared Heater?
The infrared heaters use approximately the same amount of power as the electric space heaters with resistive elements. Just the former, the energy consumption equally depends on the wattage rating of the infrared component, which is usually around 750 or 1500 watts.
The Infrared heater operation is similar to the conventional heater when it comes to the way electricity energizes the heating element. The energy radiated in the radiator comes in contact with any part of your body in its path, absorbs it and becomes warmer.
For energy to become useful, it must be absorbed, which is why some heaters incorporate a copper plate as a heat exchanger. The plate absorbs the heat and warms up while the fan circulates the warm air from it.
Using an infrared heater is much safer than conventional or resistive heat. But to produce heat requires just as much electricity. The watt rating is always specified on the label, usually near the power cord.
To calculate the cost of operating a 1500 watt infrared heater will require the electricity cost of your residential area. If yours is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, that’s 15 cents per hour. If you run your space heater for 10 hours in a day, that’s $1.5 daily which works out to be $67.5 a month. Well, this is just an instance.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Ceramic Heater?
Most devices meant to generate heat from electricity do so by relying on electrical resistance, or heated conductor when current is passed through it. The space heater remains one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to provide or supplement heat for a space in the home or working environment.
Some high-end heaters employ a bulb that emits infrared radiation. They are environmentally friendly, including the copper heat exchanger to receive radiation and a fan to blow the heat produced out into the room.
There are the other inexpensive heater models usually have a ceramic core with one or two coils wrapped around it. They are quite efficient with a higher tendency to last longer.
Just as we calculate the cost of using the conventional heater, we can also get the price of using a ceramic heater by multiplying the energy input in kilowatt by the pence or your electrical charge per kilowatt-hour.
Also, the same way you manage the cost for the conventional heater, the ceramic heater deserves the same.
Keep the indoor temperature right below the ideal comfort level and when it gets a bit chilly, run your device, but only in the rooms that matter. The ceramic heater gets hot fast, so you can turn it off when the heat is circulated to save cost on power.
Other factors that can determine the electrical cost from heaters is your lifestyle, weather conditions, insulation levels, heater size, comfortable room temperature, and your energy tariff.
Which Type Of Heater Is Cheapest To Run?
There are too many types of heaters out on the market, but the most common electric heaters are the coil heaters and the infrared heaters.
The electric coil heaters operate by conducting electricity through metal coils so that the heat produced radiates through the room. Infrared heaters, on the other hand, uses the electromagnetic energy of infrared for radiation.
All types of electric heaters are considered to be 100 percent efficient in turning the electricity to heat, but some are quite more expensive to run than the other – maybe because they produce more heat than others. Asides from the ceramic, convention, or electric heaters, there are also fan-forced and oil-filled radiant heaters.
But the cheapest heaters to run are the halogen heaters and oil-filled radiators. And the most expensive is the fan-forced heaters and bar fires.
What are the safety precautions needed to run a heater?
Although most types of heaters are safe, you should keep them away from direct contact to flammable materials like beddings, paper, cloth, or wood. When the heat comes in contact with combustible materials like these, it can combust.
Regardless of the type of electric space heater you select, you should always go for quality above all other conditions. We know timer or thermostat is efficient for conserving energy, but not only that, it helps to avoid overheating. The advantage is that they work for all types of space heaters.
- Don’t sleep with the electric heater on to avoid cases with anything happening with the wires or heat source.
- For newer models with no known electrical issues, you are probably safe, but space heaters can be dangerous if not carefully monitored, so stick to using it during the day.
- Some have reported the infrared heaters for damaging the skin or eyes after prolonged exposure. It’s important to watch out for this and avoid sitting so close to the radiator.
- There is absolutely no need to gaze always into the glowing light of an infrared heater.
- Also, always read the manual of the space heater to ensure you are using it properly.
What if you don’t have an electric space heater?
Not all of them are electric; some run on propane and kerosene. Of course, these are available, but their cost savings are not so easy to calculate since fuel price is mostly based on demand and supply.
Using them might save you money, it might also cost you more than you have bargained. Well, the advantage of using a fuel-based heater is the fact that you can still have heat even when the power goes out.
Also, while you go shopping for the electric space heaters, keep in mind the various other types like the natural gas, or propane-powered heaters to avoid buying the wrong one.
Conclusion
The heater is a great way to keep certain zones in your home warm, especially during the cold months of winter. It cannot take the place of your HVAC unit, but it works efficiently to warm you up and the items in its path during the chilly days.
While you run your heater, the amount of money you will be spending every month depends on several factors including, the wattage of the space heater, your usage plan, your energy tariff, house insulation, your location and a lot more.
The range of power and ability, the space heater can exhibit is based on the wattage, so if you want to heat a large room, go for a unit with higher wattage.
The common choice for most people who intend to heat the living room and most portions in the house is the 1500 watt space heater. Of course, using this much wattage will result in a significant addition to the monthly energy bill, but it all comes down to how you use it.