In large rooms, a heater is an irreplaceable device, a suitable heater for a large room will make accommodation warm and cozy. But do space heaters use a lot of electricity? In our short guide, we will show you how to calculate how much electricity your heater takes and how to minimize expenses on its running.

Do space heaters use a lot of electricity?

The average space heater uses 1,500 watts. 1,000 watts is 1 kilowatt, which means that 1,500 watts equal 1.5 kilowatts. However, in your electric bill, you will see kilowatt-hours, or the amount of energy that a one-kilowatt unit will use for 1 hour.

Example:

To calculate the number of kilowatt-hours, we will use the next formula. Let us imagine that you decide to use your heater for 10 hours. That means:

1,500 watts * 10 hours = 15,000

Now divide it by 1,000 to get kilowatt hours (kWh):

15,000 / 1,000 = 15

The average price that people in the USA pay for kWh is 12 cents.

15 kWh * $0.12 = $1.8

This means that one day of 10-hour use of the space heater will cost you $1.8. So, if you will use it every day during the month exactly like that, you will pay $54 per month or $648 per year.

$1.8 * 30 days = $54

$54 * 12 months = $648

If we compare a space heater with a refrigerator, you will see that the fridge uses up to 250 watts per hour but works 24/7. A hairdryer uses around 1200 watts per hour, but usually, we do not use it for a long period.

It seems like using a space heater for 10 hours every day during the year will cost you a lot of money. But you should take into account that on summer days you probably will not use it. If we subtract 3 months, we will get $486 that is 1.33 times less.

$54 * 9 months = $486

Tips: How can my space heater use less electricity?

The question is more about how to use it more effectively, rather than how to use less electricity. So, to use your space heater effectively, follow these tips.

• Use the space heater in a closed room. It is better to run it for an hour or two than trying to heat a room while all your windows and doors are opened. The outside air is cold and will blow all the heat out of the room.

• When you use a heater you can turn down the central heating. In this way, you will not heat rooms that you do not use.

• Turn off the heater when you do not need to use it. Another way is to buy a space heater with a timer and a thermostat so it will automatically turn off when it reaches the desired temperature.

Summary

A powerful space heater is a must-have for large rooms. However, it doesn’t consume so much electricity as it may seem at the first glance. If you use a heater for 10 hours daily, you will pay around $54 per month. But pay attention that this sum depends both on the time and how much money charges your utility company. But there are some tips on how to minimize the amount of electricity used by the heater.

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