How to Save Money Buying a Space Heater
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Fresh, cool air is drifting through the color of the autumn trees and some of us are turning the thermostat to "Heat." Smaller homes and vacation cabins often do not have a furnace, so we rely on the fireplace, a wood stove, or electric heat baseboards to keep the house livable in the winter time. Even in homes with central heating, a small "space heater" can be a handy addition when we only need heat in one chilly area.
Space heaters are handy and convenient, but don't count on one to heat your home exclusively, or to save much on your heating bill. Electric heaters, even those claiming "infrared technology" are expensive to operate compared to central heat systems such as heat pumps and propane furnaces. You may see mail or television ads for "discounted" space heaters that claim to save you money on your electric bill. Don't fall for these claims. Most of these ads feature items that are overpriced and then discounted. Similar performance can be found for much lower prices in models available over the internet or in local stores.
Hit the internet yourself (or ask a teenager to help you if this is not your favorite thing) and learn everything you can. Reading the reviews on Amazon.com can tell you a lot. My favorite is Consumer Reports magazine. Consumer Reports Union is a non-profit organization and they do not accept advertising in their magazine. As a result, they are professional and unbiased in their testing and ratings of products.
Use the following tips to choose the right space heater for your home.
What size should you get? The amount of heat generated is rated in "watts" which is a way to determine how much electricity the heater is using. It's easy to figure out how many watts you need:estimate 10 watts per square foot and multiply the square footage of the room by 10. For example, a room with 144 square feet will require 1,440 watts. When we say square feet, we are just saying measure your room with a tape measure - length and width - and multiply the 2 numbers.