How Much Does It Cost To Run a Space Heater in 2021

When all the sweaters and blankets fail to keep you warm at home, a space heater can be a blessing. Although efficient, it can raise your electricity bills, so you probably want to know how much does it cost to run a space heater. A lot of variables can affect the overall cost of running a space heater. The initial cost can range from $30 to $150, depending on your needs. For instance, if you’ve got a 1,500-watt electric space heater running 24 hours a day costing 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, you’d be paying about $108 per month.

We’re going to give you more detailed information regarding the cost of keeping your house warm with a space heater.

Perks of Having a Space Heater

A space heater is undeniably a much more efficient choice over traditional heating machines because it can save you a lot of money while keeping you warm. The best thing about it is that it provides concentrated heating to a specific area instead of covering an entire room, requiring much less energy to run.

So, this thing will prevent you from wasting expensive electricity to warm up spaces that you don’t need. It can keep you just as warm as any other heater without consuming nearly as much energy.

As you can see, a space heater will give you the freedom to spend the energy you pay for with utmost efficiency by limiting energy consumption. This way, you can bring your electricity bills down significantly.

How Much Electricity Does a Space Heater Use?

It’s fairly easy to determine the amount of electricity a space heater will consume just by checking the watt rating. That’s because the rating represents how many watts a specific model of a space heater will use to run.

You will find that most space heaters are rated at 1,500-watts, which means they will consume 1,500-watts of electricity per hour. There are also much smaller models with ratings ranging from 200W to 1000W. Although not as common, you can purchase 4000W heaters designed for heating really large rooms.

As you may already know, the watt rating determines how much space a heater will be able to cover and how powerful it will be. In that sense, you should go for products with higher ratings if you’ve got larger spaces to cover.

Calculating the Cost of Running a Space Heater

We’ve given you a brief idea of how much it can cost to run a space heater, but now we will dive deeper into it. This device’s overall costs can vary depending on the space heater model and the space you’re planning to heat.

Initial Cost

If you want to purchase a space heater, you’ll find there are various models available with different watt ratings. You should buy one that is powerful enough to heat your room.

You can get yourself a pretty decent space heater for a price smaller than $100. In general, these devices’ prices don’t usually go over $150. If your needs are small, you can even get one without spending any more than $50! The price will depend on quality, brand value, and of course, watt ratings.

Operating Cost

Now that you’ve got the right space heater for you- let’s calculate how much it might cost to keep it up and running. There is a straightforward way to do that by using a simple formula designed to calculate the operating cost of electrical appliances.

We’re going to assume that you’ve got a 1,500-watt space heater that you want to run 24 hours for the next 30 days and the cost per kilowatt-hour is $0.10.

So, here is the formula that we’ll be using: (Watts x operation time ÷ 1,000 xkWh electric rate). Now, let’s do the math based on our assumed values.

1,500 x 24h ÷ 1,000 x $0.10 electric rate = $3.60

That means you’ll be spending $3.60 a day if you run a 1,500-watt space heater for an entire day.

Now, if we multiply $3.60 by 30 times, we get $3.60 x 30 = $108, which is what you will have to pay to keep a space heater running for a month.

Different Models and Their Costs Table

Here is a table that presents the cost of operating a space heater per hour at different electric rates.

Tips for Reducing the Cost of Running a Space Heater

You can easily keep the cost down by being a little bit more careful. The space heater’s efficiency won’t do you much good unless you follow a few basic rules.

• Try buying a model that comes with energy-efficient features like timer, economy mode, etc.
• Always remember to turn the space heater off when you’re not using it or before leaving the room.
• Wear warmer sweaters or use better blankets to stay warm instead of relying entirely on the heater.
• Lower the thermostat to minimize energy consumption.
• Upgrade your home to make it more weatherproof. That means adding weather stripping, insulation, caulks, etc.

Conclusion

You can totally rely on a space heater to keep yourself warm at home during the coldest of winters. It will save you a decent amount of money every month.

With the information we’ve provided, finding an answer to the question, “how much does it cost to run a space heater” shouldn’t be a problem for you. You can use the same formula for any model and any size!