Tip 13 - Space Heaters: The Final Frontier |
| All 1,500-watt electric space heaters produce the same amount of heat, no matter the size. Millions use portable space heaters to help relieve the chill, but even as they're thawing out, many wonder if they're using energy wisely. |
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ENERGY FACTS
- A space heater is cheaper to operate than a furnace. A 1,000 kWh space heater costs 8.58 cents (at 2nd tier rates) an hour to operate. If the furnace was on for an hour, it would cost $1.72 (at 2nd tier rates), though you'd also be heating the entire house instead of one room.
- There are three types of space heaters:
- A quartz heater will heat an object without heating the air. "It's a direct people-wall-furniture heater rather than a room heater," one expert says. It loses its effectiveness at 10 to 15 feet.
- A convection heater has glowing coils that are exposed to the air or use electricity to heat a liquid. Many also have fans. The heater warms air in a room and if it has a fan, the fan circulates it.
- Kerosene heaters are less common. They're prohibited by law from being used in homes for safety reasons. Unvented gas appliances dump a variety of unpleasant combustion products into the air.
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SIMPLE WAYS TO SAVE ENERGY
- If you have a room you can seal off, consider using a convection heater. If you have open architecture you probably want a people-heating quartz heater instead.
- Don't leave your heater on if you don't need it.
- Don a sweater first.
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