Whilst turning down the thermostat of your heating system can cut energy costs, another way to reduce your energy costs is to purchase a space heater. Whilst heating systems heat the whole house and space heater just heats the space around it, perfect for heating a single room. Space heaters have so many uses and are very good if the heater is in a room you use a lot, like a family room, or
for example many people now work from home and have a home office. Why
heat the whole house when you are home when all you need to heat is the
home office? It makes more eco sense to turn off the house heating, or turn it down
very low, and switch on the space heater in the room you are using.
Remember to keep the room closed though so as to allow the space heater to work more efficiently. Space heaters also work well in homes where there are people sensitive to the cold like sick people or the elderly. Having a space heater in their room can give them the heat boost they need without cooking the whole house!
When looking to purchase a space heater as with any product
- Check to see that
it has an Energy Star label. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and
protect the environment through energy efficient products and
practices. It’s always a good start when looking at purchasing any new
products for your home. Some heaters can cost as little as 4cents and hour to run so it’s worth looking and comparing the energy star labels! - Purchase heaters that have all of the current safety features and has the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) label attached to it. As with all potentially dangerous machinery, safety first!
- Choose a thermostatically controlled heater since they avoid the energy waste of overheating a room.
- Select a heater of the proper size for the room you wish to heat. Avoid wasting energy and money by heating a space with an oversized heater.
- Locate the heater on a level surface away from foot traffic. Be especially careful to keep children and pets away from the heater.
- Try to buy a heater with a built in timer. If the heater doesn’t have a timer, perhaps think about purchasing a timer plug. Having a timer is great for rooms like a home office, where you know you are going to be in the room at set times throughout the day.
We’re all looking to cut energy costs over winter whilst saving money
and the environment so why not look into a space heater for your home.
