will my electricbill run up?

Question

I have to run a space heater in my home until I can get my furnace repaired and I have heard alot of controversy about space heaters running up the electric bill. Is that true or just a bunch of bologney

Answer 1

Its absolutely true. Depending on who your electricity comes from it can go up sky high, or it could be barely a blip on your bill. Plan on your bill going up like 2% to 5% if you run it constantly, higher like 10% depending on where youre power comes from.

Either way, your gas bill will go down. Think of it that way. But its keeping you warm, just pay the bill. Just dont keep it running constantly 24/7, then your bill will go WAAAAY up..

Answer 2

For sure it will be more money to run a space heater than a traditional furnace to heat the same area. The space heater isn't as efficient and isn't really meant to heat a large area. Please be very careful where you position this heater as fires can easily start from heaters placed too close to something else that is flamable.

Check your rating on the heater itself... it should give you a "number of watts" or BTU rating... some even tell you how many kwh it will use per hour (Kilowatt hours)... once you have the number, your electric bill will tell you how much each KWH is worth. If the heater is in watts, you can find a conversion on google to convert from watts to kwh and then refer to your bill. You can figure how much it will be... as an estimate for sure.
If you have a hydro meter; look at the wheel that spins on the lower section inside the glass... then turn on the heater and check again... it will be spinning a lot faster. Every turn of the meter is money so the slower the better!
Good luck but get your furnace fixed sooner rather than later because it will cost more to run a heater for the same period and a furnace is safer.

Answer 3

Oh you betcha its going to run your bill up. The electric company charges you based on wattage used per hour a small space heater generally uses 2000 watts per hour or more.
or enough power to run 20 100W lightbulbs in an hour... you do the math...

Answer 4

Very true. You might try renting an industrial unit from someplace like sunbelt. The bigger units are more efficient. Also, cheap box fans can move the air if you don't have ceiling fans.

Answer 5

yes, it's about like running a refrigerator or other appliance
older models are worse than the new energy efficient ones.

Answer 6

electricity is not an efficient way to make heat. it is far cheaper to heat with gas

Answer 7

IF YOU TRY TO HEAT THE WHOLE HOUSE WITH IT, IT WILL!