space heaters?

Question

I need answers only from those who have had to use space heaters please so the answers will be first hand from people who have used them. My house has no heat right now because my furnace went out Hopefully it will be fixed on the first but that is besides the point. Right now I have to use a space heater to heat up my house. I live in a small mobile home so both my living room and kitchen can heat up with only one heater. My living room is about 12 by 16 and kitchen about 12 by 12. I want to know if my electric will be going up sky high because I have my heater running from about 1am until 4pm when I leave for work and unplug it. Im on a budget plan on my electric meaning I pay the same amount each month until settlement month in may. I live in southeast Michigan. I heard alot of people say that my bill will be way up there, some say it may go up but not by much as the newer models are no different than using an airconditioner, some say I wont even notice a difference. Help

Answer 1

Our electric utility provider has a handy calculator on its website that enables you to figure out how much an appliance, fan, space heater, anything electric is costing you per hour to run. Check to see if yours has the same thing. In our area, SDGE says it costs about 7 cents an hour to run a 1500 watt space heater.

Answer 2

I do not know where you are, but here in the USA, any big box hardware store will have a wide variety. The cheapest ones have no thermostat, but 3 fixed settings, fan only, low (750 watts) and high (1500 watts). Cost ranges from about $20 and up. The 2nd lowest models have a thermostat so you can set a temperature and the heater will cycle on and off to maintain the setting. These start at about $25 and up. The thing is, most all will be limited to 1500 watts. This rating is based on the limits imposed on the wiring in rooms in houses. These heaters will keep a closed room 10x10 feet quite comfortable. I have a small heater like this in my garage for freeze protection in winter. My garage is unheated. I modified the thermostat so it is set for about 38 degrees F. The lowest setting originally had been 60 degrees F. Anyway, all you need do is visit a hardware store or a home and garden store, and then shop around for one that fits your needs. One other source comes to mind, thrift stores. We have a number of charity donation stores that resell donated items. They might have used heaters that might fit what you need.

Answer 3

I live in a trailer home as well in Indiana and had furnace problems a while back too. We heated our trailer with 3 electric space heaters, 1 in the front bedroom, 1 in the back bedroom and one in the living/kitchen area. I saw my electricity bill go up approximately $40.00. Not to bad considering the furance cost me over $300.00 to repair.

If you are on budget billing you probably wont see much of a difference in the settle up month if you conserve electricity the rest of the year.

Answer 4

It actually depends on what type of space heater you are using. I had one that I used for a couple hours each morning. The bill came and it was about 45 dollars higher than normal. You can call your electric company and ask for an estimate on what your bill is running at right now.

Answer 5

You are on a budget plan so your payment won't be up next month. You will be using extra electricity but it is only for one week so your bill will probably not see a large jump caused by one week of space heater use. My question is why is it taking a full week to fix your furnace?

Answer 6

I'v used them for years to go along with my furnace. I don't think there is a huge differenc at all. The only problem I have with them, if you run too many on one circut, you'll blow your breaker. We have two bedrooms upstairs now, and the kids each have one in their rooms, when they run them at the same time, it blows. Or, like if you have one in your kitchen, and it's running, and you make a pot of coffee, that could cause it to blow. So you have to watch that too. But no, there's not that big of a difference.

Answer 7

you must be freezing...Good Luck