watts does a space heater use

How Many Watts Does a Space Heater Use? (Do they Use a lot of Electricity?)

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Having a heater in cold weather has become a necessity nowadays. A space heater is one of the great appliances by which a person can easily bear the cold as it is very useful, and portable for warming a room. This article will guide you about how much wattage is used by space heaters, the electricity usage, the cost of running it, the pros and cons, and much more information related to a space heater. 

How many watts does a space heater use?

  • The wattage used by the space heater depends upon various factors such as setting,  duration, etc
  • On average most space heaters typically use 1500 watts when it is used at high heating settings. 
  • When they are used at a low heat setting use an average of 750 watts. 
watts does a space heater use
watts does a space heater use

Do space heaters use a lot of electricity? 

The space heaters are very compact and portable and they can easily move into any room. The electricity used by the space heater depends upon its size.

  •  If it is a large space heater of 1500 Watts on average it can use about 1.5 kiloWatts of power.
  •  A kilo Watts refers to the amount of energy the appliances use per hour to run a 1-kilowatt appliance.
  • The electricity used by a single-setting small space heater from 200 watts to 1000 consumes electricity from 0.20 kilowatts to 1 kilowatt.
  • If the heater has multiple heating settings that use the wattage from 500 watts to 1500 watts use the electricity from 0.5 kilowatts to 1.5 kilowatts. 

Explanation of power consumption:

You can calculate the power consumption by the space heater by the electrical rating which is available on the heater Or on the manual in terms of watts, voltage, and amperage such as

Watts = voltage*amperage*power factor. 

Mostly the power factor stands for 1 unit but it can change. For example, if a space heater has an electrical rating of 120 volts and 15 amps then the watts consumed by the space heater = 120 V * 15 A *1= 1800 watts or 1.8 kilowatts. 

Calculating the power rating of the space heater:

Easy to calculate the power rating of the space heater as you know the heater’s power consumption in wattage. As the electricity bill is used to measure kilowatt hours. The following are the steps to find the power rating of a space heater:

  • The formula for calculating the power rating of a space heater is the number of watts * the number of hours. 
  • Let’s suppose the power consumed by the space heater is around 1800 Watts and it is used for 2 hours then 1800*2 = 3600.
  • Then the next step is to divide 3600 by 1000 you will get 3.6.
  • If you want to check how much it costs to use the space heater for 2 hours then it needs to multiply the utility charges according to your location by 3.6-kilowatt hours. 
  • If we multiply the answer by 30 it will calculate the monthly electricity used by the space heater when it is used for 2 hours every day. But here the cost will not include the cost of taxes and other additional fees. 

Cost of running a space heater:

The approximate cost of running a heater of 1500 watts is $0.20 per hour but the cost varies according to the use of the space heater. For example, if we use the heater for 10 hours in a day then the electricity cost will be around $2.00 per day. It feels very good to keep yourself warm during the cold weather but do you know there are also some advantages and disadvantages of using the space heater which you will read about next? 

Pros and cons:

The following are some pros and cons of using a space heater:

Pros:

  • When we compare it with the other heating appliances, the space heater is not so expensive. 
  • The electricity consumption by the space heater is lower than other heating devices. 
  • With the low energy consumption, the electricity cost to run the space heater is also low. 
  • Using a space heater in a room or a specific area is very effective. 
  • The space heaters are compact and portable. 
  • Using the space heater during winter is a great option. 
  • Space heaters nowadays are straightforward to use.

Cons:

  • There is also a risk of overheating due to which it can catch fire. If you come close to the space heater there is a risk of getting burned. 
  • We need to look at the space heater regularly to avoid any fire hazards.
  • It is only useful to use it in a small area.

Various types of space:

There are various types of space heaters and you should choose the finest space heater to use at home.  the following are some types of space heaters:

  • Ceramic heaters
  • Fan heaters
  • Infrared heaters
  • Oil filled heater
  • Panel heaters. 
watts does a space heater use

Conclusion:

A space heater is very useful to use when they are compared to central heating system malfunctions. The watts consumed by a space heater on average is from 750 to 1500 watts and they are way better to use in a smaller area and cost-effective than other heaters. 

FAQ’s

What is cheaper running a space heater Or a central heater? 

A space heater is cheaper to run than a central heater as it uses less energy when it is compared to the central heater. 

Should we unplug the space heater when it is not used? 

Always turn off the space heater and unplug it before leaving the room.

Rick Costa
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