Will Electric Heaters REALLY Save You Money?

Ah, the sure signs of winter are here… snow is falling, temperatures are dropping, and the newspapers are full of giant ads promoting the “savings” you’ll get using their “revolutionary” electric heaters or Amish fireplaces. Are these hot ideas or will you end up getting burned? Let’s talk facts:

ALL electric heaters are 100% efficient. Big deal. The same can be said of your toaster, light bulb, and VCR, all “100% efficient”. Have you tried heating your home with those recently? The real question is how many BTUs it can produce and the cost per BTU. Electric heat is one of the most expensive ways to heat an area. It’ll cost you over 50% more to heat a room using a portable electric heater or electric fireplace than a 90% efficient natural gas furnace. Ouch. Don’t be fooled, these aren’t bargain prices.  A well-marketed $40 electric heater selling for $400+ is not a good deal unless you’re the one selling it. “Amish” fireplaces at $500 or more are mostly just burning your money.

Quick Link:  Annual Home Heating Cost Comparison from Inland Power (PDF) (217kb)

A small electric heater may (eventually) heat the room it’s in, or at least the small area around the heater, but what about the rest of your house? Anything you spend to heat with the electric heater is in addition to what you’re spending to heat the house. Also if your thermostat is fooled thinking the home is warmer than it really is, you’ll end up having to turn up the heat to compensate, costing you even more money. No matter how you look at it, this is a very expensive, inefficient way to get heat. I invite you to contact one of our expert comfort advisers to learn more about the truth of these electric heaters and what would be a good solution for you.