The most common methods of home heating in the United States are oil furnaces, gas heaters, and hot water boilers. While these can all effectively heat your home, they can also heat up your bills. Either you’re paying a significant monthly gas or electric bill, or you’re forced to have fuel or oil refilled regularly. Space heaters can definitely help reduce some of these expenses. However, since space heaters will also contribute to an electric bill, there are a few things to consider when determining the best route to take.

How often is your entire home occupied? The real savings with a space heater can be found when you reduce the effort of the main heating system. In lieu of that heat, you would use a space heater to heat the specific areas of your home that are occupied. This makes a lot of sense in many households – if the entire family is in the living room for the whole evening, why are you paying to heat the unoccupied basement? If this is done regularly, the amount of savings can really add up quickly.

This is great when you are only heating one floor or just a few rooms. But keep in mind, if you place too many space heaters in too many rooms, the savings could be negated. In fact, you could end up spending more than you would if you just used your main heating system. Just keep an eye on your bill – if you’re cautious, it’s definitely possible to save some serious money using space heaters!

Stay warm! But remember to never leave a space heater running in an unattended room. Safety first!