Most modern space heaters should come with enough cord slack that you can plug them into a wall outlet and still position them conveniently in the room for maximum warmth.
Installing dedicated outlets for space heaters is key to prevent overloading your existing circuits and mitigating the risk of electrical fires. Dedicated outlets should also optimize your heater's performance to provide a secure and uninterrupted power supply.
REMEMBER: Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or surge protector. ONLY plug directly into wall outlets. Stay safe. Stay warm.
Wall-mounted heaters are hardwired for safety
The cord itself makes the portable units less safe to operate and mean they shouldn't be located in high-traffic areas. Tripping over a cord can cause a portable unit to fall over, creating a fire risk.
Remember- Do NOT plug space heaters into power strips or extension cords. Also make sure to NOT overload power strips beyond their intended use. Plug space heaters and other appliances directly into the wall outlet.
The National Electrical Code requires that all major appliances have dedicated circuits. Major appliances include refrigerators, stoves, washers & dryers, and some space heaters. Space heaters can range from 400 to 1500 watts, but a good rule of thumb is that the maximum watts per outlet should never exceed 1500 watts.
Plug space heaters directly into a wall outlet. Do not use an extension cord or power strip, which could overheat and result in a fire. Do not plug any other electrical devices into the same outlet as the heater.
Always plug the heater into the wall. Never use a power strip or an extension cord. Neither one can handle the heater voltage and could catch fire. Make sure you have a safe space, that's three feet from your couch, a bed, and curtains.
Space heaters can take anywhere from 750 watts to 3,000 watts to operate. Large space heaters take immense amounts of energy to run. However, those are most likely used only in commercial and industrial settings. The average residential space heater has two main heat settings, low and high.
Never plug more that one space heater into a receptacle. Never use a power strip or surge protector strip. If an extension cord is necessary, use the shortest possible heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger. Always check and follow any manufacturer's instructions pertaining to the use of extension cords.
Be sure to inspect the cord for cracks or damage. ALWAYS plug space heaters directly into wall outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip.
Running a space heater overnight increases the risk of fire. If the unit is left unattended or placed too close to flammable materials, such as curtains or bedding, it can ignite and lead to a devastating fire.
Place the heater out of high-traffic areas and on a level, hard, non-flammable floor surface—NOT on carpets, furniture, or countertops.
It's a useful protection against shocks, overheating appliances and other issues. Always make sure that your space heater is plugged into a GFCI outlet.
The circuit could be damaged or be undersized for space heater use. Position the space heater away from the electrical outlet to prevent hot air from blowing back on the outlet, which will further tax the outlet and wires. If you see burn marks on the outlet, discontinue use of the outlet and call an electrician.
Savings using a space heater for 8 hours per day
Those with electric heat save less -- about $72 respectively -- and folks with natural gas, which is currently cheap, would pay about $36 more than if they ran a space heater.
Far Infrared Heaters are the most efficient of all the space heater options and consume the lowest wattage, making them the cheapest to run. Far Infrared is radiant heating and is most easily absorbed by people's skin. In fact, all objects, including us emit and absorb infrared.
The CPSC calls it the “3-foot rule,” and it's pretty simple: Avoid placing a space heater within 3 feet of anything flammable. Some manuals list curtains, papers, furniture, pillows, and bedding as objects to stay away from.
Just because space heaters are small doesn't mean they can't cause big issues, and plugging them into a power strip — and leaving them unattended — could mean that you'll be waking up or walking into a home that has caught fire.
Never leave a space heater unattended. Turn it off when you're leaving a room or going to sleep, and don't let pets or children play too close to a space heater. Space heaters are only meant to provide supplemental heat and should never be used to warm bedding, cook food, dry clothing or thaw pipes.
Using an extension cord with high wattage appliances can start a fire. If you must use an extension cord, it must be marked 14 or #12 AWG, this tells the thickness or gauge of the wire in the cord. (The smaller the number, the greater the thickness of the wire.)
Recommended Usage Times. During the Day: It's generally safe to run your space heater for 6 to 8 hours during the day while you're home and active.
Many electric space heaters are rated for up to 1,500 watts, so it's important for homeowners to be aware of how much draw their appliance requires beforehand. As a rule of thumb, any combination of appliances that exceed a total wattage of 2,500 can potentially cause a circuit breaker to trip.