To reduce your electric bill with baseboard heat, focus on smart zoning and unrestricted airflow. Maintain a steady 68°F when home, and drop it to 60°F when away. Keep furniture at least 12 inches away and ensure curtains end well above the unit so heat can naturally circulate.
Turn Down the Temperature
In fact, because baseboard heaters are localized, they often need a bit of assistance in circulating the heat throughout other areas of the home. By turning down the heat and keeping a ceiling fan going, you can better heat your home while saving energy in the process.
Baseboard heaters
A 6-foot baseboard heater draws about 1,500 watts of power. Running it for six hours a day would cost more than $30 in a typical month. Depending on the age and efficiency of the unit, it could cost more than $100 in a single month.
Many baseboard heating systems are a form of electric heat that operates without ductwork and can be expensive to run. Baseboard heating is often more efficient than radiators, and they are even more efficient when they are run constantly, instead of being turned on and off.
In most homes, heating and cooling (HVAC) runs up your electric bill the most, accounting for about 40% to 50% of your total energy use.
Heating and cooling (HVAC systems)
Heating and air conditioning are the largest sources of residential electricity use in most climates. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, space heating and cooling together account for more than 50% of a home's annual energy consumption.
Set your thermostat to 68°F while awake, and drop it by 7° to 10°F (to about 58°–61°F) while sleeping or away. The Department of Energy estimates that lowering your thermostat by this much for 8 hours a day can cut up to 10% off your annual heating and cooling bill.
The quick answer: Most electric heaters use between 750-1,500 watts of electricity, with the standard home space heater consuming 1,500 watts on high heat. This translates to roughly $0.25 per hour of operation at current 2025 electricity rates.
The "30-minute heating rule" is a highly efficient, money-saving thermostat strategy that involves turning your heating system on 30 minutes before you need a space warmed up, and turning it off 30 minutes before you no longer need it.
The absolute cheapest way to heat a home depends on your local climate and fuel access. For whole-house heating, natural gas furnaces offer the lowest ongoing monthly costs. If natural gas isn't available, electric heat pumps are the most cost-effective alternative. For zone heating, targeted ceramic space heaters combined with insulation are best.
Heating and Cooling
HVAC systems are typically the largest driver of energy costs. Running your furnace or AC more often in extreme weather can exponentially increase your monthly bill. These costs can make up more than half of your total electricity bill.
The healthiest way to heat a house combines air-source heat pumps (or geothermal systems) with hydronic (water-based) radiant flooring. This pairing ensures zero indoor emissions, eliminates dust and allergen circulation, and maintains even, comfortable temperatures without drying out the air.
Assuming the U.S. average cost of electricity of 17.98¢ per kWh (Source: US Average Electricity Cost as of October 2025 per EIA) it will cost you $42 a month to use your space heater. Try this electricity usage calculator to see the electricity usage and cost to run your space heater each month.
The single most impactful trick to cut your electric bill is to optimize your heating and cooling. Because HVAC systems account for over half of your average utility costs, adjusting your thermostat by just a few degrees (higher in summer, lower in winter) and using ceiling fans will drastically reduce your energy consumption.
Because they do not use standard grid electricity or conventional electric and gas furnaces, the Amish heat their homes using off-grid, self-reliant methods. The most common systems include wood- or coal-burning stoves, propane and kerosene heaters, and natural airflow home designs.
Your home's biggest energy drainer is your HVAC system (heating and cooling). However, if you are asking about individual plug-in devices, water heaters and clothes dryers dominate active energy use, while cable boxes and small kitchen appliances are the worst "phantom" energy vampires.
Heating and cooling (HVAC) systems are the biggest energy consumers in a typical home, accounting for about 40–50% of your total electricity bill. Water heating, refrigerators, and lighting follow closely behind.
For most customers, we recommend turning on your furnace when the weather is consistently below 18° Celsius, which usually happens to be around the end of September, or early October. Some homeowners try to put off turning on their furnace as long as they can to save money, which is okay if you're healthy adults.
Your electric bill is likely high because baseboard heaters operate on 100% resistance heat. This means every bit of heat is generated by converting raw electricity into thermal energy, which consumes vast amounts of power (e.g., a standard 6-foot heater draws 1,500 watts). Because they lack a compressor (like a heat pump), they are inherently less efficient, often leaving you vulnerable to heavy energy costs during cold weather or continuous use.
It is cheaper to run a space heater only if you are heating a single, small room for a short period (under 4 hours). For whole-home heating or prolonged use, central heating is usually more affordable.
The Argument for Leaving the Heating On
This approach might seem convenient, as it avoids the discomfort of waiting for the house to warm up. However, most experts agree that it's usually cheaper to heat your home only when you need it.
In most homes, heating and cooling (HVAC) systems run up electric bills the most, accounting for about half of your total energy consumption. Water heaters, refrigerators, and clothes dryers are the next largest energy consumers.
While it may seem like you're saving energy by keeping the heater off, you're actually forcing your heating system to work harder when you decide to turn it back on. So, does turning the heater on and off raise the bill? Yes!
Known for his practical tips, Lewis introduced the '4pm rule' which involves using curtains strategically to retain heat. He suggests opening curtains when the sun rises at around 8:30am to let in natural warmth, and closing them by 4pm to keep the heat inside.