How Many Watts Does a Space Heater Use?

A space heater makes a great addition to your cold-weather arsenal and makes those cold nights more bearable. Besides, they are compact, portable, and enough to heat one room or a specific area of your home.

With targeted heating, you warm only the selected spaces and save on your utility bills. In this article, we will answer the question ‘How many watts does a space heater use’.

Space heaters have been around for some time. But like any electric appliance, there are a few things you need to know before buying a space heater. They include the size, cost, and how many watts it uses.

How Many Watts Does a Space Heater Use?

On average, most space heaters consume about 1,500 watts of electricity and approximately $0.15 an hour to heat the air.

How Much Electricity Does a Space Heater Use?

You can find out how much energy your electric space heater uses by checking the heater or the owner’s manual. The manufacturers typically print and mention the details here.

Most use an average of 1,500 watts. But some environmentally friendly space heaters use less energy, about 400-500 watts.

Convectional space heaters are expensive and less efficient to use to heat the entire home. It is a more economical choice to heat only a single room. Furthermore, if you have good insulation, you save more money by retaining the heat in a single room.

How To Estimate Power Consumption?

Do you want to estimate how much power you will be using with a specific type of space heater? The heater or manual usually displays the electrical ratings in terms of watts (W), voltage (V), and amperage (A). You can determine the heater wattage using a simple formula:

Watts = volts x amps x power factor

The power factor is usually a standard of 1 unit but can change.

So space heaters labeled 120 V and 15A consume 120V x 15A x 1 = 1,800 watts or 1.8 kW.

What Is a Space Heater Power Rating?

Knowing your space heater’s power consumption in wattage, you can next determine its power rating. This gives you a rough estimate of your heating bill.

Heating or electricity bills are measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Here’s how you can find out your space heater’s power consumption:

The formula for determining the power a 1.8 kW space heater consumes is no. of watts x no. of hours.
So supposing you use your 1.8 kW space heater for two hours, it consumes 1,800 watts x 2 hours = 3,600.
Now divide it by 1,000 to get 3.6.
Multiplying this with your region’s utility charges shows how much it costs to use this heater for 2 hours.
Multiplying the answer by 30 shows your monthly electricity bill for using the heater for two hours every day.
Of course, this value is excluding the cost of taxes and other additional fees.

As electricity charges vary from one location to another, identical space heaters give different overall charges in other areas. And of course, the longer the space heater is kept on, the higher your electricity bill will be.

Will a Larger Space Heater Consume More Electricity?

Yes, a larger space heater will consume more electricity.

While many factors like shape, design, and weight contribute to the space heater’s power consumption, size is the most notable factor. It is because larger heaters need more power for operation.

Similarly, the more power a heater consumes, the more warmth the heater provides per square foot. In turn, it leads to a staggering increase in your electricity bills.

Related article: 6 Types Of Space Heaters

How Much Does It Cost To Run a 1,000-Watt Heater For 24 Hours?

The heating cost depends on the heater size and location.

For example, a kilowatt-hour of power in San Francisco costs 20 cents per hour. The formula to use to find out how much it costs to run a 1,000-watt heater for 24 hours is:

1,000 x 24 x $0.20= 4,800

Dividing this by 1,000 changes watt-hours to kilowatt-hours, and you get $4.80. It means you spend $4.80 to run the heater for 24 hours straight.

How Much Does It Cost To Run a 2,000 Watt Heater For 24 Hours?

This again depends on location. For example, in San Francisco, you can calculate the running costs using the formula mentioned above.

2,000 x 24 x 0.20= 9,600

Dividing this by 1,000 gives 9.60. So it costs $9.60 to run a 2,000 watt heater for 24 hours.

How Much Does It Cost To Run An 800-Watt Heater For 24 Hours?

As above, in the case of San Francisco, it costs:

800 x 24 x 0.20=3,840

Dividing it by 1,000 gives 3.84, or instead that it costs $3.84 to run an 800-watt heater for 24 hours.

How Much Does It Cost To Run a 750-Watt Heater For 24 Hours?

Based on previous examples, the formula to use is:

750 x 24 x 0.20 = 3,600

Dividing it by 1,000 gives 3.6, or rather, it costs $3.60 to run a 750 watts heater for 24 hours.

Is It Cheaper To Run a Space Heater Or Electric Heat?

Electric space heaters cost as much as 43% more to heat a home than gas furnaces. However, using a space heater in your bedroom while you are asleep in a cold night might be a more practical option, and you don’t dent your electricity bill much.

Is It Cheaper To Run Central Heating Or An Electric Heater?

It depends on how many areas you need to heat.

It is cheaper to use a space heater if you need to heat only one or two rooms. However, if you plan to heat your entire home, central heating is a more practical – and in the end cheaper – option.

In Conclusion

Thanks to their portability and efficiency, space heaters are the preferred option for most families worldwide.

Like any electrical equipment, it’s always better to choose your heater wisely. You need to know things like cost and how many watts a space heater uses before buying it. You will then get a better idea of its running expenses to see if you can afford it or not.

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