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When the cold temperatures of winter arrive the energy required to heat homes and businesses obviously increases. Here at FEC, we have noticed an unusual rise in the number of calls we are receiving from our members pertaining to the number of kilowatt hours they used in November and December.

Our daily weather records indicated that November and, especially, December, recorded temperatures that were colder than average. This will already bring about an increase in usage in whatever energy you are using to produce heat. The primary culprit in many of the high bill scenarios FEC dealt with in the last two months of the year involved portable electric heaters.

“Unfortunately, we have a number of people that listened to a salesperson claiming these units would save them money during the heating seasons, and for the most part this is simply not true,” said Steve Shoot, Manager of Member Services for FEC. “Whenever you add an appliance to your household you use more electricity. It’s as simple as that.”

A general rule of thumb is that space-heaters are ideal for occasional use in small spaces. However, to save money when you use a space heater you must turn your thermostat down on your central heating season. “You must remember that if you place a portable unit in a room away from the thermostat, you are adding to, not subtracting from, your energy bill,” Shoot said.

The best way to save money on your heating bills is to lower the thermostat and wear warmer clothes. Each degree you lower the thermostat will save you about three percent on your energy usage.

An electric furnace is 100per efficient when it is in operation. However, this type of heating system is considered very expensive to operate. All of the portable electric heaters use 1,500 watts of electricity to operate and they are also 100 percent efficient.

“So if an electric furnace at 100 percent efficiency is considered too expensive to operate, why are these portable heaters, which are also100 percent efficient, considered energy efficient?” asked Shoot. “It doesn’t add up.”

The chart below will show how much energy one portable electric unit uses on an hourly and monthly basis, and what they will add to your bill.

As you can see, just one unit can make a significant difference in your monthly energy usage and how much extra you will be paying unnecessarily each month. Portable electric heaters are more expensive to operate than most forced air systems, especially heat pumps, when they are used to heat the entire house.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy if space heaters were used to replace a central heating system they could increase your overall energy costs by as much as 70 percent. “If these portable electric heaters were such a good deal for our members,” said Shoot, “Don’t you think we would be selling them? If we really wanted to sell a whole lot of electricity and gouge our members we would be promoting these things around the clock.”

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