The Truth About Portable Electric Heaters

Now that the temperatures are dropping and winter is here, you might have noticed commercials or newspaper adds for portable heating promising you big savings.  Let’s look at the promises and see how they hold up. 1. Electric heaters are 100% efficient – while this claim is true, other household appliances are also 100% efficient such as your toaster or DVR, but we don’t use those to heat the home. Instead of asking how efficient it is, the question you should be asking is how many British Thermal Units or BTUs it can produce and what is the cost per BTU. A BTU is the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. 2. Electric heaters save money- electric heat is actually one of the most expensive ways you can heat your home. It will cost you 50% more to heat a room using a portable electric heater. If your goal is to heat one room, then a portable electric heater can save you money, but if your goal is to heat your entire home, it will cost you more in the long run. 3. Electric Heaters help keep your home warmer- again this is true but misleading. Anything you spend to heat with the electric heater is in addition to what you’re spending to heat the house. Also if your thermostat is fooled thinking the home is warmer than it really is, you’ll end up having to turn up the heat to compensate, costing you even more money. Don’t be fooled by the seemingly cheaper prices of portable electric heaters. When you really look at the numbers, it can cost far more than you imagined. Let us help you find the least expensive and most efficient way to heat your entire home this winter. Spencer Air Conditioning and Heating invites you to call us for all of your HVAC needs. Reach us today at (972) 446- COOL (2665) or by logging on to spencerairconditioning.com to find out how we can serve you. Our longevity speaks for our quality; we’ve been in business since 1960.