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Home Improvement Articles |
A standard electric space heater that runs on
120 volts generally provides an output of 1500 watts of heat. The
current can be found with the formula I=P/E or CURRENT = WATTS divided
by VOLTAGE, which equates to 12.5 amps = 1500 watts divided by 120
volts.
Since your electric company charges you for power or watts, it doesn't
matter if you use 120v or 240v to provide 1500 watts of heat. If your
utility company charges 14 cents per kilowatt hour, this means you pay
16 cents for every hour where you consume 1000 watts or 1 KW. If you
used the 1500 watt (1.5 KW) heater for one hour, that is equal to 1.5 KW
x.16 = 24 cents per hour.
Many people use
electric heaters for homes in areas of the house where the main gas
heater is not able to heat efficiently. That's why space heaters and
other forms of portable heaters are so popular amongst people of all
ages who own homes of all different sizes. Of course it isn't convenient
to put a gas heater in the baby's room or even in your own bedroom.
Doing so can pose a serious and very unnecessary hazard. Even oil filled
heaters may not be the best choice for heating a small space.
When making the choice between whether to use a gas or an electric
heating unit, consider the type of efficiency you need. Are you looking
for something that's going to be completely safe around your kids or are
you interested in getting a heater that you'll hide away in a utility
closet somewhere, totally safe from other people? Sometimes gas
appliances pose a fire or explosion hazard. Electric
heaters do not come with this
threat.
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