SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — With temperatures expected to plunge, heating your home with space heaters can pack a big punch.
At Spokane Ace Hardware on South Monroe Street on the South Hill, inventory manager Kelsy Whitney said they started seeing more people stop on Wednesday to pick up heaters.
“They just kept coming in for us,” she said, adding that the store ordered more inventory to meet the demand.
But, space heaters can also pack a big risk.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, about half of fires caused by home heating equipment happen during the winter months. One of the biggest culprits are space heaters.
Some of the best ways to stay warm and safe with a space heater:
- Never leave space heaters unattended.
- Turn them off when leaving the room or going to sleep.
- Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn, such as clothing, paper, furniture and rugs.
- Don't leave them in high traffic spots and doorways where people can trip over them.
But according to Avista Utilities’ Michele Drake, who serves as the Energy Efficiency Program manager, another thing to keep in mind is the risk to your wallet.
“While space heaters are an important tool, they can have a significant impact on your bill,” she said. “Leaving a space heater on 24/7 for a month could impact your average bill by $100.”
Drake says if you do decide to use a space heater, use it in a small room for short period of time.
If you do decide getting a space heater isn’t the best idea for you or if it's too much of a risk, Drake said an alternative is to take advantage of the heat sources you do have.
“If you have a furnace, make sure your furnace filter is clean, your furnace is operating efficiently and your vents are clear,” said Drake. “If you have a wood burning fireplace, one of the things you can do is to make sure that your chimney flue is closed when you're not using that heat source because, again, you're wanting to minimize heat loss.”
According to Drake, some ways to save money during the upcoming cold snap are to cover your home’s windows with removable window plastic, sealing air leaks around windows & doors and turning off kitchen, bathroom & other ventilation fans when they’re not needed.
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