PSA: That $40 'energy efficient' space heater I bought actually doubled my electric bill

I picked up this little ceramic heater from a hardware store in Portland back in January thinking it would save me money. The box said it used 1500 watts but I figured I'd only run it a few hours at night. After two weeks my electric bill jumped from $85 to $160 and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out those things suck power like crazy even when they're cycling on and off. I would have been better off just bundling up in blankets instead. Has anyone else fallen for this or found a heater that actually works without wrecking your wallet?

3 comments

3 Comments

juliarodriguez29d ago

Oh man, this exact thing happened to my friend Sarah last winter. She bought one of those sleek little tower heaters at a big box store and was so proud of herself for being "smart" about heating. Then she got a $200 electric bill and almost had a heart attack. Her apartment never even felt that warm either, it just ate electricity for no reason. She ended up returning it and just wearing thermal pajamas and a hoodie around the house instead.

gavin3651mo agoTop Commenter

Got burned the exact same way last winter with a cheap heater from Target.

beth27629d ago

Target heaters are just asking for trouble honestly. They put zero effort into safety features on purpose. Lesson learned, stick with a real space heater next time.