How Much Electricity Does a Space Heater Use?

A space heater draws about 1500 watts, or 1.50 kWh per hour. Enter your hours and electricity rate below for the exact cost per day, month and year.

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Wattage is pre-filled with a typical value for a space heater; change any field for your own device, usage and rate. Cost uses your rate × kWh — a US-average placeholder rate of $0.17/kWh is shown; enter your own from your bill for an accurate figure.

A space heater in watts and kWh

A space heater draws about 1500 watts while running. Energy is billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh), and one kWh is 1000 watts for one hour — so a space heater uses 1500 ÷ 1000 = 1.50 kWh for every hour it is on. Multiply that by the hours you use it and by your rate per kWh to get the cost. The calculator above does it live; change the wattage if your model differs. Kept up every day of the year at 8 hours a day, that is about 4,380 kWh — roughly $744.60 at the $0.17/kWh placeholder rate used here, though most homes only run a space heater for part of the year, so scale that to the months you actually use it.

Most plug-in space heaters are 1500 W on high — they are one of the most expensive things to run by the hour.

Wattage moves with size, age and model, so treat 1500 W as a mid-range starting point rather than a fixed number — the rating plate on your own appliance, or its ENERGY STAR listing, gives the figure to type in. The rate matters just as much: the US Energy Information Administration publishes current average residential prices by state, and the figure on your own bill is better still. This LK Forge calculator recomputes every result as you type.

How to cut what it costs

Two levers change the bill: hours of use and your rate per kWh. Running high-wattage devices less, or shifting them to off-peak hours on a time-of-use plan, has the biggest effect. For a whole-home estimate or to compare devices, use the full electricity bill & appliance calculator.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How much electricity does a space heater use?
A space heater uses about 1500 watts, or 1.50 kWh for every hour it runs. At 8 hours a day that is about 12.00 kWh per day; multiply by your rate per kWh for the cost. Over a 30-day month that is about 360 kWh, which is why one space heater can dominate a winter bill. A resistive heater turns essentially all of its draw into heat, so the wattage is fixed and only thermostat cycling and the hours you run it change the total.
How much does it cost to run a space heater?
The cost of running a space heater is the kWh it uses × your rate per kWh. At a US-average $0.17/kWh and 8 hours a day, a space heater costs about $2.04 a day and $61.20 a month. Enter your own rate above for an exact figure.
How is this calculated?
Electricity use for a space heater is calculated from watts: energy in kWh equals watts divided by 1000, multiplied by the hours of use. Cost is that kWh figure multiplied by your electricity rate. Your rate per kWh is on your utility bill.
How much does a space heater cost to run per year?
Running a space heater for 8 hours a day, every day, uses about 4,380 kWh a year. At the US-average placeholder rate of $0.17/kWh that is roughly $744.60 a year. Change the hours or the rate above and the yearly figure updates with them.