Recently, EnergyLink heard from one of our clients that they weren’t getting the energy savings they were expecting. EnergyLink’s certified energy auditors conducted some research for them and found out the problem was space heaters– their facility had too many space heaters running in the cold winter!
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a space heater normally uses around 1320 watts (note: some portable space heaters can use between 600-1320 watts, but common ones use 1320 watts). The U.S. average utility rate is $0.12/kWh, which happens to be the same as Missouri’s average utility rate.
Breaking down the numbers
If a facility uses one space heater for 16 hours per day, the energy cost is $2.53 for a day. If it runs 4 months a year, the energy use is going to be 2534.4 kWh and the energy cost is $304.13. If an office has 10 space heaters, then the energy cost for 4 months will be $3041.3.
What does 1320 watts mean exactly? For references , the chart below included some common household and office appliances, their energy use and costs for 24 hours:
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(The statistics are taken from U.S. Department of Energy, using U.S. average utility rate for calculation.)
Moreover, according to Consumer Reports, many electric space heaters in the market need 1500 watts to fully power. In this case, the daily energy cost for running one for 16 hours is $2.88. The total energy cost for 120 days, or 4 months, is $345.60 per machine. Other old space heaters may need more than 1500 watts to get the entire space warm, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Thus, if you are wondering why your energy bill for your facility is so costly, especially during the winter time, the reason may be the space heaters.
The good news
However, the good news is that, you can reduce your energy cost by upgrading to more efficient space heaters, which may use as little as 400 to 500 watts, according to Energy Use Calculator. If you don’t plan to replace the space heaters you have in your facility, you can also simply turn off some of the space heaters in your facility or use them for a shorter period of time per day.
If you are among the people that think the utility energy cost is higher than your expectation, click here today to contact EnergyLink’s certified energy auditors to conduct a FREE energy audit for your facilities.
