Space Heater Safety Guide

Space heaters can make a drafty home office feel like a toasty ski lodge. But when left unattended or misused, these appliances become a serious fire hazard. 

The good news is that house fires are preventable. By buying a quality space heater and following a few basic safety tips, you can stay comfortable all winter without putting your home at risk. 

From tiny personal heaters for a chilly office to large outdoor heaters for the garage, space heaters come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. 

It’s important to match the power type and size to your need. Propane and carbon-burning space heaters are best left outdoors while electric and oil-filled heaters work well inside. 

When you think of space heaters, chances are indoor space heaters come to mind. They can range from personal space heaters small enough for your home office to large units with enough power to warm your living room. 

Electric space heaters and oil-filled space heaters can both be used indoors, but some fuel-burning models are best for outdoors or open spaces like your garage or patio. 

You’ll come across a few common types of indoor space heaters: portable, radiant, and oil-filled. None of these categories are necessarily safer than others. It all depends on how well you take care of your space heater and how you use it. 

The safety features that come with your space heater matter much more than what it’s made of. Look for UL certification, overheat protection, timers, long cords, and tip over shut off. 

• Portable space heaters: A portable space heater is exactly what it sounds like—a small appliance you can carry with you from the home office to the bedroom at night. They’re usually electric with ceramic or quartz heating elements to generate warmth with infrared, convection, or radiant heat. 
• Radiant space heaters: A radiant space heater uses radiant heat with infrared waves to warm you directly instead of the air around you. They can be indoor or outdoor models, mounted to the wall, or attached to wheels. You can even find radiant space heaters shaped like tiny fireplaces to add a homey glow to your living room. 
• Oil-filled space heaters: An oil-filled heater uses thermal convection and radiant heat to warm your space. The oil inside distributes heat evenly through the unit, providing more heat for the room. They’re a cleaner-burning unit than propane or kerosene heaters, making them safe for indoors. Plus, you don’t need to refill the oil inside. 

A propane or kerosene heater is a good solution for a cold garage or back porch in the cold months, but they don’t belong indoors. 

Space heaters that burn carbon-based fuels can release dangerous fumes like carbon monoxide, putting your whole household at risk. 

These are a few common types of outdoor space heaters: 

• Kerosene heaters: A kerosene heater usually comes with a metal grate around it to prevent accidental touches or tipping over. Because it burns a combustible gas, it’s best left outside. If you love the outdoors, they’re a good addition to your stash of camping supplies. 
• Propane heaters: Like your grill outside, a propane heater uses a tank of propane to generate heat. You can find large or small propane heaters for outdoor use, but they generally cost more than their kerosene-burning cousins. 
• Patio heaters: Patio heaters are best for wide outdoor spaces and flat surfaces like brick or cement. They’re usually tall tower structures that generate heat from burning natural gas through your home’s gas line or a propane tank built into the device. 

Your space heater’s location and surroundings can make the difference between a cozy atmosphere and a fire hazard. 

According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires in the US. On their own, space heaters were the cause of 43% of home heating fires and 85% of home heating fire deaths.¹

Here are setup tips for space heaters so you can allot more time for movie night and less time for worrying. 

Space heaters require a lot of power to generate all that heat. Plug yours directly into the wall for the most secure electrical connection.

Using an extension cord or power strip might feel like a life hack, but we don’t recommend it. A loose connection can start a flame that can spread through your home in minutes. 

Living rooms and bedrooms are among the most common places for fires to start in the home because of space heaters. So be sure to give yours room to do its job. 

Set your portable space heater up at least three feet away from flammable objects like curtains, blankets, upholstery, or furniture. It only takes a few minutes for a blanket to catch fire from a space heater and spread to the couch or curtains. 

Create a kid and pet-free zone around the space heater as well. Some models can have hot surfaces that can burn curious kids or pets. 

When setting up your space heater, you may want to put it on a table, chair, or shelf to bask in the warmth. But even flat surfaces like these aren’t reliable. 

We recommend keeping your portable space heater flat on the floor to avoid knocking it over. While many models turn off when they tip over, it’s safest to keep it low to the ground where it can’t fall. 

Thankfully, many space heaters have features that minimize fire risks. If you’re shopping for a new space heater, look for ones with these features.

Who doesn’t want to go to bed feeling all toasty and warm under the covers? Having a space heater in your room may make it feel more comfortable, but it’s a bad idea to fall asleep with one running if it doesn’t have a timer set. 

You can find space heaters with timers as long as 12 hours, but we recommend running it for less time if you can help it. 

Along with water heating, space heating accounts for nearly two-thirds of home energy use in the US.² At a whopping 46%, space heating sucked up the most energy from American homes. That’s more than other power drains like air conditioning, lighting, and electronics like TV. 

You wouldn’t use a personal heater for your living room, so why use a giant space heater for a single apartment? 

Consider the room you’ll put your space heater in and whether it can distribute heat evenly. We recommend aiming for 10 watts per every 10 square feet to get started.

The fan feature is a common function on many new space heaters. Just like the fan on your air conditioner, this mode distributes heat without using the heating elements. 

Run your space heater for a couple hours; then switch it to the fan mode to move the rest of the warm air through the house without using lots of energy. 

The most energy efficient space heaters have smart eco modes that use less power to heat your home. 

The longer you run the space heater, the more energy it uses. While you might want to keep the heater on all night while you sleep, it’s wasteful and potentially dangerous to leave it on for longer than a few hours. 

Some heaters have a built-in timer that will turn off the unit after a certain amount of time. Use your heater to warm the house when you get home; then switch to a more energy-efficient way of staying toasty. 

After all, sweaters, cozy blankets, warm socks, and hot cocoa are always en vogue during the winter months. 

• Common Appliance Safety Hazards and How to Avoid Them
• Best Fire Safety Emergency Kits
• Home Fire Safety Guide
• How to Prepare Kids for Emergencies
• The Complete Room-by-Room Safety Checklist

1. National Fire Protection Association, “Home Heating Fires,” January 2021. Accessed November 28, 2022.
2. Chip Berry, U.S. Energy Information Administration, “Space Heating and Water Heating Account for Nearly Two Thirds of U.S. Home Energy Use,” November 2018. Accessed November 28, 2022.