The best place for your space heater

An auxiliary heating appliance can help you heat your outbuildings and parts of your home during a cold spell. But where should you put it? Follow these tips to choose the best spot for your space heater.

• Establish a three-foot safety zone. Keep the space heater away from flammable materials like curtains, bedsheets and furniture. Make sure that kids and pets can’t get near enough to touch it.

• Keep it away from the wall. This is both safer and more efficient. Maintaining a small distance between the space heater and the wall allows heat to circulate freely and therefore warms up the room more efficiently.

• Avoid damp locations. Moisture can damage most electric heating appliances. Unless it’s rated for use in bathrooms or kitchens, keep your space heater away from damp locations.

• Put it on the ground. Heat rises, so placing your space heater on a table or shelf won’t make your room much warmer. Keep it on the floor instead.

Space heaters aren’t meant to heat your whole home, so keep them where you need them the most. And be sure to get one rated for the size of the area. One that’s too small won’t heat efficiently, and one that’s too large will waste electricity.