When the furnace can't quite keep up, or one room is always cold, a space heater feels like a small miracle. Used the right way, it can be safe. Used the wrong way, it is one of the most common causes of winter house fires.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that portable heaters were associated with about 1,600 fires, 70 deaths, and 150 injuries a year from 2020 to 2022. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says that space heaters and heating stoves together account for 30 percent of home heating fires but 73 percent of the deaths from those fires.
Here are the rules fire safety officials want you to know.
1. Plug it straight into the wall
CPSC says to plug a space heater directly into a wall outlet and never into an extension cord or a power strip. Heaters draw a lot of power, and a cord or strip that isn't built for that load can overheat and start a fire. Check the heater's cord now and then too. If it feels hot or the plug is loose in the outlet, stop using it.
2. Keep 3 feet of clear space
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) says to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from a heater. That includes curtains, bedding, sofas, clothes, newspapers, and the pet's blanket. Set the heater on a hard, level floor, not on a rug, a bed, or a chair.
3. Buy a heater with the right safety features
USFA recommends a heater that has been tested by a recognized testing laboratory and carries its label. Look for an automatic shutoff that turns the heater off if it tips over. Many newer models also shut off if they overheat. If your heater is old and has neither, it may be time to replace it.
4. Turn it off when you leave or go to sleep
USFA says to turn off the heater when you leave the room or go to bed. This is the rule people break most often, because the room feels so nice. An extra blanket or flannel sheets will keep you warm overnight without the risk.
5. Know which heaters never belong indoors
CPSC warns never to use generators, grills, or camping heaters indoors to stay warm, even with a window open. They make carbon monoxide, a gas you cannot see or smell. If you use any fuel-burning heater the manufacturer says is safe indoors, follow its venting instructions exactly.
6. Have working alarms
Every home with a heater, a furnace, a fireplace, or an attached garage should have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. NFPA recommends CO alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, and testing them every month.
7. Keep kids and pets away
A heater's grill can get hot enough to burn small hands and noses. Choose a spot where it can't be bumped or knocked over, and never leave a heater running in a room with an unattended child or pet.
Quick checklist
- Plugged directly into a wall outlet, no extension cord, no power strip
- 3 feet of space on every side
- On a hard, level floor
- Lab-tested label and tip-over shutoff
- Off when you leave the room or go to bed
- Smoke and CO alarms tested this month
Plenty of us grew up in houses where only the kitchen was warm in January, and you dressed for bed fast. Space heaters changed that. Today's models have tip-over switches and other safety features, but the old rule still holds: never leave a heat source running where nobody is watching it.