Electricity Prices Archives | Citizens Utility Board

Amid 45% Increase in ComEd’s Power Price, CUB Calls on Utility to Work With Customers to Keep Them Safe, Cool, Connected This Summer

Elizabeth — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:48:42 +0000

With Commonwealth Edison customers facing a 45 percent increase in the price of power, the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) on Wednesday called on Illinois’ largest electric utility to work with people struggling to afford their bills this summer so they can keep their electricity on and protect themselves from dangerous heat. “This will be a difficult summer for far too many customers, and we urge ComEd to do everything possible to work with people so they stay safe, cool and connected this summer,” CUB Executive Director Sarah Moskowitz said. She called for ComEd to offer consumer-friendly payment plans that give customers a longer time to pay off their debt. ComEd’s summer “price to compare”— the rate customers should compare with alternative supplier offers—is: 10.028 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from June through September. Note: This rate includes the supply price and a transmission charge. The increase impacts the supply section, which makes up about a half to two-thirds of ComEd bills. ComEd does not profit off supply—they pass those costs onto customers with no markup. A new, non-summer supply rate, which has yet to be announced, will take effect Oct. 1. The price of electricity is expected to be elevated at least through next May. ComEd has estimated the increase will cost customers an average of 10 to 15 percent, or $10.60 more per month, over the next year. The spike is connected to an increase in the price for reserve power, also called “capacity.” CUB argues that capacity costs have skyrocketed largely because of policy problems with the power grid operator for northern Illinois, PJM Interconnection, which runs an auction that determines the price of capacity. CUB has tips to help Illinois consumers get through the expensive summer at CUBHelpCenter.com, including: Use energy efficiency to soften the blow of the price spike.Simple actions can help, such as weatherizing windows and doors and turning off unnecessary lights. Don’t take risks that keep your home too hot–efficiency is about eliminating waste but staying safe and cool this summer. Stay in contact with your utility. Consumers who are struggling should contact their utilities to inquire about payment plans and learn about energy efficiency programs. Consider programs to help ease costs. ComEd’s Peak Time Savings program gives customers the opportunity to earn bill credits by reducing electricity usage during high-demand periods, typically summer afternoons. Also, Illinois’ community solar program offers customers the benefits of solar power without having to install panels on their homes. All offers currently guarantee savings compared to ComEd’s supply price. CUB’s resource, SolarInTheCommunity.com, can help you carefully shop for offers. Beware of rip-offs. Since 2015, Illinois consumers have lost about $1.8 billion to alternative electricity suppliers. These suppliers are impacted by the same market conditions that are causing utility prices to increase, so it’s likely, even in this expensive market, that ComEd is your best bet. One exception: If your community has negotiated a power deal with a supplier, it’s possible the price is lower than ComEd’s supply rate. Confirm the price and find out when the offer expires. While the price spike is bad news, the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) is providing some relief. Illinois’ landmark energy law requires a line item on ComEd bills called […]

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CUB Q&A: Why did Ameren’s electricity price spike this past summer?

Jim Chilsen — Fri, 23 May 2025 20:28:30 +0000

A spike in an electricity “capacity auction” meant that the supply price for Ameren Illinois increased significantly on June 1. Ameren estimated that this increased the average monthly bills of a typical residential customer by 18 percent to 22 percent, or roughly $38 to $46 per month, over the summer. Thankfully, Ameren’s price did go down significantly, as of Oct. 1. Read CUB’s Q&A and visit CUBHelpCenter.com for more information. What happened? In April, the power grid operator known as the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) announced the results of its latest capacity auction (technically called the “Planning Resource Auction”), covering the 12-month period from June 2025 through May 2026. The auction is how the grid operator secures reserve power in its region, which includes all or parts of 15 states from the upper Midwest through Ameren Illinois’ territory in central and southern Illinois and down to Louisiana. (MISO territory also includes the Canadian province of Manitoba.) In the latest auction, the summer capacity price skyrocketed from $30 per Megawatt-day in 2024 to $666.50 per MW-day this year–a 22-fold increase. MISO’s capacity prices are seasonal, and while they are still elevated compared with the year before for the fall, winter and spring seasons, they do drop significantly after the summer. Below are the seasonal prices from the latest auction (Ameren Illinois is located in MISO’s Zone 4): What exactly are capacity costs? Not only do you pay for the power you use now, but you also pay for power you could use in the future. Capacity refers to extra payments consumers give power plant operators for the commitment to have enough reserve electricity available if demand suddenly spikes. (Think of a hot summer afternoon, when everyone blasts the air conditioning.) Where does a capacity price increase appear on my bill? An increase in capacity prices will affect the supply section of your Ameren bill. For most customers, the capacity cost is one component of Ameren’s per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) supply price. On average, capacity takes up roughly 20 percent of the supply price. (While most customers don’t see capacity costs as a separate line item, participants in Ameren’s Power Smart Pricing program–which charges you a supply price that can change hourly–do see a capacity line item on their bills.) How much will an increase in capacity costs increase Ameren bills? Ameren’s electricity supply rate, also known as the “price to compare,” increased by about 50 percent, to 12.18 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), from June through September 2025. Ameren estimated that this higher rate, which includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a “supply cost adjustment,” increased summer power bills by an average of 18 percent to 22 percent, or $37.62 to $45.98 per month for the typical customer (10,000 kWh a year). In October, capacity prices came down from their summer high, and Ameren’s new supply price, for October 2025 through May 2026, was significantly lower: 8.402¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for up to 800 kWh of usage. 7.483¢ per kWh for all electricity usage beyond 800 kWh. The summer price spike had a significant impact on Ameren customers. Unlike with PJM’s capacity […]

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CUB alerts Illinois consumers to new fall/winter power prices

Jim Chilsen — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:32:37 +0000

As of October 1, Commonwealth Edison and Ameren Illinois are charging a new “price to compare,” the price customers should compare to alternative supplier offers, according to PlugInIllinois.gov, the state of Illinois’ electric competition website. ComEd Supply Rate: October 2024 – May 2025 6.47 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Note: This rate includes the supply price and a transmission charge. ComEd charged 6.85 cents per kWh last month, and 6.872 cents per kWh last October. Ameren Supply Rate: October 2024 – May 2025 8.09 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for up to 800 kWh of usage. Each kWh beyond that is 7.506 cents per kWh. Note: This rate includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a supply cost adjustment. Ameren charged 8.136 cents per kWh last month, and about 7.1 -8.1 cents per kWh last October. Here’s what Illinois consumers need to know about these supply rates: These are non-summer supply rates through May 31, 2025. These supply-related charges take up a half to two-thirds of power bills. Delivery charges–what the utilities charge to deliver power to homes–take up a third to a half of bills. Ameren and ComEd do not profit off the price of electricity—under law they are supposed to pass those costs onto customers with no markup. (They do profit off the delivery portion of the bill, and CUB is currently challenging excessive spending and higher rates the companies are proposing in their power grid plans before state regulators.) Ameren and ComEd serve customers living in set geographic territories: ComEd covers the northern third of Illinois; and Ameren the southern two-thirds of the state. Their prices differ because the supply rates are set by different energy markets with different rules. People living in one utility territory cannot switch to another utility’s supply price. Important information about electricity choice: While utilities charge customers for delivering electricity to homes in their service territories, Ameren and ComEd customers can choose to pay an alternative company for their supply. It’s likely your best bet is to stick with your utility for power supply. Illinois consumers have lost $1.8 billion to alternative electricity suppliers since 2015. Consumers on municipal aggregation offers—community power deals that are negotiated by local governments—should check the rate they are on and how it compares to their utility’s supply price. Aggregation has been a much safer bet than supplier offers marketed over the phone, door-to-door or via mail–but savings are not guaranteed. See if your community has a municipal aggregation deal and what price it is charging at the state of Illinois’ electric competition website, Plug In Illinois. There are more reliable ways to cut costs than switching to an alternative supplier: Practice energy efficiency. The utilities offer no- and low-cost programs to help cut costs. Consider joining ComEd Peak Time Savings/Ameren Peak Time Rewards. These programs (one for ComEd customers, and one for Ameren customers) give participants a bill credit if they’re able to reduce energy usage for a limited number of hours on certain days (typically hot summer afternoons) when electricity demand is highest. Demand response programs like these give participants incentives to reduce energy usage when […]

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CUB alerts Illinois consumers to new summer power prices

Jim Chilsen — Mon, 27 May 2024 12:48:03 +0000

ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new electric supply prices as of June 1. Know these prices to avoid bad deals peddled by alternative electricity suppliers. As of June 1, the utilities are charging a new “price to compare,” the price customers should compare to alternative supplier offers, according to PlugInIllinois.gov, the state of Illinois’ electric competition website. ComEd Supply Rate: June – September 2024 6.9 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Note: This rate includes the supply price and a transmission charge. ComEd charged 6.848 cents per kWh last month, and 6.809 cents per kWh last summer. Ameren Supply Rate: June – September 2024 8.136 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Note: This rate includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a supply cost adjustment. Ameren charged 8.683 last month, and 7.877 cents per kWh last summer. Here’s what Illinois consumers need to know about these supply rates: These are summer prices. Non-summer supply rates, which take effect Oct. 1, will be announced later. Supply-related charges take up a half to two-thirds of power bills. Delivery charges take up a third to a half of bills. Ameren and ComEd serve customers living in set geographic territories: ComEd roughly covers the northern third of Illinois; and Ameren the southern two-thirds of the state. Their prices differ because the supply rates are set by different energy markets with different rules. People living in one utility territory cannot switch to another utility’s supply price. Ameren and ComEd do not profit off the price of electricity—under law they are supposed to pass those costs onto customers with no markup. (They do profit off the delivery portion of the bill, and CUB is currently challenging excessive spending and higher rates the companies are proposing in their power grid plans before state regulators.) Important information about electricity choice: While utilities charge customers for delivering electricity to homes in their service territories, Ameren and ComEd customers can choose to pay an alternative company for their supply. However, it’s likely your best bet is to stick with your utility for power supply. Illinois consumers have lost more than $1.6 billion to alternative electricity suppliers since 2015. Consumers on municipal aggregation offers—community power deals that are negotiated by local governments—should check the rate they are on and how it compares to their utility’s supply price. Aggregation has been a much safer bet than supplier offers marketed over the phone, door-to-door or via mail–but savings are not guaranteed. See if your community has a municipal aggregation deal and what price it is charging at the state of Illinois’ electric competition website, Plug In Illinois. There are more reliable ways to cut costs than switching to an alternative supplier: Practice energy efficiency. The utilities offer no- and low-cost programs to help cut costs. Consider joining ComEd Peak Time Savings/Ameren Peak Time Rewards. These programs (one for ComEd customers, and one for Ameren customers) give participants a bill credit if they’re able to reduce energy usage for a limited number of hours on certain days (typically hot summer afternoons) when electricity demand is highest. Demand response programs like these give participants incentives to reduce energy usage […]

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CUB alerts Ameren, ComEd customers to new power prices

Elizabeth — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 14:49:39 +0000

As of October 1, ComEd and Ameren Illinois are charging new supply rates, and customers should know what they are to avoid bad deals from alternative electricity suppliers. The non-summer prices, through May 2024, are listed on the Illinois Commerce Commission’s electric choice website, PlugInIllinois.org: Ameren Illinois 8.107 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for up to 800 kWh of usage. Every kWh beyond that is 7.094 cents per kWh. *This rate includes Ameren’s supply price, plus a transmission charge, plus a supply cost adjustment. ComEd 6.872 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for all kWhs. *This rate includes ComEd’s supply price plus a transmission charge. ComEd and Ameren bill their customers to deliver the electricity to their homes, but those customers have the right to choose either their utility or an alternative company to supply the actual electricity. The utility supply rates above are called the “price to compare”—the rate customers should compare to alternative supplier offers pitched to them. Warning: Since 2015, Illinois consumers have lost more than $1.6 billion to alternative electricity suppliers, according to CUB’s review of reports from the Illinois Commerce Commission’s Office of Retail Market Development. Knowing the “price to compare” helps consumers make informed decisions about their power bills. “There are a lot of rip-offs being peddled by alternative electricity suppliers, so customers should be careful in Illinois’ electricity market,” CUB Communications Director Jim Chilsen said. “While there are exceptions, often your best bet is to stick with your utility. The most reliable way to save money on your electric bills is through energy efficiency.” Visit CUB’s Electric page to find fact sheets about making the best choices in the electricity market, including energy efficiency and other money-saving programs offered by the utilities.

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Summer power prices for Ameren and ComEd

Jim Chilsen — Tue, 30 May 2023 11:26:48 +0000

Ameren Illinois and ComEd supply customers will be paying new prices for electricity on June 1, as market prices ease. Prices skyrocketed last year, caused by a number of factors, including the volatility of the natural gas market, made worse by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gas, which is often used to generate electricity, pushed power prices to extreme levels across the nation. As of June 1, the utilities have changed their “price to compare”—the supply rate customers should compare to alternative electricity supplier offers, according to PlugInIllinois.gov, the state of Illinois’ electric competition website. New ComEd Supply Rate: June – September 2023 6.809 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Note: This rate includes the supply price and a transmission charge. Last year’s summer power price for ComEd was more than 11 cents per kWh. New Ameren Supply Rate: June – September 2023 7.877 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) Note: This rate includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a supply cost adjustment. Last year’s summer power price for Ameren was more than 10.6 cents per kWh. These are summer supply rates. Non-summer supply rates, which take effect Oct. 1, will be announced later. Ameren and ComEd do not profit off the price of electricity—they pass those costs onto customers with no markup. They do profit off the delivery portion of the bill, and currently CUB is challenging the utilities’ attempts to each raise delivery rates by more than $1 billion (ComEd, $1.5 billion; Ameren, $481 million) before the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Supply-related charges take up a half to two-thirds of electric bills, while delivery charges take up a third to a half of bills. While the utilities will always charge customers in their service territories for delivering electricity to their homes, Ameren and ComEd customers can choose to pay an alternative company for their supply. It is important that consumers know the price for electricity charged by ComEd and Ameren to protect themselves from bad deals being peddled by these alternative electricity suppliers. Illinois consumers have lost more than $1 billion to alternative suppliers since 2015. Currently, it is likely that your best bet is to stick with your utility for power supply. These utilities serve customers living in set geographic territories: ComEd covers the northern third of Illinois, roughly; and Ameren the southern two-thirds of the state. Their prices differ because the supply rates are set by different energy markets with different rules. People living in one utility territory cannot switch to another utility’s supply price.

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Q&A: Electricity Price Spike in Central and Southern Illinois

Jim Chilsen — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 15:00:00 +0000

What’s happening to Ameren customers? Since June 1, 2022, the price for electricity has more than doubled for Ameren customers across Central and Southern Illinois, and that’s expected to cost customers hundreds of dollars in higher power bills over the next year. What is Ameren’s electricity price? As of Jan. 1, 2023, Ameren’s “price to compare”–the supply rate you compare with alternative supplier offers–is: 0-800 kilowatt-hours (kWh): 11.833¢ per kWh Above 800 kWh: 9.374¢ per kWh For the first 800 kilowatt-hours, this represents a 116 percent increase over the price last January. The “price to compare” includes the supply price, a transmission charge and a supply cost adjustment. This rate is in effect through May 31, 2023. How much will this price spike cost me? When Ameren’s supply price first skyrocketed in June, Ameren said: “The typical Ameren Illinois residential customer will see a $626 annual increase on the power supply side of the bill or an average of $52 or more per month throughout the year.” The increase could be even more for electric heat customers. What part of my electric bill is affected? This impacts the supply portion of bills, what we pay for the actual electricity. The supply cost takes up half to two-thirds of electric bills. Ameren Illinois, the electric utility in Central and Southern Illinois, is only responsible for delivery and not supply. Thus, it does not profit off the supply portion of bills–Ameren simply passes along what they pay for supply, with no markup. How long will prices stay elevated? At least through May 31, 2023, and it could be longer. We don’t know exactly when energy markets will stabilize. Why is this price spike happening? This is related to several factors, many of which have impacted energy markets across the world. Natural gas prices have been at extremely high levels for more than a year because of multiple factors, including, most recently, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The high gas prices have now led to high electricity prices–because natural gas is often used to generate power. Adding to the high energy price is a recent electric “capacity” auction held by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the power grid operator for all or parts of 14 states, including Central and Southern Illinois. Capacity costs, which are wrapped into the price we pay for electricity, are payments we make to power plant operators to have adequate reserve electricity. The capacity cost is determined by a yearly auction, and in the most recent auction in April, the price rose from $5/MegaWatt (MW)-day to $236.66/MW-day in several Midwestern states, including Illinois (part of MISO’s Zone 4). The increase was “driven by an uptick in projected electricity use and a dip in power supply,” Utility Dive reported. Is there anything I can do about this price spike? There are several actions consumers can take to soften the blow of the high prices: See if you qualify for energy assistance. The application process for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has reopened through May 31, 2023, or until funds are exhausted. Households at or below 200 percent […]

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Q&A: Hourly Pricing and price spikes

Sophia — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 14:07:13 +0000

What is ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program? Under traditional rates, people pay a flat amount for electricity supply that changes only a few times a year. Hourly Pricing is an alternative pricing plan in which participants pay a supply rate that is subject to more immediate market conditions and can change hourly. While over the course of a day, the Hourly Pricing rate can go higher than the standard rate—particularly during times when demand for power is highest (like hot summer afternoons)—the hourly price is usually lower than the standard rate. In the past, Hourly Pricing customers saved an average of about 15 percent off the supply side of their bills, and even more when they were able to move more of their electricity usage to times of the day when energy demand was lower. What is going on with ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program? Over the past 18 months, extreme market conditions have been impacting energy customers across the world. These conditions have led to more frequent price spikes in ComEd’s Hourly Pricing program than we’ve previously seen, leading to reduced savings or even losses for program participants. While Hourly Pricing has in the past saved money for about 80 percent of participants, market conditions in 2021 reduced the percentage of customers saving to just over half. How high have hourly prices spiked? In February of 2021, ComEd’s Hourly Price reached about 32 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh)—more than four times ComEd’s standard rate at the time. This year, the price spiked to a range of $1.19 per kWh to a record $2.30 per kWh for three hours in mid-June. Although this was only for three hours–such price spikes usually are temporary–those amounts were alarming to customers and advocates alike. (Note: The Hourly Pricing program has a price cap of $3.70 per kWh, and over the history of the program it has never reached that cap. Read more below.) Why is this happening? A number of developments in the energy market have led to volatile power prices. Record cold in the South in the winter of 2021 disrupted the natural gas distribution system and caused heating prices to skyrocket. Since then, other issues have kept prices elevated. That includes rising demand for heating gas as the economy pulled out of the pandemic, gas-production disruptions caused by Hurricane Ida, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has disrupted European energy supplies and driven up demand for liquefied natural gas from the United States. When natural gas prices are high they eventually impact electricity prices, because gas plants are a major generator of electricity. Is a price cap in place for Hourly Pricing customers? Yes, Hourly prices are capped at a maximum of $3.70 per kWh by PJM, the power grid operator in northern Illinois. The Hourly Pricing FAQs say the energy supply costs in this program have never reached $3.70 per kWh. ComEd does not control the market price of energy and under law cannot mark up the supply costs of the power it delivers. But the utility does offer Budget Billing to help customers smooth out large monthly variations in electric bills. If I’m on […]

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New electric rates for ComEd and Ameren customers in 2022

Jim Chilsen — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 13:06:20 +0000

As of Jan. 1, ComEd and Ameren are charging new electricity rates. CUB breaks it all down. DELIVERY RATES What are delivery rates? Electric bills have two parts: delivery and supply. All of us pay delivery rates to cover the utilities’ costs of sending electricity over their wires to our homes–plus a profit for the companies. Those charges take up about a third to a half of the electric bill. Illinois sets electric delivery rates for ComEd and Ameren according to the state’s 2011 “Energy Infrastructure and Modernization Act.” The law, which CUB opposed, uses a formula to determine delivery rates, and it opens the door to unfair rate hikes. Beginning in 2024, the state’s newly passed Climate & Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) will replace formula rates with a new rate-setting system designed to give state regulators more authority in the process and put greater emphasis on affordability, reliability and sustainability. While this doesn’t mean the end of rate hikes, CUB and other consumer advocates will be involved in this new process, working to protect and maximize benefits for consumers. In the meantime, we’re still dealing with the current system, and in December ComEd received a $45.8 million formula rate hike and Ameren a $57.6 million increase. Those increases took effect on January 1. So what are we paying for delivery rates in 2022? CUB dived into the tariffs and here’s what we found: Ameren’s rates are first, followed by ComEd’s rates. Ameren: Meter Charge: $4.76/month (formerly $4.66/month) Monthly Customer Charge: $7.51/month (formerly $6.63/month) EDT Cost Recovery Charge: 0.12484¢/kWh (formerly 0.11732¢/kWh) Distribution Delivery Charge Summer: 5.550¢/kWh (formerly 5.274¢/kWh). Distribution Delivery Charge Non-Summer: 3.249¢/kWh for the first 800 kWh used (formerly 3.087¢/kWh) 1.724¢/kWh for usage over 800 kWh (formerly 1.639¢/kWh) ComEd: Standard Metering Charge: $3.40/month (formerly $3.70/month) IL Electricity Distribution Charge: 0.126 cents/kilowatt-hour (kWh) (formerly 0.123¢/kWh) Single family homes without electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $10.44/month (formerly $10.48/month) Distribution Facilities Charge: 3.926¢/kWh (formerly 3.637¢/kWh) Multifamily homes without electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $7.75/month (formerly $7.65/month) Distribution Facilities Charge: 3.155¢/kWh (formerly 2.948¢/kWh) Single family homes with electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $11.95/month (formerly $11.89/month) Distribution Facilities Charge: 1.726¢/kWh (formerly 1.755¢/kWh) Multifamily homes with electric heat Monthly Customer Charge: $8.43/month (formerly $8.28/month) Distribution Facilities Charge: 1.662¢/kWh (formerly 1.784¢/kWh) SUPPLY RATES What are supply rates? Supply rates cover the costs of the actual electricity. Unlike delivery charges, the utilities are not allowed to profit off the supply rate. They must pass onto customers what they pay for the electricity with no markup. Supply takes up about a half to two-thirds of your electric bill. Note: You can opt to pay an alternative supplier for these rates–but most likely your best bet is to stay with your utility for supply. According to the state of Illinois, consumers have lost more than $1 billion to alternative electricity suppliers since 2015. So what are the utilities charging for supply as of Jan. 1? The utilities’ supply rates have gone up slightly in 2022. ComEd Price to Compare: 7.802¢/kWh (formerly: 7.777¢/kWh) Ameren Price to Compare: 0-800 kWh: 5.478¢/kWh (formerly: 5.407¢/kWh) Above 800 kWh: 5.280¢/kWh […]

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Using a space heater this winter? Consider this.

Hannah — Fri, 08 Oct 2021 16:11:17 +0000

Gas prices are skyrocketing right now, and it looks like these high prices will continue through the winter. CUB’s Consumer Advocacy Department has already received some calls: Consumers want to know if it’s better to turn down their thermostat and turn on a space heater. The short answer: If you drop your thermostat a few degrees and supplement the heat with a space heater, you could save money, but there’s no guarantee. This is most practical for people who spend most of the day in one room of their home, like an office. The long answer: How much you’ll save depends on how you use your space heater (and how old it is), the size of the room you’re trying to heat, and how divided the room is from the rest of your house. If your space heater has an accurate thermostat and you aren’t blasting the heat all day, you’ll probably save money. Some space heaters are equipped with thermostats that automate the heater’s operation, so you don’t have to turn the heater on and off manually to maintain a comfortable temperature. Most newer space heaters include built-in fans, which help distribute the heat throughout the room. It also helps heat up a room faster. If you’re looking to buy a space heater, consider options that offer thermostats, built-in fans, tip-over switches (this automatically shuts off the heater if it is knocked over), and long, heavy-duty cords. Also think about the room you’ll be heating. Smaller rooms that are more closed off from the rest of the home are quicker and cheaper to heat with a space heater. Open rooms, such as a living room or kitchen, with hallway access to other rooms are more difficult to heat efficiently. Do not turn off your natural gas furnace and heat your entire home with space heaters. Although electricity is cheaper than gas per unit (kilowatt-hour vs. therm), electricity is about twice as expensive as natural gas for the same amount of heating power, according to Consumer Reports. For the same cost, you can heat only half the area with electricity that you could with natural gas. Remember that space heaters are inefficient heating sources. (The Department of Energy’s EnergyStar program doesn’t certify space heaters in the EnergyStar program for this reason.) They should be used temporarily for spot heating and not as a main heating source. If you do choose to use a space heater this winter, exercise caution. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that portable electric heaters are responsible for about 1,100 fires per year, which can result in death, injury and property loss. Follow the manufacturer’s directions closely and keep these safety tips in mind: Keep flammable objects, such as bedding, curtains, clothes and furniture, at least 3 feet away from your space heater. Do not use an extension cord with your heater. Turn off your space heater when leaving the room or going to bed. If you have children, teach them the dangers of space heaters. Ensure children’s toys and games are at least three feet from the heater. Never use a space heater in […]

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