Plug-in electric heaters for Canadian homes

All electric heaters are 100% efficient — the savings are elsewhere

Any electric resistance heater converts essentially all of the electricity it draws into heat, so no plug-in heater is magically cheaper per kilowatt-hour than another. Marketing that claims otherwise is not being honest with you.

Real savings come from heating less space for less time. A thermostat that cycles the element off, a timer that stops the heater running into an empty room, and a unit small enough to be used where you sit — those are the three things that actually cut the bill.

How RapidHeat is set up to save

• Thermostat cycling: once the room reaches your set temperature, the element cuts out
• Timer: 1 to 12 hours, so it cannot run all night by accident
• Room-sized coverage: designed for up to 12 m², not for wasting heat on an open plan
• Fast warm-up: no long run-up period before the room feels usable

Works with Canadian wiring

RapidHeat runs on a standard 120 V household outlet, the same one your lamp uses. There is no hard-wiring, no 240 V circuit, no electrician and no permit. Plug it in and press power.

Electric heating safety

• Plug straight into a wall outlet, never an extension cord or power bar
• Keep a metre of clear space in front of the grille
• Never cover the unit or use it to dry clothes
• Use the 1–12 hour timer instead of leaving it running unattended
• Overheat cut-out and tip-over shut-off do the rest automatically

What an electric heater costs per hour

Electricity is billed by the kilowatt-hour. A 1,500 W heater running flat out uses 1.5 kWh an hour, but a thermostat-controlled unit in an insulated room spends roughly half its time idle, so about 0.75 kWh an hour is the realistic figure.

Multiply that by your provincial rate and you have your true cost. The table below does it for every province, for four hours of use a day over a month.

Ceramic, coil, oil-filled or infrared?

All four convert electricity into heat at the same rate, so the choice is about how the heat is delivered and how well the heater controls itself.

Ceramic PTC elements warm quickly, self-limit their temperature and pair well with a thermostat and fan, which is why RapidHeat uses one. Coil heaters are cheapest and crudest. Oil-filled radiators hold heat well but take half an hour to get going and are heavy to move. Infrared warms objects in front of it rather than the air, which is excellent outdoors and less useful in a closed bedroom.

Electrical safety on a 120 V circuit

• Plug directly into a wall outlet — a 1,500 W heater draws about 12.5 A, more than most cords are rated to carry continuously
• Never run it from a power bar, extension cord or timer plug
• Avoid sharing the outlet or circuit with another high-draw appliance such as a kettle or microwave
• If the plug or outlet feels hot, stop using it and have the outlet checked
• Keep a metre of clear space in front of the grille and never cover the unit