As the fall weather begins to hit us here in Massachusetts our customers are turning off their air conditioning units and gearing up for the cold weather. You have probably switched your closets from your summer wardrobe to your winter wardrobe. If you have kids you may have checked those winter coats and boots to make sure your kiddos will be nice and warm this winter season. Your head might be swirling with thoughts of how to keep your home nice and warm as well.As you start to think about heating your home this winter you may be thinking about whether or not space heaters are a good addition to your current heating system. We frequently are asked by our customers if space heaters are an effective way to help keep their home warm. Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning is going to take some time to answer that question for you today.

Space Heater for Bathroom or Other Small Space

Many homes have an area that simply does not get as warm as the rest of the house when the heater is on. Many families also have a family member that just seems to be cold no matter what the thermostat is set to. A space heater can be a fantastic solution for both of these problems. Using a space heater can warm that space or person up nicely.

Unattended Space Heaters Can Be Dangerous

If you decide to use a space heater you will want to be careful though. Using a space heater can be dangerous if you are not careful. Space heaters cause personal injuries and house fires each and every year. Space heaters are responsible for 55,000 fires; 450 deaths; and more than 1,500 injuries each and every year. This is all avoidable if you exercise caution when using space heaters in your home. When you have your space heater turned on you will want to make sure that you never leave pets or young children in a room alone with the space heater. Kids and pets do not understand how hot space heaters can get. If they touch a space heater they can sustain serious injuries. Even when you are in the room this is a cause for concern. We recommend that you purchase a space heater that has a guard around the heating element. This will help keep your kids and pets safe. Our next tip is extremely important. Do not leave your space heater on when you leave the house or to go sleep. Space heaters can cause dangerous levels of carbon monoxide to form in your home. Carbon monoxide poisoning or house fires both become huge risks if this happens. Always turn off your space heater when you leave or go to sleep to help prevent this from happening. You will also want to make sure that you have carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home. Another reason that space heaters may catch on fire is if there are frayed wires on your space heater. If there are frayed wires on your space heater you will want to throw it away immediately. Replace it with a new one that will not be a fire hazard.

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If you take these steps to make sure that you are safely using space heaters they can be a great addition to your heating system this winter. Give Ambient Heating & Air Conditioning a call if you have any more questions!