Winter Electrical Guide · Updated November 2026
Space heaters are one of the biggest causes of winter house fires and tripped breakers. A typical 1,500 watt heater draws about 12.5 amps, which is most of a standard 15 amp bedroom circuit on its own. Add a TV, a lamp and a phone charger and the breaker trips, or worse, an old outlet overheats.
Call (610) 897-0560Never use an extension cord or power strip with a space heater. Most are rated for far less current than a heater draws and can overheat. Plug the heater directly into a wall outlet, and don't share that outlet with anything else.
Stop using the heater on that outlet and have an electrician check it. A loose or worn outlet under heater load is a real fire risk.
Many Montgomery County homes from before the 1970s have 15 amp circuits that feed several rooms, two-prong ungrounded outlets and worn receptacles. These weren't designed for continuous heater loads. If you rely on space heaters every winter, a dedicated 20 amp circuit or a hardwired baseboard or wall heater is safer and costs less than you might think.
Keep heaters 3 feet from beds, curtains and furniture, on a hard flat floor, and away from water. Choose models with tip-over and overheat shut-off and a recognized safety listing (UL, ETL or CSA). Turn them off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
No. Plug it straight into a wall outlet. Power strips and most extension cords aren't rated for a heater's continuous load and can overheat.
The circuit is overloaded. A 1,500 W heater uses most of a 15 amp circuit, so anything else on the same circuit can push it over. Move the heater to a less-loaded circuit or have a dedicated circuit installed.
It's safest not to. If you must, use a modern heater with tip-over and overheat protection, plugged directly into a wall outlet in good condition, well away from bedding.
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Call (610) 897-0560