It's REALLY, REALLY cold out there!
And sometimes, that means that small gaps under the door or around windows can make it really, really cold inside, too. Space heaters may seem like an easy an effective solution, but - from a home inspector's perspective - this is a case where the cure is worse than the problem.
As the handy infographic below illustrates (thanks, Nationwide, for the info) space heaters are disproportionately related to house fires and deaths from fires. If that sentence scares you then, good! It's supposed to!! These are VERY dangerous things that people too often don't treat as the major fire hazard that they really are.
If I told you that one single item caused 1/3 of all home heating fires, and was responsible for 80% of the deaths in home heating fires, you probably would not want it in your house, right? The overwhelming cause of home heating fires and deaths is placing a space heater too close to flammable items like a bed, curtains, or furniture. Maybe the scariest statistic above is that it only takes 3 minutes for a fire to become life-threatening.
I know I am not going to suddenly get everyone to abandon the easy, convenient way to heat some portions of you your home....but if I can get even a few more people to think more carefully about their use, and make sure they exercise a little more caution, I'll take it.
Stay warm, and be safe!!!
Philadelphia's Preferred Home Inspector
215.839.1801
