The cold weather arrives and the first instinct is always the same: turn on the electric heater. Small, compact, it heats up in a few minutes and makes every room look like a mountain refuge. But the doubt arrives promptly: How much will it cost me to keep it on?
Let’s do some simple math, without complicated formulas. A De Longhi heater generally has two power levels:
If you keep it on for an hour a day, consumption varies from 1 to 2 kWh. The average price of electricity today fluctuates between 0.13 and 0.30 euros per kWh, depending on the tariff. Doing the math, the expense will be:
Using it every day for five months, the total cost is between 20 and 90 euros for the entire winter.
Not a little, but not a disaster either. The point, however, is to understand how we use it. Because it’s not just a question of numbers.
What science says
Scientific research has thoroughly studied our relationship with the cold and the costs of heating. And the conclusions are sobering. A study published in ScienceDirect in 2023, titled “Household Responses to Winter Heating Costs,” found that when the price of heating doubles, people respond by lowering their indoor temperature by up to half a degree.
In practice, when energy costs too much, we adapt to the cold. Blanket on the shoulders, and “passive resistance” begins.
Another research by the University of Berkeley (“Electric Heating and Temperature Effects on Household Electricity Consumption”, 2020) analyzed how electricity consumption varies based on the external temperature.
Every degree of increase in external temperature reduces consumption by 4%. Translated: when it’s freezing outside, the use of space heaters explodes. And it’s not just a question of comfort, but also of habit: we tend to warm up more when the cold puts us to the test.
Between savings and health: finding the right point
These researches reveal a human fact even before an economic one. When costs rise, many prefer to save even at the cost of living in colder environments. But be careful: excessive heat savings can have health consequences.
A study published on the portal PubMed Central in 2023 (“The Mortality Effects of Winter Heating Prices”) demonstrated that excessively high energy prices increase winter mortality, especially due to respiratory and cardiovascular problems.
In other words: Don’t save until you freeze. Thermal comfort is a form of primary well-being, and must be managed with balance.
The electric heater is convenient, immediate and perfect for heating small areas or work environments. The secret is to use it intelligently:
With a little awareness, you can warm up without fainting. Science confirms it: it’s not the heater that’s the problem, but as And How much we use it.
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