Space Heater Safety Tips: How Not to Set a Fire

Space heater safety is a lot better than it used to be. Modern space heaters are heavily regulated, especially regarding exposed heating elements and automatic shut-off switches to prevent overheating when a heater tips over or has its vent covered by an errant drape. I tested these protections on each of the WIRED Gear Team's favorite space heaters, roughly knocking heaters over and standing warily by as I swaddled each heater in a cotton sheet atop concrete. Any heater that we recommend performed admirably on these tests, shutting down or modulating its power output to keep from overheating. The statistics bear out the safety improvements to space heaters: The number of fires due to heating equipment in the United States has dropped by more than 40 percent in the years from 2000 to 2020, according to a study by the National Fire Protection Association. But heating devices still reward great caution, as do all devices that pull a lot of energy over long periods. The vast majority o ... Read full article.