Space Heater Cost in Ontario: What a 1,500 W Heater Costs per Hour and Month

A 1,500-watt space heater in Ontario costs about 14¢ an hour at the Time-of-Use (TOU) off-peak price and about 28¢ an hour on-peak, counting the electricity commodity only. With delivery, regulatory charges, HST and the Ontario Electricity Rebate included, typical use in one room adds roughly $20–$30 a month to a hydro bill, while a heater running non-stop can cost $175 or more.

Space heater cost in Ontario comes down to three numbers: the heater's wattage, how many hours it actually runs, and what you pay per kWh. Here is the math.

How much does a space heater cost per hour in Ontario?

Almost every plug-in heater sold for Canadian homes tops out at 1,500 W on its high setting, which uses 1.5 kWh per hour of full operation.

Price period (from 1 November 2026)	Price per kWh	Cost per hour at 1,500 W
TOU off-peak (weekdays 7 p.m.–7 a.m., weekends)	9.1¢	13.7¢
TOU mid-peak (winter weekdays 11 a.m.–5 p.m.)	14.6¢	21.9¢
TOU on-peak (winter weekdays 7–11 a.m., 5–7 p.m.)	18.9¢	28.4¢
ULO ultra-low overnight (11 p.m.–7 a.m.)	3.7¢	5.6¢
ULO on-peak (weekdays 4–9 p.m.)	37.7¢	56.6¢
Rough all-in average, Toronto area (estimate)	about 17¢	about 25.5¢

On the low setting (often 750–900 W), costs are roughly half. A thermostat-controlled heater also cycles on and off once the room warms, so it rarely runs at full power every hour.

What does it cost per month?

These examples use an all-in price of about 17¢/kWh, which becomes about 16.5¢ after adding 13% HST and subtracting the 15.7% rebate. The "duty cycle" is the share of time the heater is actually drawing full power.

Use	Calculation	kWh/month	Estimated monthly cost
Home office, 8 h on 22 weekdays, 50% duty	1.5 × 8 × 0.5 × 22	132	about $22
Evenings in a family room, 4 h × 30 days, 75% duty	1.5 × 4 × 0.75 × 30	135	about $22
Bedroom overnight, 8 h × 30 days, 50% duty	1.5 × 8 × 0.5 × 30	180	about $30
Garage or cold room, full power 24/7	1.5 × 24 × 30	1,080	about $178

On the Tiered plan, extra kWh can also push you past the 1,000 kWh winter threshold, where the commodity price rises from 11.2¢ to 13.2¢. Use our appliance energy cost calculator for your own wattage and hours.

Is a space heater cheaper than a furnace?

Per unit of heat, no. A plug-in heater turns 1 kWh of electricity into 1 kWh of heat. Here is what the same 1 kWh of delivered heat costs from different sources, using our usual estimates:

Heat source	Cost per kWh of heat (estimate)
Space heater or baseboard (all-in 17¢/kWh)	about 17¢
Cold-climate heat pump, seasonal COP 2.75	about 6¢
Gas furnace, 95% AFUE, gas at 45¢/m³	about 5¢ (45¢ ÷ (10.35 × 0.95))

A space heater only saves money if it lets you turn the central heat down far enough, for long enough, to make up the difference. That is harder than it sounds. In a gas-heated home, a 2–3 °C daytime setback for 8 hours might save roughly $4–$8 a month on heating gas in winter, based on 5–10% savings from a full overnight-and-away setback. The home office heater in the table above costs about $22. In that case the furnace is the cheaper way to stay warm, and the heater is a comfort choice, not a saving.

The math works better when:

• You heat one small room and keep the rest of the house much cooler for many hours.
• You live in an electrically heated home and are replacing baseboard heat in one room with the same cost of heat but more targeted use.
• You run the heater at ULO overnight prices of 3.7¢, when it costs about 5.6¢ an hour.

If one room is always cold, fixing the cause, such as air leaks, a blocked register or thin insulation over a garage, usually beats a heater. See our guide to fixing cold rooms and uneven heating.

Do "energy-saving" heaters really cost less?

Oil-filled radiators, ceramic heaters, infrared heaters and fan heaters all convert electricity to heat at essentially 100%. A 1,500 W model of any type costs the same to run per hour at full power. Differences come from:

• Thermostat quality: a good thermostat avoids overheating the room.
• How the heat is delivered: radiant and infrared heaters warm people and objects directly, which can feel comfortable at a lower room temperature.
• Run time: a smaller heater that runs longer uses the same energy as a bigger one that runs less.

Be wary of advertisements claiming one heater can cut your heating bill in half. We cover that one and other common claims in home energy myths.

Space heater safety checklist

• Keep at least 1 m of clearance from curtains, bedding, furniture and paper.
• Plug directly into a wall outlet. Do not use extension cords or power bars.
• Choose a certified heater (look for a CSA, cUL or ULC mark) with tip-over and overheat shut-off.
• Never leave a heater running unattended or while you sleep unless it is designed for that use, and keep children and pets away.
• Make sure your smoke alarms work.
• Do not share a circuit with other high-wattage appliances; a 1,500 W heater uses most of a standard 15 A circuit.

For other ways to stay warm for less this season, see our winter energy savings guide and the best thermostat temperature for winter.

All costs in this post are estimates for illustration.