How Much Does a Space Heater Cost to Run on PG&E? (Winter 2026 Rates)

A typical 1,500-watt space heater on high costs about $0.55 to $0.61 an hour to run on PG&E's main residential plans this winter, once your usage is above your baseline allowance. Inside your baseline it's closer to $0.43 to $0.49 an hour. Run one on high for four evening hours a day all month and that's about $72 on E-TOU-C, from a single appliance.

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Key facts

• Watts to kWh: a heater drawing 1,500 watts uses 1.5 kWh every hour it runs at full power. On its 750-watt low setting it uses 0.75 kWh an hour. Check the label on your heater for its actual wattage.
• PG&E winter runs October 1 through May 31. On E-TOU-C, peak is 4-9 p.m. every day, all year. Source: PG&E Schedule E-TOU-C.
• E-TOU-C winter rates: $0.39757/kWh peak and $0.36757/kWh off-peak, with a baseline credit of $0.08140/kWh on usage within your baseline allowance. Source: PG&E Schedule E-TOU-C, total bundled rates effective June 1, 2026.
• E-1 (tiered) rates: $0.32561/kWh for Tier 1 (up to 100% of baseline) and $0.40702/kWh for Tier 2 (above baseline). Source: PG&E Schedule E-1, effective June 1, 2026.
• Every electric resistance heater turns watts into heat the same way. A 1,500-watt ceramic, oil-filled, or infrared heater uses the same 1.5 kWh per hour at full power. What differs is how the heat feels and how often the thermostat cycles it.

Space heater cost per hour on PG&E (winter 2026)

These are bundled rates. If a community choice aggregator such as MCE, EBCE, or SJCE supplies your generation, your total will be a little different; see Community Choice Aggregation Explained.

The formula is simple enough to check yourself: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × rate. For example, 1,500 ÷ 1,000 × 1 hour × $0.39757 = $0.596, or about $0.60.

Those are maximums. A heater with a built-in thermostat cycles off once the room warms up, so over an hour it may draw full power only part of the time. The only way to know your real number is to measure it (more on that below).

What it adds up to in a month

Here are two example scenarios, using the rates above and assuming the heater runs at full power. These are illustrations of the math, not predictions for your house.

• Evenings in the living room. 1,500 W for 4 hours a day, all during the 4-9 p.m. peak, for 30 days: 1.5 × 4 × 30 = 180 kWh. At $0.39757, that's about $71.56 on E-TOU-C.
• A home office on workdays. 1,500 W for 8 hours a day (off-peak, before 4 p.m.) for 22 workdays: 1.5 × 8 × 22 = 264 kWh. At $0.36757, that's about $97.04. If every one of those kWh fell within your baseline, the $0.08140 credit would bring it to about $75.55.

Why one heater can push your whole bill up

The bigger problem isn't the heater's own cost. It's what it does to your baseline.

Your baseline allowance is the amount of electricity billed at the lower rate (on E-1) or that gets the baseline credit (on E-TOU-C). In winter, PG&E's basic baseline ranges from 7.5 kWh a day in territory T to 11.1 kWh a day in territory Y. Territory X gets 9.7 kWh a day, about 291 kWh in a 30-day month. Source: baseline quantities table in PG&E Schedule E-1.

The evening scenario above uses 180 kWh, more than half of that territory X allowance, before the fridge, lights, or laundry. On E-1, everything above baseline jumps from $0.32561 to $0.40702 per kWh. So a space heater tends to push more of your other usage into the expensive tier too. Our guide to PG&E baseline allowance explains how the allowance works and how to find your territory.

If your heating is all-electric, PG&E's tariffs list much larger all-electric (Code H) winter allowances, such as 14.6 kWh a day in territory X. Check your bill to see which code you're on.

How to cut what your space heater costs

1. Heat the person, not the house. A space heater saves money only if you turn the central heat down and heat just the room you're in. Running both doubles up.
2. Use the low setting and the thermostat. 750 watts costs half as much per hour as 1,500. A heater with an adjustable thermostat cycles off instead of running flat out.
3. On E-TOU-C, mind 4-9 p.m. In winter the peak premium is only $0.03 per kWh ($0.39757 versus $0.36757), so timing matters much less than in summer. Total hours matter more. That's different from summer, when the gap is $0.12300. See PG&E Time-of-Use Rates Explained.
4. Stop the drafts first. Heat escapes around doors and windows, so the heater runs longer. Cheap fixes:
   • Grotheory door draft stopper (2-pack) for gaps under doors.
   • Frost King R734H foam weatherseal tape for leaky door and window frames.
   • Duck window insulation kit (up to 10 windows) for single-pane or drafty windows.
   • NICETOWN thermal blackout curtains (2 panels) to close at night.
5. Measure the real cost. A circuit-level monitor like the Emporia Vue 3 shows exactly how many kWh your heating uses and when. Our home energy monitor guide covers setup. Don't plug a space heater into a smart plug or plug-in meter to measure it: safety agencies say heaters should go straight into the wall (see below).
6. If you have electric baseboard heat, a line-voltage smart thermostat such as the Mysa Smart Thermostat V2 for electric baseboard heaters lets you schedule each room so it's not heating while you're out. It's made for electric baseboard heaters, not plug-in units or central systems, so check compatibility on the listing first. For central heating, see our smart thermostat guide for PG&E.

Use it safely

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates portable heaters are involved in an average of 1,600 fires a year, with 70 deaths and 150 injuries a year from 2020 to 2022. Its advice: keep heaters at least three feet from drapes, furniture, and bedding; plug electric space heaters directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip; and turn them off when you sleep. Source: CPSC winter safety tips. The U.S. Fire Administration adds that you should look for a heater with an automatic tip-over shut-off and one certified by a recognized testing laboratory (USFA heating fire safety).

See what heating is really doing to your bill

If your winter bill jumped and you're not sure why, upload your PG&E bill to My Big Bill for a free audit. It checks your bill against PG&E's published rates, shows how much of your usage lands above baseline and in the 4-9 p.m. peak, and won't invent savings your bill doesn't support. If the number still looks wrong, read Why Is My PG&E Bill So High? and How to Read Your PG&E Bill.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a 1,500-watt space heater for 8 hours on PG&E?

At full power it uses 12 kWh. On E-TOU-C winter off-peak above baseline ($0.36757/kWh), that's about $4.41. On E-1 Tier 2 ($0.40702/kWh), about $4.88. Within your baseline it's less. A heater that cycles on its thermostat will use less than the full 12 kWh.

Is it cheaper to run a space heater at night on PG&E?

On E-TOU-C, anything outside 4-9 p.m. is off-peak, and in winter that saves $0.03 per kWh, or about $0.045 an hour for a 1,500-watt heater. That's real but small. Safety agencies also say not to leave a space heater on while you sleep.

Do oil-filled heaters use less electricity than ceramic heaters?

Not per hour at the same wattage. Any 1,500-watt electric resistance heater uses 1.5 kWh per hour at full power. Oil-filled heaters hold heat and release it slowly, which some people find more comfortable, but the electricity math is the same.

Is a space heater cheaper than central heat?

It can be, if you heat one room and turn the central heat down. If you run it alongside central heat, or try to heat a whole house with several, it usually isn't. The way to know is to compare your kWh and therms on your bill, or measure with an energy monitor.

What's PG&E's winter peak rate in 2026?

On E-TOU-C, it's $0.39757 per kWh from 4 to 9 p.m., October through May, versus $0.36757 off-peak (bundled rates effective June 1, 2026). Usage within your baseline gets a $0.08140 per kWh credit. Source: PG&E Schedule E-TOU-C.

Can I plug a space heater into a smart plug to schedule it?

The CPSC says to plug electric space heaters directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip. Many smart plugs also have current limits close to what a 1,500-watt heater draws. Use the heater's own timer or thermostat instead.