I made a bet with my brother that my oil-filled, portable electric heater uses less electricity than his portable electric heater without oil. Each of them has a fan. The bet is that the loser pays the winner's highest electric bill next winter. Who's right?
Both/neither of you. Each heater uses the same amount of electricity to warm up a living space. It looks like you'll both be paying your own electric bills. But I can't help but wonder how high those bills are going to be. You see, whenever somebody asks about portable heaters, a red flag goes up for me. Because, if you feel the need to use a space heater, you may have some fixable problems in your home that are making it unnecessarily chilly. Here are some tips:
Caulk around window and door frames. Replace cracked window glazing and be sure that windows close and latch properly. Find air leaks and seal them with expanding foam or caulk. Likely places for leaks are around plumbing, wiring, chimneys, and gaps around recessed lights and fans. Is the attic air-sealed and well-insulated? You can hire a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® contractor to do a whole-house assessment and to make the improvements that can enable you to use less central-heating fuel and keep you comfortable without the expense of running portable electric heaters. To find a contractor near you, visit Home Performance with ENERGY STAR.