Insurance companies often worry about space heaters due to their fire risk. Homes that rely on space heaters as a primary heat source may face higher premiums or stricter underwriting.
This guide draws on Health Canada’s electrical-product safety guide, Health Canada’s guidance for buying electrical products online, and the federal home-insurance guide to explain how space-heater use and a related fire may affect home insurance.
Do Space Heaters Affect Home Insurance?
Occasional, supplemental space heater use doesn’t automatically affect your insurance across Canada.
Situations that can affect coverage include using portable space heaters as your primary heat source, having no functional primary heat source, and whether your home’s electrical system can safely handle a space heater. Your insurance application may ask if your home has supplemental heat sources.
Ultimately, describe your home’s actual heating setup accurately, as having a space heater doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll pay more to insure your home and using them safely doesn’t necessarily mean your home insurance covers them.
Use A Portable Electric Heater Safely
| Check | What to do | Stop using it if |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | Look for a Canadian certification mark on the unit, such as CSA, cUL or cETL. | The safety mark may be missing, appear suspicious, or be on the product packaging but not the heater. |
| Clearance | Keep beds, couches, curtains, clothes, papers, or other combustible materials at least one metre away from a portable electric heater. | This room doesn’t provide the required clearance for a portable electric heater. |
| Power | Plug a portable electric heater directly into a wall outlet. Never use an extension cord or a power bar. | Stop using your heater if it fits loosely into the outlet, if the outlet is discoloured, or if the cord or plug becomes hot. |
| Placement | Place the heater on a level, stable floor. Keep it away from water and out of high-traffic areas where people are likely to bump or tip it. | Do not use a portable electric heater that rocks or tips or has damaged guards. |
| Supervision | Unplug portable electric heaters before leaving your home or going to sleep. | Stop using it if you need unattended or overnight heat. |
| Condition | Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Check the heater’s cord, plug, and case before use. | You notice fraying, cracking, scorch marks or an unusual smell, or the heater is recalled. |
Never repair it unless the manufacturer instructs you to follow specific steps.
Read More: Check and Test Smoke Alarms Before Using a Space Heater
Supplemental Heat Vs Primary Heat
| Situation | Insurance and safety question | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional heat in one occupied room | Does the policy or application ask if there are any portable or auxiliary heaters? | Use supplemental heat safely and answer every policy question accurately. |
| Central heat is temporarily broken | Can the home remain safely heated and are pipes at risk? | Arrange for repair by a qualified person. If you rent your home, your landlord should be informed. If the outage will be extended, speak to your insurer. |
| Portable heaters heat most or all rooms | Has the primary heat or occupancy risk changed? | Contact your insurer before relying on the setup and get professional advice about any heating or electrical aspect of the arrangement. |
| Landlord supplied the heater | Who will be repairing the permanent heating system? What instructions were given? | Keep written records, operate the heater safely and remember that tenant insurance still matters. |
Are Fires From Space Heaters Covered By Home Insurance?
| Claim question | Useful record |
|---|---|
| What started the fire? | Keep the fire-department report, the adjuster’s findings and photos if they are safe to take. |
| Which property was damaged? | Keep the home or tenant policy, inventory, receipts and proof of ownership of the heater. |
| Was another person or unit affected? | Keep names, contact details and liability correspondence. |
| Was the heater recalled or defective? | Relevant records include the heater’s model and serial number, receipt, manual and recall result. |
| Was the heating arrangement disclosed when required? | Include any insurance applications, responses at renewal, and other written communications with your insurer, broker, or landlord. |
Homeowners’ insurance may cover unintentional fire, but it depends on your particular policy. The cause, damaged property, exclusions, limits, deductibles and facts found during the claim all come into play. The insurer may examine whether the heater was defective, recalled, misused, left unattended, connected through a power bar, used as undisclosed primary heat or involved with faulty wiring.
After a space heater fire, leave the home, call 9-1-1, and stay out. Notify your insurer as soon as possible. Save the heater and any damaged parts, unless it’s unsafe to keep them, until the fire authority and your insurer say it is safe to get rid of them.
Read More: See How Home Fire Insurance May Respond
How Having A Space Heater May Affect Your Premiums
There is no blanket rule about using a space heater as secondary heat resulting in higher premiums. Each insurer has its own set of rules and asks different questions.
A home that only uses space heaters may be viewed differently than a house with a functioning heating system, so call your insurer to find out. Keep any answer in writing.
When shopping for a different rate, compare quotes for the same coverage, limits, and deductibles.