Along with dropping temperatures, winter brings the return of an age-old question: Should you use space heaters to warm cold rooms? The answer is that using a space heater to solve your heat problems is a bit like serving soup with a slotted spoon. You get a little of what you want, but most of it slips right through.

Are space heaters helping? And if so, how much?

Sitting in front of a space heater provides immediate relief, true. That heat washes over you like a tiny, electric-powered sun. But although it may warm you, it’s not doing much to warm the room (meaning you need to stay where the heater is to benefit).

Do space heaters save money, at least?

They do not. Running one takes a lot of power. A small space heater can eat up as much electricity as 20 standard 75-watt bulbs. And when you start exploring alternatives to space heaters, you’ll quickly learn that your whole-house system is much more efficient.

A space heater, which works a lot like a toaster oven by using resistance wire to generate heat, is not a solution to a cold room. It’ll do in a pinch, but the real answer is to seal your room. Most often, a room that’s cooler than the rest of the house is one that lets the warm air your furnace creates slip right out of gaps around doors and windows or into the attic.

Let’s find the real cause of your home’s heat problems.

Before you resort to a space heater, see what you can do about finding and fixing the culprits behind your cold room. A heat energy audit, more commonly known as an energy audit, can help shed light on why the room is too cold. Once that’s complete, your Energy Advisor can suggest possible solutions — and maybe even find some rebate money to make energy-efficient changes.