Governor Hochul Signs New York’s ‘Safe Space Heaters Act’

Inflation is effecting everything and we have to make choices on how to make our money last longer. The Energy Information Administration is saying that we'll see significantly higher heating costs because of high energy prices and a colder than usual winter.

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If you heat your home with oil or gas, you are going to see an increase of over 25% from last year. That will lead to many of us trying to figure out how to keep our house warm, while leaving money in our pockets.

Many of us (including me) have decided to get a electric space heater to help heat parts of the house that we are in the most. We spend the majority of our time in a room or two and we end up heating the whole house.

The Safe Space Heaters Act

I've noticed the difference and the furnace doesn't run near as much. With more people using them, New York wants to keep everyone as safe as they can, so Governor Hochul has signed new legislation (S.7863A/A.9181B) called the "Safe Space Heaters Act."

This requires electric space heaters to have thermostats, automatic shut-offs and it has to be certified by a testing and certification body that is recognized and approved by the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The legislation was introduced last year after a tragic fire in the Bronx took 19 lives. The bill is meant to help prevent deaths and injuries as we heat our homes this winter. This has nothing to do with fighting inflation but people are using space heaters and hopefully this will help people keep safe.

If you would like to find out more about the "Safe Space Heaters Act" or want to contact the Governor's Press Office, go here for further information.