My utility sends newsletters before winter storms with tips to be prepared. One of them mentioned: “Do not use the oven to heat your home.”
Why?
In: Engineering
A properly vented natural gas furnace vents all of the exhaust products (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, water vapor) out an exhaust pipe to the outdoors. Your oven does not do that so all of the toxic combustion products go into your home. Your oven is designed to be on for medium length periods of time to cook food, not to be on constantly to heat your home. You should also be running an exhaust fan when you are using your oven to vent these exhaust gasses out of your home. People die of carbon monoxide poisoning every year heating their home with improper heating appliances.
If your home has a gas oven, it’s because of the carbon monoxide and the risk of fire. With a modern HVAC system, very little carbon monoxide is created and that gets vented to the outside with the exhaust.
With an electric oven, there isn’t the danger of carbon monoxide, but there is still the danger of anything close to the oven catching fire.
Even without the danger of poisonous gases and fire, it is horribly inefficient. If you are worried about a room not being warm enough, get a space heater. It will work much more efficiently and safely than any kitchen appliance.
1. Its super inefficient energy-wise, and if you have power/gas to the stove you should have still have heating otherwise unless your heating system conveniently broke.
2. High risk of fire if you leave the oven on for long periods of time.
Space Heaters are usually readily available and won’t break the bank for cost or be a massive fire hazard if you actually have a broken heating system and need enough heat to get by until it gets fixed.
Hot oven is bad. burned food causes smoke. breathing smoke means you might go to the hospital. Also could cause a fire.
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