A report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration notes electrical problems account for 28,600 house fires annually and the most occur during December and January.

The uptick in home electrical fires is associated with the increased use of home heating devices, lighting, faulty extension cords and a lack of safe home electrical practices.

“During the winter, people tend to use space heaters and plug them into general purpose outlets which is not safe,” says Pasquale Ceriello, field manager at highly rated Ceriello Electric in Brooklyn, N.Y. “Also, people use extension cords for decorations which can overload circuits and result in a fire.” 

Steve Breton, a Boston electrician and owner of highly rated Breton Electric in Wakefield, Mass., agrees.

“The misuse of extension cords with portable heaters is a major cause of residential fires during cold weather, although holiday lighting also poses a danger.”

During the cold winter months, many homeowners turn to space heaters in an attempt to offset high utility bills. Space heaters typically heat only one room at a time and homeowners incorrectly assume they can use an extension cord to power the device all around the home. Space heaters consume between 750 and 1,000 watts, and they are often used for long periods of time.

According to the he U. S. Department of Energy, “Electric heaters should be plugged directly into the wall outlet. If an extension cord is necessary, use a heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger.”

“Extension cords are rated for different load applications,” Breton says. “If an extension cord is overloaded, it could very well melt and arc and spark before it trips a conventionally protected circuit.” 

Ceriello says the New York tri-state area electric company frequently observes the misuse of extension cords and space heaters, and she informs homeowners of the potential dangers. She recommends moving electrical loads to different outlets or installing new outlets all together.

“Overloading is one main reason fires tend to start in homes. When too much power is drawn on one breaker, and for some reason the breaker does not trip, the wire can get extremely hot and cause a fire.”

So what can homeowners do to prevent a winter electrical fire?

“Try not to use extension cords and heavy duty equipment on general purpose plugs which can overload a single circuit breaker,” Ceriello says.

Breton says homeowner’s should always hire a reputable electrician for electrical work, and he recommends installing arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) and ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) protection.

“In my opinion, properly installed and maintained AFCI and GFCI protection will eliminate virtually all threat of residential electrical fires and electrocution,” he says.

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