Which uses more electricity heater or AC?

This is heavily dependent on the climate, but to keep the answer short: Heaters consume more energy than air conditioners (in cooling mode) in cold, as well as temperate climates. These climates tend to get cold during winter, but fairly cool during summer (eg.Click to see full answer. Also know, is it cheaper to run an electric heater or air conditioner?So the cost of heating the air is approximately one third compared to electric heaters. That is significant. On today’s energy costs (winter 2013) of 25 cents per kWh the 2 kW electric heater will cost 50 cents per hour to run. The reverse cycle air conditioner will cost 15 cents per hour.Furthermore, does AC waste a lot of electricity? In the typical home, air conditioning uses more electricity than anything else—16% of total electricity used. In warmer regions AC can be 60-70% of your summer electric bill, according to Austin Energy. Likewise, can I use AC as heater? In short yes! With the addition of a reversing valve, the flow of energy can be reversed, effectively transforming the air conditioner into a heater! Air conditioning units that are able to do this will have a specific ‘heating mode’.What is the cheapest most efficient way to heat a home?Solar heating is the most efficient home heating system on all three criteria, and electric is the least efficient and least affordable. If you want to know why electric heating is so inefficient and expensive, or how to save on electric heating, see my Energy efficient electric heaters page.