If you’re adding a wood stove, a pellet stove, or a couple of space heaters before winter, your home insurer will probably want to know about the stove. Many home insurance applications ask about wood-burning stoves and other supplemental heat, and some carriers ask for details on how it was installed. The reason is in the fire numbers. The National Fire Protection Association says space heaters and heating stoves were involved in 73% of U.S. home heating fire deaths from 2020 to 2024.

Heating season in Oklahoma is short, but it’s real. When an ice storm knocks out power in Choctaw, Harrah, or Luther for three days, the backup heat comes out.

What the fire numbers say

NFPA puts the average at 37,365 home heating equipment fires a year from 2020 to 2024. That’s about 11% of reported home fires. Those fires caused an average of 417 civilian deaths and $1.2 billion in property damage a year. Nearly half (46%) happened from December through February.

Space heaters and heating stoves stand out. They make up a minority of the fires but most of the deaths and injuries. Fireplaces and chimneys are a small share of heating fires but a much larger share of the property damage.

What a home insurer typically asks

Questions vary by carrier, but these come up often on Oklahoma applications and supplemental heating questionnaires:

  • Is the stove wood, pellet, gas, or coal, and is it the main heat source or a backup?
  • Was it installed by a professional, and was a permit pulled?
  • Is the unit listed by a testing lab, such as UL?
  • How far is it from walls and furniture, and what’s underneath it?
  • When was the chimney or flue last cleaned and inspected?

Electric space heaters usually aren’t asked about by name. But the answers above also describe how a fire investigator looks at a loss after the fact. We go through the rest of the intake in what we ask before we quote a home.

The unflattering part

Telling the carrier about a new wood stove doesn’t always go smoothly. Some carriers want photos or an inspection. Some charge more for a home with solid-fuel heat. A few decline homes where a wood stove is the main heat source. That’s the honest tradeoff, and it’s the reason some people skip the phone call.

Skipping it carries its own risk. Applications and policies generally expect accurate answers about the home. If a fire starts at a stove the carrier never heard about, the claim conversation can get harder. Fire is one of the core perils on standard homeowners forms, but how a claim is handled still depends on the policy wording and the facts.

Simple steps that help on both fronts

NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration cover most of it:

  • Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from heating equipment, including space heaters.
  • Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
  • Turn space heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed, and never use an oven to heat the house.
  • Keep the receipts and permit for a new stove with your policy documents.

Long winter outages also bring frozen pipes, which have their own claim story. We covered that in preventing frozen pipes in Oklahoma. And if you’re reviewing deductibles before winter, see our homeowners deductible strategy.

Before the first cold snap

If you’ve added a stove, or you’re about to, call (405) 861-8500. We’ll tell you what your carrier is likely to ask, and if it’s a poor fit we can shop the home with other carriers. Our home insurance page has the basics, or you can request a quote.

This article is general information about how coverage typically works, not advice about your specific situation. Policy language — not website descriptions — determines coverage, and your policy is the only thing that says what you have.