Winter’s chill has a way of working its way past the efforts of your central heating system, which maintains a constant temperature, but doesn’t provide the satisfying warmth of feeling heat on your skin. Many people use space heaters to take off those chills or to improve central heating cost-efficiency through zone heating. To achieve either of these goals, you will need to choose among the best space heaters available. Our reviews and mini buyer’s guide will provide you with the necessary information and comparisons to make an informed choice.
Best Space Heaters Reviews
Tenergy 900W/1500W PTC Ceramic Heater
The Tenergy PTC Ceramic Heater is among the most powerful, portable and lightweight ceramic heaters available. This personal space heater provides the warmth you desire within 3 seconds of turning it on.
You get two different levels of output at 900W and 1500W, which will provide heat to up to 150 square feet. Its adjustable fan allows you to tilt and aim the fan in wherever you desire, making it a good fit for those who desire personal heating comfort. It utilizes ceramic radiant heat, has a built-in thermostat and all the necessary safety features. This was a natural selection for our list of top pick space heaters.
Pros:
Lightweight and compact design
Heats up to 150 square feet
Two power output options
Built in thermostat and safety controls
2-year warranty
Cons:
No remote control
Loud whine when first turned on
Need to be careful about placement.
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VersionTECH. Small Space Heater Personal Portable Electric PTC Ceramic Heater
The ultra-quiet design of the VersionTech Small Space Heater could be the solution you are looking for under your office desk. Its compact design and lightweight make it ideal for personal heat in an area of limited space.
This unit only puts out 45 dB of noise, which makes it a good choice for a baby’s room or a quiet office. Its 3200 BTU/hour output allows you to efficiently heat a room of up to 100 square feet. Among its notable features are an oscillating fan with a range of 90 degrees, a built-in thermostat and all the necessary safety features and certifications.
Pros:
Extremely compact and lightweight
Ultra-quite
90 degree oscillating fan
Heats a room up to 100 square feet
Surfaces remain cool
Built-in thermostat and safety features
Cons:
Heats a limited amount of space
No remote control
Have to sit right on top of it to feel heat output
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TrusTech Portable Electric Heater
This three-mode, lightweight, TrusTech Portable Electric Heater is a popular choice for a variety of reasons. It is another great option for heating your personal office space, dorm room, or to keep off the chill while you watch T.V.
You get a choice of 750W low heat, 1500W high heat, fan only options with this heater, making it able to heat up to 150 square feet of space on its highest setting, or provide you with cooling comfort when needed. It heats up fast, has a built-in over-heating shutoff and tip-over safety features. Its surfaces stay cool to the touch and it comes with a 1-year replacement guarantee.
Pros:
Lightweight and compact design
Will heat up to 150 square feet
Two levels of heat plus cooling fan modes
Built-in overheat shutoff and tip-over safety features
Heats up fast
1-year replacement guarantee
Cons:
No remote with this unit
No specific temperature level adjustment
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DeLonghi TCH7915ER DeLonghi Safe Heat Tower Ceramic Heater
A quiet operating and powerful space heater to keep in mind is the DeLonghi TCH7915ER Safe Heat Tower Ceramic Heater. This is a tower style ceramic heater with plenty of notable options.
The output of this space heater is sufficient for heating a room up to 150 square feet. It comes in a ceramic tower heater design with 150 degrees of oscillation to help spread heat throughout the room. You can control this quiet operating unit with its included remote control, so you don’t have to leave the comfort of your favorite chair or bed to make adjustments. A broad base helps provide added safety, and it comes with a built-in thermostat and tip-over safety switch. It also features digital temperature control, countdown timer for auto shutoff and cool to touch technologies.
Pros:
Lightweight tower design
150 degrees of oscillation
Heats up to 150 square feet
Includes remote control
Quiet operation
Built-in thermostat and safety features
Cons:
Beeps to acknowledge programming changes
Clicks at each end of oscillation
Lack of warranty information
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Lasko 6462 Full Circle Warmth Ceramic Heater
You can spread the heat through the entire room with the Lasko 6462 Full Circle Warmth Ceramic Heater. This tower heater style has plenty of notable features beyond its capacity for 360 degree oscillation.
You have all the control you need over this ceramic space heater using the included remote control. It has the capacity to heat a room up to 150 square feet. Digital adjustment from 39 to 90 degrees is available with this unit and it also includes a countdown timer for auto shutoff. It has a small footprint, allowing for a broader range of locations and features a tip-over and thermal overheating safety shutoff as well. In addition, you can easily remove and clean its air filters.
Pros:
Lightweight tower style ceramic space heater
90, 180 and 360 degree oscillation
Digital temperature programming
Includes remote control
Easy-to-clean air filters
Tower Heater heats up to 150 square feet
Cons:
Some assembly required
Unpleasant smell when used out of the box
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Dr Infrared Heater DR998, 1500W, Advanced Dual Heating System
An attractive console style heater that will catch your eye is the Dr Infrared Heater DR998. This powerful heater uses infrared for the cost-effective heating of your favorite room.
This console comes in a compact design, but it packs enough power to heat a room up to 150 square feet. It comes with a remote control with which you can adjust its digital thermostat between 50 and 86 degrees. The quiet fan on this unit operates at a maximum of 39 dB, making it attractive for bedrooms or your TV room. It comes with a countdown timer, cool-to-touch technology as well as tip-over and thermal overload safety shutoff.
Pros:
Lightweight compact console design
Low noise fan
Digital control from 50 to 86 degrees
Includes remote control
12 hour countdown timer
3-year warranty
Cons:
Turns on and off regularly to measure and adjust temperature
The material quality of the remote is substandard
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Duraflame Electric Infrared Quartz Fireplace Stove
Space heaters can add atmosphere to your home as demonstrated by the Duraflame Electric Infrared Quartz Fireplace Stove. This attractive console style space heater can be an attractive centerpiece to any room in your home.
If you want the look of a wood stove in your space heater, then you will enjoy the features of this infrared quartz model with the power to heat rooms up to 150 square feet. Included among its features are five, adjustable, 3D flame effects for added ambiance. It has a fully operational, beveled-glass door. Also, included is an adjustable digital thermostat, remote control, quiet operating fan and all the necessary safety features.
Pros:
Attractive wood stove design
Heats up to 150 square feet
Adjustable digital thermostat
Five 3D flame effects
Includes remote
Cool-to-touch
1-year warranty
Cons:
Plastic legs take away from the overall feel
Blower is a bit louder than billed
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DeLonghi EW7707CM Safe Heat 1500W ComforTemp Portable Oil-Filled Radiator
A safer type of space heater in a more efficient design comes in the form of the DeLonghi EW7707CM Safe Heat 1500W ComforTemp Portable Oil-Filled Radiator. This radiator style space heater maintains exact desired temperature and is safe to operate without supervision.
Efficiently heating a room up to 150 square feet, this portable space heater has a fully enclosed, patented steel oil reservoir and seven heating-fin elements. Perfect for most rooms, including moderately sized living rooms. You get maximum heat flow while maintaining low surface temperatures for added safety. It has a small footprint and lightweight design, but also comes on smart-snap casters for easy relocation. This portable heater includes thermal overheat protection, tip-over safety, and an anti-freeze setting allowing you to use it to keep waterlines from freezing while you are away or while you sleep.
Pros:
Lightweight, radiator style design
Permanently sealed, oil-filled heating efficiency
Casters for portability
Portable heater design
Anti-freeze feature
Thermal overload and tip-over shutoff
1-year warranty
Cons:
Temperature of surfaces is hotter than manufacturer claims
No remote
No actual temperature readout for precise setting
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Costway Oil Filled Radiator Heater
High efficiency combines with affordability in the Costway Oil Filled Radiator Heater. Those looking for a cost-effective way to supplement their central heating system need to take a serious look at this model.
You get energy efficient oil-filled heat in a compact, lightweight design with this model. It has the power to heat rooms up to 150 square feet. This unit comes with a permanently sealed oil reservoir, which will not leak and does not need refilling, and comes with an adjustable thermostat. It also comes with casters for easy relocation and a power-cord compartment for easier transport and storage. It has thermal overload and tip-over shutoff features.
Pros:
Lightweight and compact design
Energy Efficient
Casters for easy relocation
Permanently sealed oil-filled heating efficiency
Heats up to 150 square feet
Adjustable thermostat
Budget friendly
Cons:
Surfaces get hot
No remote
No temperature readout for precise setting
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Dyson Hot + Cool Jet Focus AM09 Fan Heater
The Dyson Hot + Cool Jet Focus AM09 Fan Heater is heating and cooling innovation with a sleek, modern look. This high end option is more powerful and can be used year round.
It is hard to avoid being impressed by the year-round efficiency of this unit. You get a Quiet Mark certified heating and cooling system without spinning blades, which will heat or cool a large room of up to 200 square feet. Included among this unit’s features are a remote control, 180-degree oscillation, a countdown timer, and precision, digital temperature programming from 33 to 99 degrees. It has a small footprint and includes both thermal overload and tip-over shutoff.
Pros:
Futuristic, innovative design
High level heating and cooling efficiency
Small footprint and lightweight design
No spinning blades
180 degree oscillation
Includes remote
Digital temperature programming from 33 to 99 degrees
2-year warranty
Cons:
Very pricey
Buttons on remote are small and hard to read
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Best Space Heaters Mini Buyer’s Guide
Selecting the best space heater is easier to achieve when you have more information about the various features and options available. This buyer’s guide will provide you with that information as well as serve as a standard for comparing different space heater models.
What Benefits Can You Expect From The Best Space Heater?
Cranking up the thermostat of your central heating system to take off a chill is an extremely inefficient way to operate it. A space heater provides more direct heat to warm your skin in the most cost-effective manner. In addition, by using a space heater to warm smaller zones of your home allows you to lower your central unit’s thermostat to save money.
What are some features to look for in a space heater?
Choosing a space heater is a matter of searching for the set of features that best fit your needs. Those needs can vary according to style, room size, noise level, available space and other factors. However, there are some basic features to look for in order to compare various space heater models.
Safety
Burning a family member or burning down your house were common among space heaters in decades past, but modern safety requirements have mostly eliminated these issues. The minimum requirement for safety is a thermal overload and tip-over automatic shut off switch along with proper UL and/or ETL listing. An additional safety feature to look out for is cool-to-the touch technology, which prevents exposed surfaces from becoming hot enough to burn you.
Types of Heat
Space heaters tend to come with one of three different types of heat. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.
- Ceramic. Heats up fast, allows for more compact designs, but tends to dry out the air.
- Infrared. Moisturizes the air, heats up fast, but is not as well suited for compact designs.
- Oil-filled Radiator. Circulate heated oil through radiator coils to provide the most efficient, cost-effective heating, but heats up slowly and tends to be bulkier.
Heat Output
Space heaters operate between 700 and 2000 watts. The most common wattage is 1,500, which produces approximately 5200 BTUs per hour in heat output. This output is sufficient for heating a room that is 150 feet square with ceilings under 8 feet high.
Space Heater Designs
There are basically four different designs of space heaters to choose from. Those designs include:
- Personal or Desk Heaters. Compact ceramic heaters that blow air on an individual user.
- Oscillating Heaters. These tend to be tower style heaters with a ceramic heating element. They often have more precise control and come with a remote control.
- Console Heaters. This type of heater often uses infrared quartz heating elements, is a bit bulkier than ceramic heaters, comes with digital control and a remote, and are in a more attractive design presentation.
- Radiator Heaters. These look like miniature radiators and function in much the same way. They are a set it and forget it type of space heater.
Additional Features
Making a choice between two different models that are otherwise the same often comes down to some of the added features. Some of those additional features include:
• Size and weight. Can make a difference in portability and space limitations.
• Digital thermostat. The ability to program a specific temperature rather than a general heating range of temperature.
• Remote control. These are handy for when you’re watching TV or want to reprogram your heater while you’re in bed.
• Oscillation. The ability to share heat among several individuals or disperse it throughout the whole room is another prized feature.
Selecting a space heater to take off the chill or to use in more cost-effective zone heating requires some knowledge of the various features and benefits you can expect from different models of space heaters. Using a list of available features as a standard of comparison you can compare a variety of models and select the one that best serves your needs.
