There are a lot of different types of heaters on the market these days. Some heaters are more efficient than others, and some are more expensive to run than others. So, which type of heater is most efficient?
How to Calculate Heating Efficiency
The average electricity prices from April 2020 were used to calculate these kWh (kilowatts per hour) costs for a standard rate. The rates for Economy 7 energy may differ, but this will give you an idea of which types of room heaters have the cheapest running costs.
The Cost of Running an Electric Heater
Electricity is typically charged per kWh, so the cost of running an electric heater will depend on how much electricity it uses. The following table shows the approximate cost of running different types of electric heaters for one hour.
Type of Heater Cost per Hour (kWh)
Infrared Heater 0.10
Oil-Filled Heater 0.15
Storage Heater 0.12
Ceramic Heater 0.13
As you can see from the table, infrared heaters are the most efficient type of heater, followed by storage heaters and ceramic heaters. Oil-filled heaters are the least efficient type of heater.
If you want to save money on your heating costs, then an infrared heater is the best type of heater to choose. An infrared heater will use less electricity than any other type of heater, and so it will be cheaper to run. Not only that, but an infrared heater will also provide you with a more efficient form of heat.
If you are looking for an electric heater that is cheap to run and provides a good level of efficiency, then an infrared heater is the best option. You can find infrared heaters for a reasonable price, and they will save you money on your heating bills.
Infrared Heaters
Infrared heaters are the most efficient type of heater available. They use very little electricity to generate heat, and they provide a lot of heat for their size. Infrared heaters are also very safe to use, as they do not emit any harmful radiation.
Oil-Filled Heaters
Oil-filled heaters are another type of heater that is very efficient. They use oil to generate heat, which means that they do not need to use as much electricity as other types of heaters. Oil-filled heaters also have the advantage of being very safe to use, as they do not emit any harmful radiation.
Storage Heaters
Storage heaters are a type of heater that is designed to save energy. They work by storing energy during off-peak hours, and then releasing it during the day when it is needed. This means that storage heaters can save you money on your electricity bill.
Ceramic Heaters
Ceramic heaters are another type of efficient heater. They work by using ceramic plates to generate heat. Ceramic heaters are more expensive to buy than other types of heaters, but they are very efficient and can save you money in the long run.
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When outdoor temperatures drop, your home is bound to get colder too. With heating costs on the rise, if you're seeking cost-effective ways to maintain a cozy home, consider the best space heaters for large rooms as a convenient supplemental heating solution. These larger heaters can effectively raise the temperature in your main living areas, providing a comfortable warmth without the need to turn up your home's thermostat. Our top pick is the Vornado VMH600 Whole Room Heater, a powerful unit that’s safe to use around children and pets.
The best space heaters for large spaces can effectively raise the temperature in your main living ... [+] areas, providing a comfortable warmth without the need to turn up your home's thermostat.
ILLUSTRATION: FORBES / PHOTO: RETAILERSIt’s important to find an appropriately sized space heater if you’re going to be using it in a large room. “Generally, you need about 10 to 15 watts per square foot of space,” explains Brad Roberson, president of heating and cooling company Aire Serv. “However, other factors like insulation, ceiling height and outdoor temperatures can affect the heating requirements.”
You’ll also want to consider the type of space heater you’re buying. There are ceramic, fan, infrared and oil-filled heaters available, and they all offer different benefits. For instance, infrared heaters are the most energy-efficient, but they don’t offer oscillation. Oil-filled heaters, on the other hand, are very quiet during operation, but they get very hot to the touch, so they’re not the best option for homes with young children.
With these factors in mind, here are the best space heaters for large rooms to keep you warm and toasty this winter.
The Home Depot
Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.4 x 11.7 inches | Weight: 9.8 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: Not listed
The Vornado VMH600 Heater is a powerful unit that’s safe to use around children and pets, making it a top choice for busy households. This space heater uses the brand’s signature vortex air circulation to push warm air throughout the room, helping to quickly raise the temperature on cold days. It has two heat settings—750 or 1,500 watts—and you can set the unit to your desired temperature using its large digital control panel. Plus, thanks to its automatic climate control, the machine senses how much heat and circulation is required to maintain the set temperature and automatically adjusts its settings accordingly.
This space heater has a moderately sized square form that you can put on the floor or an elevated surface, and because of its blocky design, it’s less likely to top over than other units. Still, it offers tip-over protection and auto shut-off if it overheats, and the exterior of the heater stays cool to the touch
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Amazon
Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.7 x 22.9 inches | Weight: 5.62 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 200 square feet
Large space heaters can get quite pricey, but the Pelonis PTH15A4BGB Ceramic Space Heater can help heat your space for less than $100. This tower heater is suitable for rooms up to 200 square feet, and it has three heat settings, with the high setting delivering 1,500 watts of power.
Thanks to its ceramic design, this unit heats up quickly—the brand claims it will reach 70 degrees in just three seconds, helping to warm up your home faster. It also offers 70-degree oscillation, which helps to spread heat more evenly throughout larger spaces, and it comes with a remote control so you can adjust the settings from across the room.
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Best Buy
Dimensions: 12.6 x 12.6 x 29.5 inches | Weight: 17.6 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 1,000 square feet
If you’re willing to spend a little more on a space heater, the Shark 3-in-1 Max is actually a space heater, air purifier and tower fan, all wrapped into one. It’s powerful enough to be used in spaces up to 1,000 square feet, and it’s equipped with a HEPA filter that’s able to remove the vast majority of allergens from the air while it operates. (Just keep in mind that you will need to replace its filter every six months or so—maintenance that isn’t required with most other space heaters.)
When you have this unit in heating mode, you’re able to set it to your desired temperature, and it will automatically adjust its settings to maintain that level of warmth. It also purifies the air as it heats your space. Like other space heaters, this model has safety features that protect against tips and overheating, and it comes with a remote control that makes it easy to adjust its various settings.
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Best Buy
Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 30 inches | Weight: 12.5 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 800 square feet
Dyson air purifiers and tower fans are known for their sleek, futuristic designs, and the brand’s Hot+Cool is a top choice if you’re looking for a product that’s stylish. The pricey unit works as a space heater, cooling fan and air purifier, and it’s effective in spaces up to 800 square feet. It has 10 speed settings—notably more than most other heaters—and long-range air projection, and it oscillates up to 350 degrees, pushing air all around your space.
If you like being able to control devices from your phone, you’ll be happy to find that this high-end unit connects to Wi-Fi, allowing you to monitor and adjust it from the Dyson app. This allows you to see real-time updates on your home’s air quality or schedule the heater to run at a set time each day.
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MOST POPULAR
Wayfair
Dimensions: 13.07 x 24 x 23.4 inches | Weight: 28.6 pounds | Max wattage: Not listed | Heating coverage: 1,000 square feet
You can make your living space feel more homey with the Duraflame Electric Infrared Quartz Fireplace Stove. Designed to resemble a wood-burning stove, this space heater features a see-through front and sides, allowing you to see the “logs” and faux flames inside. In addition to providing ambiance, the stove can be used as a supplemental heating source for rooms up to 1,000 square feet, giving off 5,200 BTUs of warmth. It has an adjustable thermostat and remote control, and the exterior doesn’t get too hot, making it safe for children and pets to be around.
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Amazon
Dimensions: 13 x 11 x 16 inches | Weight: 19 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 1,000 square feet
One of the downsides of using space heaters during the winter is that they consume a lot of electricity, especially if you keep them running for several hours per day. If you’re looking for a model that’s energy-efficient, your best option is an infrared heater like the Dr Infrared Portable Space Heater, which will heat up your space quickly and won’t lose heat due to air movement. The brand claims the unit will also provide 60% more heat than other space heaters.
While this model isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing, it can provide warmth in spaces up to 1,000 square feet and is surprisingly quiet during operation. It’s mounted on caster wheels that make it easy to move around, and it has a lifetime filter that will save you money on maintenance.
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Amazon
Dimensions: 8.3 x 8.3 x 23.4 inches | Weight: 7.05 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: Not listed
The Govee Smart Space Heater can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network, allowing you to control its operation directly from your smartphone. Through the Govee app, you’re able to adjust the temperature, put the heater on a schedule, and even adjust the RGB night light built into its base. Plus, the heater is compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa, so you can even control it using voice commands.
What’s more? The tower-style unit heats up in a matter of seconds, and it can oscillate 75 degrees to spread warmth around your space. It has four heat settings, as well as a fan-only mode, and it can be paired with a Govee Thermo-Hygrometer for more accurate temperature measurements in large rooms.
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Amazon
Dimensions: 12.5 x 12.5 x 42 inches | Weight: 12.5 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: Not listed
Similar to the best tower fans, tower space heaters typically have a compact footprint that won’t take up much space in your home. The Lasko FH500 Fan & Space Heater is a top choice in this category, as it works as both a heater and a regular fan for year-round operation. It has three heat settings and a “fan booster” mode that operates both the fan and heater at the same time, helping to distribute warmth all around your space. This sleek unit also offers oscillation, and it has a carrying handle that makes it easy to move around your home.
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Amazon
Dimensions: 28.5 x 7.6 x 18.5 inches | Weight: 20.6 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 280 square feet
While oil-filled radiators aren’t generally the best option for large rooms, the Dreo Radiator Heater features eight M-shaped fins that help to spread heat across a much larger area—the brand claims it offers an almost 60% higher dissipation area than other similar models. The radiator has three heat settings, but you can also use the eco mode to set the unit to a specific temperature between 41 and 91 degrees.
Because it’s larger than other heaters, this unit is mounted on four caster wheels that improve its stability and make it easy to move around your home as needed. It also offers tip-over and overheat protection, but keep in mind its exterior will get hot to the touch during operation.
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Amazon
Dimensions: 4 x 19 x 16 inches | Weight: 9 pounds | Max wattage: 1,500 watts | Heating coverage: 1,000 square feet
The Heat Storm Phoenix Infrared Heater is designed to be mounted to your wall, so it will take up minimal space in the room. You can even mount it over an electrical outlet to prevent its power cord from hanging down, and the grill stays cool to the touch, making it safer for children and pets. The infrared heater can be used as a supplementary heat source in spaces up to 1,000 square feet, and it connects to your home’s Wi-Fi, allowing you to adjust its settings from your phone or via a digital assistant like Amazon Alexa.
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At Forbes Vetted, we want to help you and your family stay comfortable during the winter—without spending an arm and a leg on heating costs. We carefully researched the different types of space heaters available today to figure out which options will work best in large rooms, and also consulted with two heating experts to ensure that our findings were accurate.
Our expertise isn’t limited to outside knowledge, either. Members of our team have tested (or personally used) products from many of the brands included on this list, as well as a variety of fans and air purifiers.
After thorough research and consulting with experts, we looked for space heaters that are powerful enough to provide warmth in large rooms. We prioritized models that can effectively be used in spaces of 300 square feet or more, and some of the options listed can heat rooms as large as 1,000 square feet. We also selected options in a variety of styles, including tower, oil-filled and wall-mounted space heaters, allowing you to select the option that will work best in your home.
There are several types of space heaters that you’ll encounter as you shop, including ceramic, fan, infrared and oil-filled heaters:
You’ll want to consider the size of your room when selecting a space heater—if you buy a unit that’s too small, it may not be able to warm up the space.
“For larger spaces, consider a tower or whole-room heater to effectively heat the entire area,” recommends Ojakovo. “These heaters distribute heat more effectively across larger areas with larger blower systems and oscillation features, making sure every corner is receiving adequate warmth. This approach will ensure that you get the most out of your space heater for both comfort and efficiency.”
Some space heaters do list their recommended coverage area in square feet, but unfortunately, this isn’t standard across product specifications. If coverage isn’t listed, you’ll want to look at the unit’s size and wattage to get a sense of its heating abilities.
When selecting a space heater, there are a variety of features you may want to prioritize: “Look for safety features such as tip-over protection and overheat shutoff, as safety is paramount,” says Roberson. “Features like adjustable thermostats and timers can enhance convenience, too.”
For large rooms, space heaters with powerful fans and oscillation can help increase their efficiency, moving the warmth around the space.
If used incorrectly, space heaters can be dangerous and are a common cause of house fires each year. To safeguard your home and family, it's crucial to select a model with safety features and ETL certification. Our top recommendation for heating large rooms is the Vornado VMH600 Whole Room Heater. This model boasts a cool-touch exterior, tip-over protection and a 2-stage automatic safety shut-off. Additionally, its low center of gravity enhances stability, reducing the likelihood of accidental tipping.
Nevertheless, even the most reliable space heaters can be hazardous if mishandled. Therefore, it is essential to adhere to safety guidelines when operating these devices. As advised by Roberson, place the heater on a level, non-flammable surface away from walls and objects. Never leave heaters unattended and turn them off when not in use. Keep the surrounding area clear, ensuring that children and pets stay away to prevent accidents.
Our experts advise selecting a space heater that provides 10 to 15 watts of power per square foot of space. However, this becomes a challenge for extra-large rooms, as most residential space heaters typically cap at around 1,500 watts. In such instances, it's recommended to opt for a unit equipped with oscillation and a powerful fan, enhancing the heater's ability to warm up a larger area.
For those dealing with the heating needs of an extra-large room, it's crucial to recognize that even the most potent space heaters have limitations. According to Roberson, “In larger spaces, the heat generated by a space heater might not be distributed evenly, making it challenging to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the area. If you need to heat a significant space, it's often more efficient and practical to rely on central heating systems or consider multiple space heaters strategically placed throughout the room.”
Our experts advise selecting a space heater that provides 10 to 15 watts of power per square foot of space. However, this becomes a challenge for extra-large rooms, as most residential space heaters typically cap at around 1,500 watts. In such instances, it's recommended to opt for a unit equipped with oscillation and a powerful fan, enhancing the heater's ability to warm up a larger area.
For those dealing with the heating needs of an extra-large room, it's crucial to recognize that even the most potent space heaters have limitations. According to Roberson, "In larger spaces, the heat generated by a space heater may not be evenly distributed, posing a challenge in maintaining a comfortable temperature throughout the area. If you're tasked with heating a significant space, it's often more efficient and practical to rely on central heating systems or consider strategically placing multiple space heaters throughout the room."
Some space heaters come equipped with 24-hour timers for continuous operation. The Dreo Radiator Heater, for example, allows programming to automatically shut off after 24 hours.
Nevertheless, it's important to note that leaving a space heater unattended, especially while sleeping, is not recommended. If you opt to run your space heater for extended periods, ensure the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in close proximity. These detectors will alert you to any issues that may arise during operation.