Nothing provides more comfort with the winter season upon you than a cup of hot chocolate and the right space heater. After a year like 2020, where the cold season meant increased Covid-19 cases, you want to be extra careful and keep warm, and hopefully, keep the global virus at bay.

It is vital to have a great space heater so you can improve the temperature when you need to. One good thing about these room heaters is that you decide when and where to use them. Unlike the expensive and more complicated HVAC systems, a space heater gives you flexibility, convenience, and energy efficiency.

If looking for the best space heaters, you've come to the right place as this article will share the 5 best options and discuss their advantages and shortcomings. You will also find the top features to look for when buying the heaters and the different types of space heaters you can consider.

1. Best Overall: Vornado AVH10 Vortex Heater

Vornado AVH10 Vortex Heater with Auto Climate Control, 2 Heat Settings, Fan Only Option, Digital Display, Advanced Safety Features, Whole Room, White
  • HEAT DIFFERENTLY — Gently heat all in the air in a small to medium-sized room through vortex air circulation without using intense heat, similar to how a forced air furnace works, just on a smaller scale.
  • AUTO CLIMATE CONTROL — Intelligently senses how much heat and circulation is needed to maintain set temperature, and makes adjustments automatically so you don't have to.High Heat Amps:12.5
  • HEAT EFFICIENTLY — 2 quiet heat settings (Low/750W, High/1500W) and a fan only option to tailor heat output and energy consumption.
  • HEAT SAFELY — Advanced safety features include a cool-touch exterior, tip-over protection, and an automatic safety shut-off system for worry-free use.
  • SUPERIOR SUPPORT — Backed by a 5-year hassle-free and supported by a customer service team based in Andover, KS.

This space heater from Vornado is your best bet when you want to heat just the room you are in, no need to incur high bills heating the whole house if you only need one room.

It is one of the best and safest space heaters to use, even if you have a toddler or pets around. It has a cool-touch feature, so you don't risk burning your fingers or your pet's furs when near it. Also, it has a feature that allows it to shut-off if it detects excess heat in the room, so you can leave it on when your baby sleeps, worry-free. Additionally, this heater has a shut-off feature if tipped over.

It also lacks the annoying orange light familiar with many small space heaters, making it ideal for the bedroom. This AVH10 heater uses intelligent features to detect how much heat is needed in a room and circulates it to maintain your ideal temperature.

You can expect this heater to work fast to heat your space; it uses the Vortex Action airflow to circulate warm and gentle air faster throughout the room. It also allows you to set your ideal comfort using an LED screen mounted at the top. It also features a cool-touch handle you can use to transport from one space to the next. Additionally, it has a hidden cord storage that keeps the extra cord out of your way to not trip over it.

  • Pros
  • Relatively quiet operation
  • Intelligent climate control features
  • Cool to the touch exterior and handle
  • Tip-over protection
  • Vortex Action to circulate warmth to a room faster
  • Easy-to-use LED screen and interface
  • Ideal for spaces with children and pets
  • Energy-efficient
  • Easily portable
  • Long cord to even use outdoors
  • Cons
  • It may have a strong plastic smell when new, requires you to break it in
  • A bit costly

2. Best Tower Heater: Lasko 751320 Ceramic Tower Space Heater with Remote Control

It is an oscillating ceramic heater from the Lasko brand that comes fully assembled and ready to use.

It features digital controls mounted at the top and an easy-to-use remote control to add your convenience during a cold moment. It features 2-heat settings, and you can decide which is best for you when using it. Additionally, it has an in-built 7-hour timer that allows it to maintain your preferred temperature as long as it is plugged in.

It also comes with a cool to the touch handle mounted at the back to let you easily move it from one space to the next. It also has a 6-foot power cord and features a slim design to take up the least space in your room.

This Lasko heater is ideal for a space with a toddler or pet since it has a self-regulating ceramic heating element, overheat protection and cool-touch housing. It is also an excellent addition to your bedroom since it lacks the red/orange light that could make it uncomfortable to fall asleep.

When you want to enjoy some hot air during winter but cut down on your heating bill, this heater can be your best bet; just move with it to the one room you are using.

  • Pros
  • Energy-saving tower space heater
  • Cool-touch housing to prevent burns and other accidents
  • Adequate safety features such as overheat protection
  • It is a self-regulating ceramic heater
  • Features a tower design to save space
  • Relatively quiet operation
  • Ideal for you family room, bedroom, or home office
  • Portable space heater
  • Comes with an easy-to-use remote control
  • Cons
  • It only allows 5-degree step temperature settings which may not be ideal for many users

3. Best Infrared Heater: Dr. Heater DR968 Infrared Space Heater, 1500-Watt

Sale
Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater, 1500-Watt
  • Can heat up a large room with Auto Energy Saving Model With High and Low Feature. Tip-over protection and Overheat protection
  • Dual Heating Systems featuring infrared quartz tube + PTC with 12hr automatic shut-off timer. Amperage: 12.5 Amps
  • IR Remote Control, High Pressure Low Noise Blower with Noise level 39 dB super quiet. Heating can cover for a large room.
  • Electronic Thermostat: range 50 to 85 degrees. Caster Wheels and Lifetime Filter
  • Weights 24 lbs and uses 12.5 Amps of Power. 1500 Watts. Electric Cord is 72 inches long (6 feet)

Cold winters can make you forget the warmth of the sun but bot this Dr. infrared heater. Similar to how the sunlight works, this one heats objects and not the air.

It has a remote control to let you change temperature settings to suit your needs. About temperature control, you can pick your preferred comfort and set a 12-hour timer, after which period it will shut down.

It offers a quiet operation that is ideal for when you work from home or have a sleeping baby. It is equipped with fantastic security features such as overheat protection, tip-over automatic shut-off, and cool-touch housing.

Designed to last you many winters, this space heater comes with an easy-to-clean removable filter, which allows it to continue serving your fresh warmth every time. This space heater is certified by laboratories in the US and Canada and features a 72-inch power cord ideal for small spaces.

  • Pros
  • Offers infrared heating
  • Features an efficient dual heating system
  • Noiseless operation
  • Overheat protection
  • Shuts down in case you trip over the heater
  • Cool to the touch outer casing is ideal for a space with a toddler or pet
  • Offers fast heat transfer
  • Easy to clean filter
  • Durable construction
  • Lightweight, easily portable
  • 3-year warranty 
  • Cons
  • Requires to be plugged directly into a wall outlet to prevent overheating
  • Quite costly
  • Heater light not ideal for bedroom use

4. Best Portable Heater: GiveBest Electric Space Heater with Thermostat

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Portable Electric Space Heater with Thermostat, 1500W/750W Safe and Quiet Ceramic Heater Fan, Heat Up 200 Square Feet for Office Room Desk Indoor Use
  • 2 in 1 heater fan: This ceramic heater provides two heat levels, 1500W or 750W and one cool air fan, you can use it both for winter and summer. Thermostat control of the heater will turn the heater off when it reaches a preset temperature and turn the heater back on when the temperature dips below the thermostat setting
  • Multi protection safety system: These heaters are made of flame retardant material avoiding any fire hazard. Automatic safety shutoff system will shut the heater off when the heater overheat. The tip over protection system will also shut the heater off when the heater was knocked over by accident and it will come back on automatically if it is up righted
  • Compact and powerful: 7.9 inch x 6.2 inch x 10.2 inch, 2.9 pounds portable mini heater with build in carry handle helps to reinforce the potential of rather low electrical bills by using at the place where you need when you don't want to warm the full house with other centralized heaters
  • Quiet and fast heating: The noise this ceramic heater makes is lower than 45 decibels, quiet enough for most people to use in a bedroom while sleeping. With PTC ceramic heating tech and high speed fan, this heater put out tons of heat to heat up 200 square feet in seconds
  • Upgrade abs material: Upgrade abs material applied, which is more flame-retardant. The room heater with six feet lead cord and 2 prong connection has a long lasting life

This GiveBest product is a portable ceramic heater that is ideal for small spaces and a great gift idea for your loved one.

It offers a relatively quiet (45dB) operation, which is silent enough when you want to concentrate on work or when your baby wants to take a nap.

The ceramic heating technology of this heater heats up fast, and with the high-speed fan, circulates warm air throughout the room. It is ideal for use in the bedroom, living room, office, dorm, RV van, etc.

It is a lightweight and highly portable heater that features cool-touch housing and a handle for easy transporting. It also features a thermostat knob and three heating settings; fan only, 750watts heating, and 1500watts heating.

It also has a tip-over protection setting, which sees it shut off when tipped in any direction. It also features automatic overheat protection features.

  • Pros
  • Lightweight space heater; ideal when you need something compact to travel with
  • Relatively silent operation
  • Features a ceramic heating system to generate heat energy
  • Offers three temperature control settings; fan only, warm heating, and warmer heating
  • Tip-over automatic shut
  • Overheat protection
  • Available at affordable prices
  • Cons
  • Not ideal for larger rooms
  • The warm temperature setting releases cold air on one side

5. Best Design: Vornado VHEAT Vintage Metal Space Heater

Vornado VHEAT Vintage Metal Heater, Vintage White
  • HEAT DIFFERENTLY — Gently heat all in the air in a small to medium-sized room through vortex air circulation without using intense heat, similar to how a forced air furnace works, just on a smaller scale.
  • VINTAGE STYLE — Classic metal design inspired by the original Vornadofan from 1945.
  • HEAT EFFICIENTLY — Set your comfort with 2 heat settings (Low/750W, High/1500W) and an adjustable thermostat to tailor heat output and energy consumption.
  • HEAT SAFELY — Advanced safety features include tip-over protection and an automatic safety shut-off system for worry-free use.
  • SUPERIOR SUPPORT — Backed by a 5-year and supported by a customer service team based in Andover, KS.

When you want a fan that matches your house decor, this Vornado VHEAT Vintage heater is your solution. It features a metallic body build that makes it relatively heavier than other options but is ideal for when you are not looking for a space heater out of necessity.

It performs relatively well when near you because of its small size. Despite the metallic housing, this space heater stays cool to the touch even when running. It comes with two temperature settings, low at 750watts and high at 1500watts, and a thermostat to help set temperature control.

It uses the Vortex air circulation system to quickly heat a space. It also features safety features such as tip-over protection and overheat protection. It also has a pivoting head that lets you adjust its position depending on which direction you want warm air to circulate. It comes with a 6-foot cord.

  • Pros
  • A vintage design ideal for those after unique house decor
  • Vortex Action for faster circulation of warm air
  • The metallic body gives it durability
  • Cool to the touch housing
  • 2 different temperature settings plus a thermostat
  • Pivoting head for flexibility
  • Tip-over switch for protection
  • 6-ft power cord
  • Cons
  • Not ideal for large rooms
  • Quite heavy for portabilityIt may not be best during freezing seasons
  • Quite costly

What to Know When Buying the Best Space Heater

When buying your best space heater, you will need to understand how they are constructed and the benefits of each feature. But first, understand the following types of space heaters and whom they are most ideal for;

Types of space heaters

1. Oil-filled space heaters

These are space heaters that do not require electricity to run; instead, they rely on fuel to burn and generate heat. Since they emit carbon monoxide and, as such, require a permanent flue installation, they are not the ideal options for small places such as bedrooms, offices, or sitting rooms. Instead, they are ideal for large spaces such as a garage or places without a working power connection.

2. Radiative space heaters

They are space heaters that offer radiation to heat objects rather than the air in a room. An example of a radiative space heater is an infrared heater. These heaters are the most preferred for indoor heating since they don't require insulation before use.

3. Convection heaters

These are heaters that require a fan to distribute warm air throughout a space. They are ideal for indoor spaces with proper insulation. While they are some of the most affordable space heaters, convection heaters can also be noisy.

Types of heating elements

While these three are the best space heaters, they can also be differentiated by their heating elements. The following are some heating elements used by heaters to generate warmth in rooms.

a) Infrared heaters

Since infrared space heaters are radiative heaters, they use electromagnetic radiation to generate heat, similarly to how sunlight works. Heaters using this system are some of the safest options since they do not require out-of-the-ordinary house insulation.

b) Fan heater

Some of the fastest space heaters use fans to circulate warm air within a space. Mostly, fan heaters use an electric element to generate heat which is then dispersed by a fan.

c) Gas heaters

These are space heaters that use a gas flame to generate warmth. While they work as fast as other heaters, gas heaters can produce a lot of carbon monoxide, which could be harmful to people and pets.

d) Electric heaters

These are space heaters that use resistors to generate heat from electric currents. They are ideal for houses as they do not emit any harmful gases.

e) Ceramic heaters

These are space heaters that generate heat from wires that pass through ceramic plates.

f) Reflective heaters

Unlike heaters that use gas, oil, or electricity to generate heat, reflective heaters use foil or glass to trap any warmth within a space. The foil or glass prevents the warm air from leaving a room, for instance, thereby forcing it to remain warm.

Other Factors to Consider When Buying Your Heater

1. Where to place the heater

It is essential to decide where you need your heater to be mounted or placed in each room. This helps you decide on the type, shape, and design of the heater to buy.

2. The heat capacity you need

Your ideal heating capacity should guide you to the best heater. You can learn how much heat you need by looking at the size of your room, the room's insulation, and the heater's watt rating.

3. Safety features

Make sure the heater you want to buy has features like automatic shut-off and a thermostat to shut down in case of accidents or when the room gets too hot.

4. Sleep timer

A sleep timer is ideal for a space heater. It enables you to set the hours you need your timer running so that even if you forget to shut it off, it will do so on its own.

5. Easy to read manual

The manual is your best teacher on how to use the heater. As such, make sure you keep it with you even after you buy the heater. Most space heaters come with these manuals to guide you on the best area to use the heaters, the best places to plug them, and for how long to use them without damage.

About the Author Tom Brewer

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