It's winter — that means you're probably piling on your blankets and turning up the thermostat. But if you're looking to reduce energy bills and heat specific areas of your home, consider a space heater. ConsumerSearch recently complied a great space heater report — here are their tips on how to select a space heater, and their top 4 picks:
ConsumerSearch pulled from great review sources like Consumer Reports, Good Housekeeping and This Old House, as well as user reviews from sites like Amazon.com — here is a summary of their findings:
Radiant Space Heaters
Advantages: Good for spot heating, quick heating; most efficient for short periods; quiet
Disadvantages: Not good at heating rooms; heat dissipates quickly; orange glow is distracting and/or annoying to some
Convection Space Heaters
Advantages: Best for heating rooms; variety of shapes and price ranges; some have fans
Disadvantages: Models without fans are slow to heat; models with fans can be noisy; can be expensive
Top 4 Models
- Lasko 755320 Ceramic Tower Heater, $48: The Lasko 755320 Ceramic Tower Heater is particularly well reviewed because it is quieter than most fan-based heaters, which have a tendency to be noisy. The Lasko space heater has two power levels and an adjustable thermostat. Its oscillating fan does a good job of distributing warm air throughout a room, according to reviewers.
- Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat, $22.50: If your budget is tight, reviews indicate that the Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat works just as well as the pricier Lasko 755320 Ceramic Tower Heater when it comes to heating a small room. This short and squat heater gets high marks for its compact design, and owners are impressed with the heat output. However, you will have to sacrifice some features if you opt for this budget model over the Lasko 755320 Ceramic Tower Heater.
- DeLonghi TRD0715T Oil-Filled Radiator, $69: Gets the best reviews in this category for its consistent heat output and quiet operation. The DeLonghi heater performs reasonably well in comparative tests, scoring excellent ratings for temperature control and noise. Users agree, saying the DeLonghi radiator runs quietly and has a convenient programmable timer. Like most radiators, it does take awhile to heat a room. We also saw several complaints that the heater gives off an unpleasant chemical odor when it is first used.
- Optimus H-5210 Infrared Quartz Heater, $25: Doesn't have a built-in fan, and it's effective only within a few feet. However, users praise this quartz heater for its silent operation, effective heating and energy efficiency, but note that the surface can become quite hot when it's in use for long periods.
• Read More: Space Heaters: Full Report at ConsumerSearch
MORE SPACE HEATERS ON APARTMENT THERAPY:
- The Best Portable Space Heaters, The New York Times
- Turn Up the Thermostat or Turn On a Space Heater?
- Space Heaters, Radiators, Heating Pads for Every Size
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I use the oil-filled heaters (like the one in the picture) in my RV (in which I live full-time). They are absolutely silent and incredibly efficient. Just one of those on high keeps my RV (32' long x 8' wide with four separate rooms) at a comfy temperature until it's just below the freezing point outside. They really cut the dampness/humidity, too.
I have to second the oil-filled radiator. We have one in the living area, one in the bedroom, and I to one for the office at work. Tip: get one with a thermostat. We use them to supplement the central heating system. We estimate they save about 30% of our heating costs since we started using them. Just like the old -fashioned rads, they work by convection have no fans so that are completely silent. But they contain a special density oil that retains it's heat much longer than the water in the old rads.
i have permanantly put my space heater away. one stupid little space heater doubled my electricity bill. This is devastating for a poor college student. a long chat with the electric company convinced me that turning up the thermostat is way more cost efficient than a space heater
As L3XI said, these heaters use extremely large amounts of electricity. So while their pricetag (CAPEX) is low, their operational costs (OPEX) are huge!
First things should be:
- check for draughts & gaps
- close windows & blinds
- rug up (wear pants and jumpers)
- look to using gas heating (at least in Australia you can get small gas heaters if you've got bayonet outlets)
- then look to electric heaters
I've had the Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat for a few years. I love it. The two rooms I use the most can get really cold and this little heater cracks the heat in 15 min or so. Then I keep it on low for a few areas in the evening if I am using that room but never leave it on overnight. I live in a old house with a long hallway where some areas are just freezing where the heat does not distributed properly. I do not find a huge hike in my bill but my bill does goes up substantialy when I use the thermostat. I think it depends on where you live and how efficient your actual heater is.
I have one of those ceramic towers up in my cabin and it does take a lot of electricity and a long time to work so now I just bring up my small Lasko for heat.
I highly recommend it.
I have the first Lasko one and the oil filled radiator that I use to save money on heating. They both work great. My home is heated by gas and turning up the heat can get expensive. One month last year our bill was $600 due to turning up our thermostat. After the shock we decided to turn the heat down at night and use portable heaters to cut down on heating cost. There is a slight rise in electric bills but they are much more reasonable that heating the whole house at night. The radiator is very quiet and does a good job heating one of my son's small bedroom. The Lasko heater works great in my other son's medium sized bedroom and at a low setting does a wonderful job of keeping the room at a comfortable warm temperature. For those who are trying to cut down on the cost of heating I'd definitely look into these options.
I've found it best to keep my thermostat on at a mild temperature (62º) during the evenings before I go to bed. My space heater in the bedroom keeps the room toasty without wasting the energy to heat the rest of the apartment at night. I'm projecting my bill to be not quite 1/2 of what it was last month by making this change.
I use a Lasko 6221 and it works pretty well for its size.
More house fires are directly linked to space heaters than any thing else. Even the best ones are dangerous.
Oil filled radiators all the way. In 2005-6, I spent the winter in a house in England with no central heating. It was one of the coldest winters on record but I stayed toasty because of my judicious use of oil heaters. The electric bill was surprisingly low. I was really impressed.
Now back at home, we have a zoned central heating system so we can keep the central part of the house warm, and only heat outlying rooms when we need them. The oil filled rads make a room toasty warm, quickly. They don't cost us much to run and they are quite safe, especially if you only run them when you are in the room.
You inspired me to finish writing up a review on my blog of the Eco-Heater Radiant Wall Heater - I LOVE it. Surprised it (or the like) were not mentioned here! Review of Eco-Heater Radiant Wall Heater at Green Penny Pincher.
Would like to add that it is quite easy to determine if one needs radiant heater or a convection heater for their home. It depends on the quality of insulation. If its good then the warm air is not escaping from the house, that means a convection heater with thermostat is a good choice. In case of bad insulation a radiant heater is a must, convection would be inefficient. However for most versatility I'd recommend micathermic heaters which com.bine bth convection and radiant heat. Look for micathermic panel heaters among space heater reviews and see them with your own eyes.