This Small-But-Mighty Space Heater Is Keeping Me from Freezing in My Apartment This Winter

In the late fall and winter in New York City, there’s no such thing as having a temperate apartment — you’re either stuck in what is commonly dubbed a furnace or an icebox. Old radiator heaters turn apartments into tropical environments or else they barely work at all. In my seven years in the city, I’ve dealt with more icebox apartments than furnaces. My current one-bedroom in Brooklyn falls into that category, unfortunately. I had given my former roommate my Lasko space heater because it was just too big, unwieldy, and prone to falling over (which makes sense — it’s six years old), so I was left with nothing.

When Dreo asked if they could send me a space heater, I immediately accepted, because I had already started to freeze during NYC’s first unexpected cold snap. AT’s commerce managing editor had a good experience with Dreo’s oscillating tower fan, so I knew I could trust it to some extent.

When the space heater arrived, I was surprised by how tiny it was. It’s only 16 inches tall, and I can fit my hand around the top easily, though there is a handy hidden handle, ensuring that it’s easy to move around my apartment. My last space heater was about 42 inches tall and very difficult to move (it would topple over if the top of the base wasn’t precisely locked in), so this was a welcome surprise. My boyfriend and I only have two closets in the apartment — we don’t have enough storage for a huge one. Because of its compact shape, I am not at all worried about the Dreo space heater falling, like my last oscillating one. Even if it did, there’s a smart feature where it will turn itself off. It also oscillates an impressive 70 degrees, which evenly heats my living room.

For such a small space heater, it does warm the room quickly and quietly. This heater uses up to 1500W and can heat up to 75 degrees in just two seconds. When I had my old space heater on, I had to turn up the volume of the TV, but I barely notice the noise from this space heater — it’s quieter than my box fan. I’ve kept the Dreo space heater solely on Eco mode and haven’t felt the need to blast it on high. Eco mode is powerful enough to raise my living room temperature by four degrees, according to my thermostat. Dreo says that their space heater can boost heating coverage by 20%, and I would say that’s accurate. I’ve been using this space heater for two winters, and it’s absolutely worth the hype.

I also love the touchscreen — it’s so intuitive — plus, I don’t need to press hard on any of the buttons to switch settings or power down the heater. This space heater comes with a nifty remote that works from up to 26 feet away, allowing me to turn off my space heater from bed, which is pretty amazing.

If you live in a small space, I’d highly recommend this space heater to supplement your radiators. It’s powerful, compact, quiet and easy to use. Plus, it’s relatively budget-friendly.

Buy: Dreo Solaris Space Heater, $74.99