Best Energy Efficient Space Heaters For 2020

If you’re in a hurry, our best recommendation for an energy efficient space heater is the Zomma Ceramic Space Heater.

When buying a space heater, there are a few important things to keep in mind. There are a lot of energy sources for indoor space heaters and you want to choose one that is energy efficient. It’s also important to look for the safest option. In our experience, electric ceramic space heaters are one of the best heaters to go for. We’ve reviewed 5 great heaters below, here’s a quick list for your convenience:

Type of Fuel/Energy for Your Space Heater

There are many fuel types for space heaters on the market today, including electric, natural gas, kerosene, propane, pellet fuel, oil-filled, and hydronic. We recommend using electric space heaters inside homes because they are the safest option. You don’t have to worry about venting the exhaust from your heater such as in the case of kerosene or natural gas. Although electric heaters are less portable than other heaters like propane, they are easy to use and the safest option.

Electric Space Heaters

Many electric heaters oscillate, meaning that they move and swing back regularly. This allows your room to get an even distribution of heat, which means one heater will usually do a satisfactory job in heating a small or medium sized room.

Electric heaters often have many safety features, such as a tip-over safety mechanism. This is great when you have kids or pets moving in and out of the room.

We recommend choosing a ceramic electric space heater. Fortunately, many of our recommendations are ceramic. We’ve had the best experience using ceramic and find them to be the most effective type of heater.

Factors Affecting Heat in a Room

Size of The Room

If your room is small, you can get away with using a heater with a lower number of watts. If a room is standard bedroom, you can easily use one small space heater and it will be enough. If you want to heat a larger area such as a living room, you might need to buy an oscillating heater, or invest in a heater with more watts. The watts will increase the BTUs (British thermal units) and therefore the heat. You can also position extra heaters around the room if it’s a large drafty area, such as a basement.

Room Height

If a room is greater than 10 feet in height, it will be difficult to heat the room properly. This is because heat tends to move up. You can try setting the heater to a clockwise setting, so that the heat can come back down from the ceiling.

Drafty Rooms

During cooler months draft from windows and doors will decrease the efficiency of your heater. Draft usually comes from leaks or cracks in windows or at the floor where the wall and flooring meet. This issue is best solved by sealing the area. You could do what we do, which is to take an old sheet, wrap it or fold it horizontally into a thin rope-looking style and tightly insert it against the source of the draft. Usually, rooms like basements or living rooms with wood or tile flooring require this solution.

Insulation

Using a space heater in a garage or shed that doesn’t have good insulation in the walls will require more energy usage and require you to buy a heater with more watts.

More Important Considerations Before Buying

Size (Wattage or BTUs)

The higher number of watts or BTUs a space heater has, the more heat it can dispel. You want to choose enough watts to heat your room but going for the max will waste energy. If you have many windows, high ceilings, or a drafty room then you want to choose a heater with more watts.

Thermostat Options

You can also choose a space heater with a thermostat and more than one heat setting so that you can heat a space appropriately. You can set the heater to the temperature you want and it should stop heating when it reaches the setting, which is energy efficient.

Safety Features

It’s important to look for safety features like an overheating safety kill switch in a space heater because heaters of any sort can pose as fire hazards. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using space heaters increases the risk for residential fires. To be safe, use these recommendations:

Prefer using a heater you can control with a thermostat; this way it won’t overheat a room.
Don’t use a heater that has too many watts for a room.
Use a heater with a tip-over safety switch so that if it gets knocked over it’ll turn off. This is helpful in avoiding fires caused by overheated rugs or carpets.
Buy heaters that have the Underwriter’s Laboratory label.

Our Space Heater Recommendations

We’ve reviewed some great energy efficient space heaters below, and have included some important details you can read before choosing one that suits your needs.

Zomma Ceramic Space Heater, 750W/1500W

The Zomma Ceramic Space Heater is portable, quiet, and has two settings for optimum energy efficiency: high heat (1500 watts) and low heat (750 watts). Its key safety features include overheating and power failure, and a cool-touch exterior which means you can move it around without getting burnt.

This space heater oscillates with an 85 degree angle, meaning that you won’t have to move it around to spread heat in a room. It’s also one of the more fairly priced heaters on the market.

As stated before, we recommend ceramic heaters and this Zomma heater is one of them. This heater also has a thermostat and fan system, meaning its energy efficient. One of the drawbacks is that it is small, which means you will have to be careful where to put it. However, you can place it on a desk or table out of the way of traffic.

Lasko Ceramic Space Heater

This Lasko heater is a higher-end ceramic space heater. It has more features than the Zomma heater but is also built to look like a designer piece, which allows it to blend in with furniture. It’s energy efficient due to its three settings and is also quiet. Its temperature range is between 60 degrees to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

The built in timer allows the heater to heat for up to 7 hours. Although it looks stylish, it has a LED display at the top. You can also be rest assured that this heater won’t overheat due to its overheat protection. Like the Zomma heater, it’s cool to the touch. The remote control allows you to change the temperature. However, one of the cons is that there may be a smell from this heater due to the materials it’s made from.

Lasko Oscillating Ceramic Tower Heater

If you want a more modern-looking heater, take a look at this Lasko tower heater. Temperature is controlled by a remote control and it has two settings for energy efficiency: high heat (1500 watts) and low heat (900 watts). Its key safety features include an auto-off timer and automatic overheat protection. This heater also comes with a 3-year limited warranty.

One drawback to this heater is that it’s lightweight and can tip over. We suggest keeping it in a low-traffic corner of your room.

Comfort Zone Oscillating Space Heater

This Comfort Zone tower heater is energy efficient with its ECO mode. It is a ceramic heater that uses forced-fan circulation. The Comfort Zone heater has a digital thermostat and an 8-hour timer that you can preprogram. It’s a safe model that includes a tip over kill switch and it has an ETL safety certificate.

This heater’s 70 degree oscillation allows you to heat a room quickly, as does its height: it’s almost two feet tall. A key issue with this heater, however is that the tipping feature is sensitive. You will likely need to place this on a very flat surface.

Duraflame 3D Infrared Electric Fireplace Stove

This 5,200 BTU heater from Duraflame is great for heating large, drafty, or poorly insulated rooms. It’s also great for heating rooms with many windows. This heater is one of the more stylish heaters on the market. It can be a romantic but functional addition to your room as it emits realistic 3D flames that you can personalize.

It’s on the higher end of the price range but may be worth it as it can heat an extra 1000 square feet. It also doesn’t dry out a room because of its infrared quartz technology.

This Duraflame heater has a thermostat and remote control, which helps you easily control its heat. Its main safety feature is the cool to the touch exterior. One of the drawbacks to this heater is that it does not oscillate and is not as portable as the Zomma Ceramic Space Heater.

Our Favorite Heater

We presented our favorite energy efficient space heaters in this list. As we said earlier, we suggest choosing a heater that has at least two settings of high and low so you can be more energy efficient. Thermostats and remote controls are also useful features that help regulate temperature. We prefer using oscillating heaters for better heat dispersion and always go with ceramic electric heaters.

All these heaters above are electric and efficient, but if there’s a clear winner, it’s the Zomma Ceramic Space Heater. It’s small and gets the job done. Plus, it’s priced fairy and has many of the features we look for in heaters.

Hannah

Hi! I'm the main writer for HVAC Supreme.