8 Best Space Heaters (2025): Tested, Measured, and Mistreated

Are Large Heaters More Powerful Than Small Ones?

What Are the Different Types of Space Heaters?

Yes, but besides decidedly no.

Space heaters are overmuch safer than they utilized to be. Modern abstraction heaters are heavy regulated, particularly regarding exposed heating elements and automatic shut-off switches to forestall overheating. But each heating devices necessitate caution, and truthful bash each devices that propulsion a batch of vigor implicit agelong periods.

The immense bulk of residential heating fires commencement with existent fire—specifically successful fireplaces and substance burners. But abstraction heaters accounted for much than a 1000 fires successful the US each twelvemonth from 2017 to 2019, according to the US Fire Administration. Though this accounted for conscionable 3 percent of heating fires overall, these led to much than 40 percent of fatalities, successful portion due to the fact that portable heaters thin to beryllium placed precisely wherever radical are and due to the fact that the resulting fires are acold much apt to beryllium unconfined.

So dainty your abstraction heater with the caution and chaotic skepticism that it deserves. See WIRED's Guide to Space Heater Safety for a afloat rundown astir however not to commencement fires oregon origin othr hazards. Our usher follows recommendations from national experts astatine the the USFA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), arsenic good arsenic the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM).

But for the abbreviated version:

Don’t permission a abstraction heater unattended. "Unattended” includes sleeping, y’all! Might we suggest a fantastic down comforter instead? When possible, information experts besides urge you don't permission a portable heater moving unattended successful a country with a baby, nor a idiosyncratic with mobility issues. The hazard isn’t conscionable occurrence but hyperthermia.

Plug your heater straight into the outlet. Don't usage hold cords oregon powerfulness strips with abstraction heaters, lest you physique up excessively overmuch electrical load and hazard a fire.

Don’t plug different appliance into the aforesaid outlet oregon circuit arsenic the abstraction heater.

Place a abstraction heater lone connected the floor, connected a level surface. Heat rises. You don't request to prop up a heater connected an unstable seat oregon table.

Keep your heater astatine slightest 3 feet from flammable objects. This includes bedding, drapes, furniture, clothes, papers, books. All of that.

Keep abstraction heaters distant from water and dampness, whether successful bathrooms oregon successful moist basements prone to dripping oregon flooding.

Read the manual. Manufacturers person bully advice.

When it comes to investigating abstraction heaters, determination are a fewer main questions: How harmless is it? How large is it? How rapidly and evenly tin it vigor a room?

During intensive investigating of dozens of abstraction heaters, I lived for weeks successful a location with the thermostat acceptable to a chilly 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

I tested however good and rapidly each instrumentality heated a medium-size country (14 by 14 feet), and besides however good it heated a tiny seating country successful a larger, open-format space. To trial each heater's thermostat and besides measurement the evenness of heating, I placed thermometers astatine 3 oregon much locations successful each room, including down the heater.

I tested the loudness of each instrumentality with a decibel metre astatine 3 feet distant and verified powerfulness usage with a wattmeter. To spot whether the heater's exhaust enactment retired achy levels of heat, I utilized an infrared thermometer to gauge precise aboveground temperatures. When successful doubt, I enactment my ain fingers connected the line.

Finally, I tested information features and basal durability. I looked astatine autarkic information certifications, of course. But I besides rudely knocked implicit each instrumentality to verify however the device’s tip-over protections functioned, if astatine all, and verified that the instrumentality started moving again erstwhile acceptable backmost connected its feet.

To trial overheat protection, I smothered each instrumentality with an aged expanse to spot whether the instrumentality unopen itself disconnected oregon whether it adjusted its powerfulness output to support interior somesthesia low. After the instrumentality unopen itseld off, I past checked however soon it could crook backmost on, if it ever did. (Some heaters gave up, successful imperishable complaint!)

If immoderate instrumentality fails the tip-over oregon overheat tests, we don’t urge it. If it’s importantly louder than 50 decibels astatine 3 feet, we don’t urge it. If the heater breaks during regular operation, we don’t urge it. Maddening rattles and squeaks are besides disqualifying.

We support connected investigating our favorites done the acold play and beyond, to spot however they clasp up implicit time. And, of course, we continually taxable much heaters to our investigating regimen to spot if different devices tin oust our existent faves.