The Best Infrared Space Heaters

Having a heater can significantly increase the indoor coziness when outside’s temperatures are taking a toll on your comfort. Infrared space heaters are a much more energy-saving and efficient way to heat up a room, compared to other heaters that require a lot of power, and aren’t exactly child-safe.

Best 5 Infrared Space Heaters Comparison

What Is an Infrared Space Heater?

The infrared space heater is an electrical device which can heat up a room while also preserving energy in the process. They are built in such a way as to make 100 percent advantage of the heat produced, meaning that no heat is lost when transferring it into the room.

They function based on infrared radiation instead of heating the air, like other types of heaters do. This infrared radiation comes in contact with the objects inside the room, and heats them when doing do. It basically functions by heating elements that are inside the room, much like the sunlight heats the environment around you.

Aside from being more energy-efficient, infrared heaters are also better at keeping air humidity at standard levels. Normally, space heaters will dry out the air inside the room, and this is something that infrared heaters don’t do.

What’s more, other types of heater will move dust around the room, particularly if they have an internal fan. Depending on the infrared space heater chosen, there are chances of the unit being safer, since the heating coils inside it doesn’t heat up all that much.

That being said, it’s important to note that the efficiency of an infrared space heater will vary depending on how the unit is constructed, and if and what other heating sources you have inside your home.

Types of Infrared Heaters

Infrared heaters are normally portable units, which makes it easy for homeowners to switch their location, moving them from room to room, as needed. Portability doesn’t just mean that the unit is light and can be picked up and moved around. You can also buy a larger unit with wheels attached to the bottom side, and easily slide it over to a new location.

There are generally three basic types of infrared space heaters:

• Compact units that are partially based on infrared heating, but also integrate another type of heating system in their composition.

• Electric infrared fireplaces.

• Infrared heaters with wheels to make them more portable.

What to Look For

Regardless of the type of infrared space heater that you’re planning to buy, there is a list of features that could help you make the best out of this purchase. You may want to look for space heaters that have the following features:

• Built-in thermostats are quite common with newer and more feature-packed types of infrared heaters. This feature is important because units that don’t have a built-in thermostat don’t have enough control over the heat output, which can cause you to spend a lot of money on electricity bills.

• Quartz bulbs are important in this type of heater because you want with a really long lifespan, as there are quite expensive to replace.

• Cool exterior. Not “cool” in terms of how it looks, but cool to the touch. This is particularly important if you have any children or pets that might end up touching the external components of the heater: you want to avoid any burns.

• Stable built is what ensure that the unit won’t easily be flipped over. Some of the best infrared space heaters have safety features such as automatic shut down when the unit is tipped over.

• If you’re opting for a unit with wheels, the wheels have to swivel for best maneuvering. Otherwise, you’ll have to make a lot of extra moves to get the heater into the exact spot where you want it.

• Also make sure that the heater has the capacity of covering the entire square footage of the room it’s destined for.

As with every other type of product, you may run into items with false marketing claim, so staying informed can prevent you from wasting money. As far as infrared space heaters are concerned, some products claim that they can raise humidity levels, and prevent dry air from being a problem.

An infrared space heater can’t replace the function of a humidifier; it can maintain the room’s current humidity, at best. In fact, you may want to look for space heaters that don’t dry the air too much.

Top 5 Infrared Space Heaters Reviews

Whether you need some extra degrees at the office or you want to heat up a cold garage, we’re going to walk you through the specs of the top five infrared heaters of 2019, with the promise that there’s something in here for everyone looking to buy such a product.

Dr Infrared Heater

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With a great balance between price and functionality, the Dr Infrared Heater is our top pick for the day. It comes with a bunch of cool features, like the integrated LED display which gives out important information, such as the temperature inside the room.

It has an automatic heat-protection system, which turns the unit off if there are any components overheating inside it. The unit will also shut down if it detects any obstructions in the inlet air duct, which could also lead to component overheating. Even more, the heater with equipped with a visual alarm that notifies you if there is any components exceeds the safe temperature, so you can shut it down manually if need be.

The heater also has a built-in thermostat, which you can set using the “Mode” button, but can also opt for the automatic setting, by switching to “Auto” mode. If you decide to input your desired temperature, the heater will operate in high mode until the room reaches the temperature of your choice. Then, it will continue to run on a lower setting for another 10 minutes, and will eventually turn off afterwards.

Other cool features of this unit are an included remote control, an energy saving feature, low noise levels, and two heating systems (quartz tube and PTC).

Pros:

• Dual heating system.
• Safety shutdown feature.
• Low noise output.
• Integrated thermostat.
• Remote control included.

Cons:

• External component susceptible to heating.

Pro Tip

Those of you interested in buying a fool-proof unit (a.k.a. a product with tested and confirmed usefulness) will love the Dr Infrared Heater. It’s the kind of product that costs a little more, but offers all the features that you’re interested in getting from a product in its category.

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Unique Heat

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This is one space heater designed to be a premium product, with plenty of features that will provide a top-notch room heating experience. First off, the unit is capable of heating up rooms that are about 800 to 1.000 square feet in space.

It has a built-in thermostat that works at temperatures between 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. It operates without drying the air inside the room, which is quite a common problem during the cold seasons in a lot of different locations.

The unit is designed to have a cool exterior even when it’s running, so that your pets and children will be safe from burns even if they accidentally touch the outer casing. The heater also integrated the auto shutdown functions when being tipped over.

The wheels on the bottom of the unit make it easy to switch the location of the heater as needed. The air filter that’s inside the heater is designed to be removed, cleaned, and then put back inside, meaning no extra filter costs for you.

Pros:

• Bottom wheels.
• Programmable timer.
• Fahrenheit and Celsius display.
• Lifetime air filter.
• Handles on each side.
• Cool exterior.
• Doesn’t dry room air.

Cons:

• Not very energy efficient.
• Expensive.

Pro Tip

We know that telling your child not to touch something is basically an invitation for them to do so. If you want an infrared space heater that’s safe around children and pets, this is the best option on the market right now.

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Heat Storm

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Here is a wall-mounted infrared heater that can be controlled from the comfort of your favorite armchair. This 1.000 watts unit can cover up to 500 square feet of space, while taking up less than two square feet itself. However, the fact that the unit can be mounted on the wall provides not just a space-saving benefit, but it also keeps the heater out of the reach of children.

Even if the heater comes with its very own remote control, wireless technology helps pair the device with a smartphone, so that you can control the heater through the designated app. From the app, you can change any setting, including lowering or increasing the temperature of the heater, activating the child lock features, or schedule timers that allow operating the device even when you’re not at home.

The heater is ETL certified, meaning it meets the quality certifications and safety guidelines required to be used as a home heating system. Perfect for small rooms and fully controllable thanks to the wireless app, the Heat Storm infrared heater stays cool to the touch, offers the benefit of saving space, and can be used in any small room inside the house.

Pros:

• Compact.
• Easy to install.
• Smartphone app control.
• Great for small rooms.
• Saves space.

Cons:

• Expensive considering its coverage power.

Pro Tip

The Heat Storm infrared space heater is designed for people who are looking for a unit that can warm up smaller rooms, while also looking to save the space that a floor heater would normally occupy. It’s also great for people with children, as you can mount the heater up high on the wall, out of their reach.

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Ivation

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The first thing that drew our attention when we saw the Ivation is the stunning wooden encasement. But, aside from that, it also packs the features we want to see in a product in this category. It is designed to be a secondary heating unit for your house and office.

It features an LCD display that will show the temperature, but allow you to fiddle with the settings of the device. Below the LCD, you can find a series of buttons for operating the heater: a power switch, the ambient temperature control (available in both Fahrenheit and Celsius), button for lowering or increasing the temperature, a timer switch, a heater mode button (to switch between the different heat settings), and a safety lock (locks the current settings to prevent children from changing them).

The heater comes with its own remote control, which functions with two basic AAA batteries. The Ivation also features a cleanable air filter, six quartz elements that will distribute heat evenly, as well as automatic shutdown features that will turn the unit off in case someone tips it over, or if the sensors detect a potential fire risk.

Pros:

• Child safety lock.
• Remote control included.
• Beautiful wooden case design.
• Adjustable timer.
• Built-in LCD.
• Easy to move around.

Cons:

• Noisy.

Pro Tip

Those of you that want a heater and are particularly concerned with how it’s going to look will be happy with the Ivation. This infrared heater is packed inside a wood cabinet with a cherry oak finish, and can perfectly blend in with dark-colored furniture inside most rooms.

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Homegear

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Last on our list is a more affordable product, for people who don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on an infrared space heater. The Homegear heater comes with a built-in thermostat which you can operate directly from the unit itself, or by using the included remote control.

This 1.500 watts heater can cover up rooms up to 1.500 square feet, as advertised, but our own math tells us that spaces above 1.000 square feet won’t really be all that warm and toasty. The heater combines quartz and mica heating tubes, looking to provide better coverage thanks to the dual heating system.

The front side of the unit hosts the LED with temperature display, a button that toggles between Celsius and Fahrenheit, the timer button, the on and off switch, plus the up and down arrows that allow you to set your desired temperature.

Pros:

• Remote control operation.
• Dual heating system.
• Auto shutdown on overheating.
• LED display.
• Built in timer.
• Celsius and Fahrenheit display.

Cons:

• Works best with rooms of max 1.000 square feet.
• Consumes plenty of electricity.

Pro Tip

If you want to buy an infrared space heater with decent features, but don’t want to spend too much money on extras and fancy designs, the Homegear heater is one of the best options out there. It costs less than a hundred bucks, and still provides the most important thing this product is meant to do: heat up a room.

Bottom Line

Even if each model has its own specs and characteristics, the best infrared heaters on the market are quite similar to one another, as there are baseline technologies which are a must for this type of product. Despite their efficiency, you must not rely on these products to act as sole heating unit throughout the entire cold season.

The most important things to look out for when you’re buying one of these are: the maximum square footage the unit is designed to heat, if it sports any auto shutdown features that could come in handy when components overheat or when the unit is tipped over, and (for parents and pet owners) if there are any external parts that get too hot and could cause burns when touched.

You can read more about Best Energy Efficient Space Heaters