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We’ve looked at a wide range of large space heaters suitable for heating large rooms and compared specs, prices, features, temperature settings, and reviews to bring you our list of the best space heater for a large room on the market. Not included on this list were any space heaters that didn’t offer at least 100-square feet of useful heating area and which weren’t certified for fire and electrical safety by a recognized national or international standards organization such as UL or ETL. Essential safety features of the best space heater for a large room include an overheat-protection cutout switch and tip-over cut-off switch if the heater is not mounted securely to a wall. You might also want to read our best patio heater guide. And if you want to find heaters ideal for heating living spaces, open our best heaters guide.
Great for large spaces and areas of around 1,000 square feet in size, the 5200 BTU Duraflame 3D Space Heater infrared electric fireplace is our top pick among the best large space heaters to keep you cozy and warm this winter. Its IR quartz heating element heats the air quickly without dehumidifying it, while its digital thermostat allows you to save energy making it a great heater for large rooms.
The Duraflame 3D is our top-ranked large space heater. It’s reasonably energy-efficient, using 120 volt/ 12.5 amp current to generate up to 5200 BTU/hr. It produces the most heat of any large space heater on our list, meaning you can actually use it like a fireplace to heat up a room the size of a large living room or even an entire cabin or bungalow. Like many of the options in our best garage heaters buyers guide. It’s also great for converted garages without central heating, as it’s safer than a gas heater, with no risk of gas leaks or overheating. Gas heaters, if installed incorrectly, can start fires or pollute your house with dangerous fumes such as carbon monoxide.
The Duraflame 3D also has some high-quality design touches, like real beveled glass doors and a realistic “flame” effect flickering behind the “logs.” Its infrared quartz heating element is preferred over ceramic or wire elements since it doesn’t dry out the air as much, keeping you more comfortable and cozy. Just remember electric heaters, if left running all day, can get expensive.
Though it energy saving oscillating heater is great for travel and for moving from room to room. It comfortably and easily heats up a space the size of an average bedroom, den, or dining room, roughly 150 square feet. It also works well for bathrooms, since its heat settings can be dialed down and set to ECO mode, saving electricity when you don’t need full power.
The Oscillating space heater has multiple fan-speed settings and comes with an 8-hour timer and a digital thermostat. Its forced air design helps it heat more air while using less electricity, and it’s ETL-certified for safety, with an automatic tip-over cut-out switch and a built-in overheat protection switch. For cooling, check out the best window air conditioner for the best-rated models.
The Liffesmart IR Quartz heater, like the Duraflame 3D, is a “virtual fireplace” that heats up to 1000 square feet using an infrared quartz element. It keeps a rustic, old-style ambiance while being more eco-friendly than a wood stove and more energy-saving than central heating. Using 1500 W of electric power, it’s comparable to other large space heaters like the Duraflame or Dr. Heater.
The Lifesmart IR Quartz heater benefits from some helpful convenience features, too. Remote control is included, letting you set the heat level or turn the heat off as well as select between two different faux-flame effects. While some might prefer the more subtle glowing-log effect of the top-rated Duraflame 3D, this one does have casters for easier mobility. However, it’s also a rather hefty 40 lbs, making it heavier than most of the heaters on our list. You may also like our best ventilation fans list.
You use the best modern ceiling fan to cool down, so naturally, you want that garage or room heated too, right? This efficient dual-element space heater from Dr. Heater promises more heating power than other 1500W space heaters thanks to a high-efficiency blower good for an estimated airflow rate of over 3 m/s with air heated to about 250-degrees F. This compares favorably with most large space heaters on the market and matches the temperature performance of the larger Duraflame 3D. Dr. Heater really stands out for its aesthetics as well, with a cool, record player-inspired look that’s retro-futuristic without being corny.
The Dr. Heater Infrared heater may not be lightweight, at 24 lbs it’s much heavier than the about 7-lb Comfort Zone heater, but it makes up for it by having caster wheels for easier positioning. Plus, Dr. Heater offers a remote control that lets you change the fan speed, set the thermostat, or turn the heater off from the comfort of the couch. Dr. Heater is UL certified for safety, featuring fail-safes such as tip-over auto-stop and overheat protection.
The DeLonghi TRD4 offers 1500 watts of heating power, matching the Lifesmart IR and the Comfort Zone. A radiator-based design rather than using a heating element, the DeLonghi claims a 25 percent improvement in the radiant area in this model compared to earlier versions.
Among the advantages of this design is that it’s more compact than heating element space heaters of similar output. It’s also much quieter than fan-based or oscillating space heaters. It’s also a good pick for offices and studios and other high traffic areas, since its maintenance-free radiator design, lacking an exposed heating element, is likely more durable than any of the other large space heaters on our list. In addition, the DeLonghi benefits from safety features like a built-in overheat protection switch and a fully sealed radiator, which makes it both more durable and safer. On the flip side, its heat circulation isn’t as far-reaching as with larger quartz element heaters like Dr. Heater, our #4 pick. You should also look at the best air purifier for mold since garages tend to get moist.
Looking for reliable heaters for large rooms can sometimes be tricky but the Heat Storm Deluxe stands out on our list of the best large space heaters since it has a wall-mounted design that saves floor space. This makes it great for kitchens, bathrooms, and smaller apartments as well as tiny houses, art studios, and bungalows. It requires an extra step for setup compared to the mobile caster-mounted units like Dr. Heater, but it does come with remote control for added convenience.
This wall-mounted space heater is also a pleasing design, eschewing fancy effects for a clean, “space-age” look. It features a large LED temperature readout and a programmable thermostat. While its 3200 BTU output is less than our top-rated Duraflame 3D, it also requires less electoral power, 1000 W compared to 1500. The Heat Storm Deluxe comes with a 1-year warranty. If you’re looking for an outdoor heating option instead, try one of the best outdoor patio heaters.
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The FFDDY space heater is a simple and unobtrusive design that offers the same 1200 watts of heating as the much more expensive Comfort Zone space heater. It also matches the other best large space heaters on our list in such safety features as standard tip-over protection and an automatic overheat cut-off switch.
The FFDDY even stands out with 90-degree rotation helping it to evenly heat the room. While it doesn’t have casters or a fancy flame effect, it is compact enough that it works where some larger heaters like the Duraflame 3D or the Lifesmart IR won’t.
BTU or British Thermal Unit, is a unit of heating power; Watts, the SI unit of power, can also be used to refer to heating power, but here’s the confusing part: when rating these large space heaters, the watts typically refers to how much electrical power is required to operate the heater, not specifically to how much heat it outputs. Unlike machines that do some other kind of work, however, heaters are typically very “efficient” since thermodynamics is on their side. There’s very little energy wasted when all the energy is “wasted” as heat.
The best large space heaters on our list use either an IR Quartz element and a fan to circulate the heated air, a ceramic element and a fan, or an oil-filled radiator, as with the DeLonghi TRD4, our #5 pick. An IR quartz element is good because it doesn’t dry out the air. It also transfers heat more efficiently than ceramics, though it may take a little longer to heat up. Radiator designs are quieter and typically take up less space.
The best space heaters manage to minimize the risks associated with space heaters very well. Traditionally the concern is that upright space heaters may tip over, especially onto carpet or fabrics, causing a risk of starting a fire. Older radiator-style heaters, such as the iron radiators still used in many apartment buildings, may get hot enough to the touch that they can cause burns.
When used efficiently and thoughtfully, a space heater can save you money by lowering the amount of central heating you need. Zone heating, or only heating parts of the house or apartment you’re using, is often less wasteful than central heating. Today you can save quite a bit of money on heating and cooling with smart devices.
This depends on your particular needs, as both have their advantages and disadvantages. Fan heaters are better at quickly circulating hot air, but they are less energy efficient in general since some of the electricity has to go toward running the fan rather than generating heat. Ceramic heaters also have the advantage of being quieter than fan heaters, making them great for office and studio spaces. Plus, ceramic heaters offer the added bonus of being safer than most other heaters because even though they heat up quickly, their plastic outer casing remains cool. Oil filled heaters are also safer than electric fan heaters because their effectiveness and safety doesn't depend on adequate airflow.
