10 Best Energy Efficient Space Heaters in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Invariably, one part of your home is colder than the rest of your place. That’s particularly true for rooms farther from the thermostat. While the rest of your house is toasty warm, the people in far bedrooms might feel like they’re sleeping in an icebox. Making an informed choice when buying a space heater is essential. Proper use is also imperative since heating equipment¹ is the most common cause of home fires, injuries, and fatalities.

Our guide will cover everything you need to know about picking the right device for your needs. We’ll discuss the features you should look for, especially as they relate to safety. You’ll also find reviews of some of our favorite products for turning up the heat.

A Quick Comparison of Our Winners of 2024

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Dr. Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater	Attractive retro design Automatic shut-off timer Quiet	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		GiveBest Store Portable Electric Space Heater	Cooling fan Lightweight Value priced	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		Envi Plug-in Electric Panel Wall Heater	Wall mount feature Highly efficient UL and CSA-certified	CHECK PRICE
		Heat Storm Space Heater	Internet of Things (IoT) device Wall-mount option ETL-certified	CHECK PRICE
		Dreo Space Heater	Auto shut-off feature after 24 hours Tip-over protection Affordably priced	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Energy Efficient Space Heaters

1. Dr. Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater – Best Overall

We usually won’t call this kind of item cute, but we can’t help ourselves with this one. The Dr. Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater has a retro design that makes it more like a piece of furniture than simply this type of device. It is our pick for the best overall Energy Efficient Space Heater. The product will heat the ambient space using infrared.

It has three modes to dial back the heat output if needed. It has a blower but is whisper quiet. The heater also has a programmable timer for up to 12 hours. We appreciated its automated shut-off if tipped. That makes it both energy efficient and safe.

2. GiveBest Store Portable Electric Space Heater – Best Value

The GiveBest Store Portable Electric Space Heater makes up for its unattractive design with its affordable price and excellent energy efficiency. Its wattage is lower at 750 watts. Nevertheless, it’s a decent option for a bathroom or small bedroom. It’s our pick for the best energy-efficient space heater for the money. Unlike many similar products, it has a cooling fan so that you can use it year-round.

This heater uses forced air to warm a room. It has tip-over and over-heat protection. It’s lightweight and easy to move from room to room. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have a timer function, which we consider a must-have with these products if just for the safety factor.

3. Envi Plug-in Electric Panel Wall Heater – Premium Choice

The Envi Plug-in Electric Panel Wall Heater works best when installed lower on a wall. That makes the best use of its convection heating method. Warm air rising will heat a room efficiently. Its design is unobtrusive, even though it has a larger footprint. The product is well-made with high-quality materials. Despite its output, it won’t trip a breaker with its energy draw.

The heater operates efficiently and silently. It does an excellent job of warming a room without being hot to the touch. The installation is a piece of cake, making it a decent choice for any home.

4. Heat Storm Space Heater

The Heat Storm Space Heater isn’t the most attractive device, but it certainly is a space saver with its wall mount feature. Neither the heater nor the wall behind it gets hot. You can control it with a smartphone app, allowing you to manage it remotely using Alexa or Google Assistant. It has a timer function that makes it even more convenient to use.

The heater isn’t cheap, but you get a decent value for your money. It’s an excellent heating solution for a basement or garage. The built-in thermostat is accurate in warming a room quickly and efficiently.

5. Dreo Space Heater

The Dreo Space Heater covers several bases on the safety front. It has a timer and an auto shut-off feature if it topples over accidentally. It takes it to the next step with flame-retardant materials. Even the plug is fire resistant. The heater has a small footprint yet oscillates 70 degrees to warm an entire room efficiently. You can use the touchscreen or the remote to operate the device.

Although it has a fan, it’s surprisingly quiet. You’ll hardly know that it’s running. It has three operating modes, including an eco-function to boost its energy efficiency. It’s lightweight, at less than 5 pounds. That makes it portable, too. It heats up a room quickly, despite its small size.

6. De’Longhi Space Heater

The De’Longhi Space Heater is another offering with a nostalgic design that we loved. This product reminds us of visiting our grandma’s older home with its radiator heater. It even has anti-freeze technology to protect it from damage. It is an oil-filled device that warms a room with radiant heat. It’s not the best choice for a large room but gets the job done in a smaller space. You may notice a smell when you first turn it on, but it’s not bad.

The heater ticks as the oil heats. Again, it’s nothing disagreeable but adds to its nostalgia. It comes with a 3-year warranty, which we don’t often see in space heaters.

7. ESSUNTIAL Portable Space Heater

The ESSUNTIAL Portable Space Heater isn’t like other products in this category. It’s an excellent choice for office workers and for individuals who run cooler than others in their households. It folds out to envelop the user with heat on three sides. If you want it warm, this device will more than suffice. It won’t serve everyone’s needs, but it will please those who want to heat their personal space.

This product will keep your tootsies warm with its enveloping heat. The design will foil drafts from chilling you. If you work at a desk near a doorway, you’ll find it a godsend. It’s highly customizable with eight heat levels. It’s also waterproof with tipping protection.

8. LifeSmart LifePro Infrared Space Heater

The LifeSmart LifePro Infrared Space Heater looks like an old-fashioned radio or vintage speaker. However, its value is more in its design than functionality. It uses radiant heat that you can control with its handy remote. It has three heating settings, including an eco-function. It’s heavy and not as portable as other models we’ve seen. It has a fan, but it’s quite quiet, not unlike a standard fan.

It’s well made and more like a piece of furniture than a heater, hence, its heavier weight. Its output is decent but nothing more than similar models that are cheaper and more portable.

9. Honeywell Surround Fan

The Honeywell Surround Fan isn’t the prettiest heater, but it’ll keep you warm with 360 degrees of heat. It has a thermostat but only two settings. It has the safety features we like to see in these products, including overheat protection. It’s lightweight with a no-heat handle to move it easily from room to room. Unfortunately, that doesn’t include the bathroom. This product won’t handle the moisture.

The manufacturer provides a generous 3-year limited warranty. Unfortunately, it’s louder than other products we reviewed. That makes it inappropriate for bedroom use for some buyers.

10. METKIIO Space Heater

The METKIIO Space Heater won’t win any prizes for its design. However, it is efficient at what it does with a small footprint to boot. The manufacturer had the user in mind by making its operation quiet without annoying lights on its display. It’s a compact device that won’t take up a lot of room wherever you place it. Consequently, its output and recommended coverage area are equally limited.

Nonetheless, the product has many of the features we like to see in these devices, including overheating protection. It works quickly and efficiently to warm a room with forced air. It has three modes to match your temperature needs.

Buyer’s Guide: Picking the Best Energy Efficient Space Heater

The energy efficiency of today’s space heaters is leaps and bounds over what it used to be. The price has also dropped with more styles than ever from which to choose. Before, these products were simply utilitarian. They did their job but didn’t add much to your decor. That’s a far cry from what you’ll see now. Space heaters are safer to use, which is a relief if you want to put one in your child’s bedroom.

Our guide will discuss the features that separate the different products. We’ll also put them in context with safety issues.

Dimensions

One thing you’ll likely notice is the smaller size of today’s products. Nevertheless, it’s still essential to verify the dimensions of the device with the space in which you want to place it. We recommend at least a 3-foot buffer on all sides. That will help ensure there’s enough space between flammable materials and the heat source. When in doubt, pull out the tape measure and make sure.

Coverage Area

Many manufacturers will provide a coverage area for their space heaters. Again, the tape measure is your friend when choosing a product. We suggest sticking with the size of your room and not opting for an oversized heater for the space. That can reduce the risk of home fires with a device that runs too hot. More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to these products. You’ll usually see this spec expressed in square feet.

Wattage-BTU Output

Wattage tells you how much juice you’ll need to run the space heater if electricity is its power source. You can also use it to match a product with the room you need to warm. You can plan on 10 watts per square foot. For example, you’ll need a 2,000-watt device to heat your 200-square-foot bedroom. BTUs indicate how powerful a heater is. However, it’s a balance between warming time and the space where you’re putting the device.

A general rule of thumb is 20 BTUs per square foot. You’ll get the best use of a product with a BTU output of 4,000 with our example. Other factors come into play, such as the amount of insulation and the number of windows. You can also use it to compare products using different energy sources to gauge their various outputs.

Heating Method

You’ll see products with different ways of producing heat. Some will give off warmth as they run, heating up the space around them without warming an entire room. Infrared, ceramic, and radiant products use this method via various means. Forced air and convection models push the air around in a room, taking advantage of the movement of warm-cool air up and down the height of a space.

Infrared is the most energy efficient, using electromagnetic waves to get the job done. It produces heat, not unlike sunlight using electricity as a power source. However, it’s also essential to consider how quickly you want to warm a room since your choice can make a difference in how satisfied you are with your purchase.

Conclusion

The Dr. Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater headed up the list of our reviews with its attractive design and efficient output. You can’t go wrong with this product, even if it is a bit pricey. The GiveBest Store Portable Electric Space Heater isn’t the prettiest choice, but it gets the job done efficiently at an affordable price. It’s lightweight, making it easy to move from room to room wherever you need some extra warmth. Hopefully, these reviews have given you a good idea of what to look for and have helped you make an informed purchase to warm up your bedroom or another room in the house.

Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock