Choosing Electric Space Heaters

One way to take the chill out of high winter heating bills is to use portable space heaters. With space heaters, you can turn your thermostat down to 65-68 degrees and only warm up the areas you and your family are in.

There are many things to consider when choosing a portable space heater. You hear about them every year when they cause a residential fires or carbon-monoxide poisoning. But if you follow the precautions of the particular space heater that you choose, they can be a safe and efficient way of keeping warm during the cold winter months.

Portable Space Heater Options

Electric Convection Space Heaters & Radiant Space Heaters

Portable convection space heaters offer heat by blowing air over a heated surface and are meant to heat an entire room. Convection heaters that have ceramic are often more energy efficient and have stay-cool plastic cases. They range in price from about $30 to $100.

Radiant space heaters aim warmth in a direction for more focused, targeted heating, perfect for personal use - just you and your mate on the couch, for instance.

Electric heaters typically get very hot and can be a fire hazard or a danger to small children and pets. You can find convection heaters that mount on a wall, like the DeLonghi Mica Panel Radiator HHP 1500 convection heater ($90). It has a sleek, attractive look and in reviews, owners of this model like how quiet it runs, and its efficiency and speed in heating up a room.

A well-liked $30 space heater is the Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat.

Infrared Heaters

Infrared light is invisible to human eyes, but we absorb the light through our clothing and skin and get warmed that way. Their heat is like that of sunlight - without the light. They are the most energy efficient space heating option. Some models are radiant heaters, directing the infrared energy in a straight shot. Other models use a heat exchange and fan for more general heating.

Here you can spend as little as $30 on an infrared quart radiant heater like the Optimus H-5210 Infrared Quartz Heater. This model has received lots of great user reviews. It is inadequate for heating anything but the smallest rooms, but makes a terrific personal heater. The grill does get hot, so that's something to keep mindful of when children and pets are around. Neverthess it is cheap, heats up fast, is energy efficient and has a tip-over shut-off feature.

On the other end of the spectrum, you could shell out $400 or more for portable quartz infrared heaters like the Eden Pure or CZ brands. While I found favorable reviews for the CZs, the EdenPure did not fare as well. Consumer Reports said their ads touting up to 50 percent savings in your heating bills are just "a lot of hot air" and that they don't live up to the hype. They concede that their review two years ago was for the older model, but say it seems unlikely, despite the company's claim of "major improvements" in the infrared heater, that this quartz infrared heater will make that much of a dent in your heating bill. Not to mention the price - $350-$400.

You don't have to go to extremes to choose an infrared heater - there are models to fit every budget.

Propane, Kerosene Space Heaters

These carry a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, and ideally they should never be used indoors.

Other Considerations When Choosing a Portable Space Heater

• Look for the UL label. Standing for Underwriters Laboratories, an independent electrical certification group, the UL mark shows that the model was tested for any possible safety issues.
• Automatic shut off if the portable space heater gets knocked over or overheats.
• Keep in mind where you plan on using the space heater. If it is for bedroom use, then consider the light output from the device and its controls, or the noise from fans, all of which may be disrupting to a good night's sleep. And space heaters with fans may or may not be able to sit against a wall because of where the air intake is located, and most are not safe for use in areas with high levels of moisture, such as bathrooms.
• It may be worth it to pay a little more for extra features like remote controls, digital thermostats or timers.
• Never plug in a portable space heater using an extension cord.
• Choose a heater that is appropriate to the size of the area you want to heat and no larger. Space heaters typically will indicate what size room it is appropriate for.

NFPA demonstration on how to stay safe while operating a portable space heater in your home.