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A dual heater and humidifier perfect to beat dry, cold air.

A greenhouse heater that can also work in your garage.

A fireplace heater that simulates a lifelike fire.

A slim wall heater that takes up very little space.

An industrial heater that works well for heating garages.

Infrared heaters, also known as IR or space heaters, are designed to radiate heat in a small space. They use a quartz heating element requiring anywhere between 600.0 to 1,500.0 Watts of power to function. Because of their design, infrared heaters do not produce much noise and stay relatively cool to the touch. These heaters also work exceptionally well for heating areas where a constant air temperature is difficult to maintain, such as drafty garages.

To help you choose the best option for your needs, our review team has researched and tested the best infrared heaters on the market. We break down how well each heater performs as well as their design quality and size. Our buyers guide can also help you determine what to look for when deciding which heater to buy.

Photos by James Kiefer/Motor1

Before starting your search, consider checking out our buyers guide to learn more about how infrared heaters function and their key features.

With infrared heaters, the higher the wattage, the more heat output you’ll get. Larger rooms or rooms that depend on heat solely from a heater should have a watt rating of at least 1,500.0 watts. Smaller or medium-sized rooms can be safely heated with less than 1,500.0 watts of energy.

Some infrared heaters are designed to sit on countertops or can be lifted with one hand, while others must sit on the floor or take two people to move. Knowing how much space your heater can take up without compromising necessary space is important before choosing one.

While there are many sleekly designed heaters that tuck away unnoticed, others can be overtly industrial or act as a flashy centerpiece for a room. If you’re looking for something that can impress your guests, check out infrared heaters that are designed to mimic household amenities such as fireplaces or radios.

Around 1,700 fires each year involve portable heaters, according to data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), resulting in 80 deaths and over 150 injuries annually.

The best infrared heaters come with safety features to help avoid life-threatening incidents. Look for the following features while shopping for an infrared heater: 

If you do find yourself using an infrared heater, keep a few of these safety tips provided by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in mind: 

An infrared heater converts energy (gas or electricity) into infrared radiation to warm objects directly. This radiation is generated by running electricity through a resistant metal that warms the heating element, typically made from ceramic or quartz. This is different from how a convection heater works, which circulates warm air through a space.

Infrared heaters are good for use in uninsulated spaces like a worksite or garage because you can focus the heat output to a particular spot. This output is unaffected by wind or drafts. As a result, infrared heaters can be more energy efficient, saving you money in the long run. Other benefits of an infrared heater include:

However, an infrared heater is not the perfect option for everyone and there are some drawbacks to this technology. Infrared heaters stop heating as soon as they are turned off. An oil radiator, by contrast, can emit heat for some time after it is turned off. These heaters can also get very hot to the touch when in operation, making them unsafe to use around small children. To stay up to date and informed about infrared heater safety, this pamphlet from The Infrared Heater Safety Council should have everything you need to know if you’re using your heater safely.

The Dr. Infrared Heater® and Humidifier has 1,500.0 watts of power output, so it can heat most medium-to-large rooms with ease. This heater uses a dual heating system of infrared quartz tubes and a positive temperature coefficient, or PTC, for long-lasting warm air production.

For overheat protection, this space heater has a built-in 12-hour automatic shutoff. While many infrared heaters can only produce heat, the Dr. Infrared Heater doubles as a humidifier that’s perfect for combating dry air.

Using the Dr. Infrared Heater, we were able to warm our room to a reasonable temperature in under half an hour. It didn’t make much noise in the process, either.

This heater is surprisingly portable, which we credit to the combination of its relatively low weight and bottom-mounted caster wheels. Despite this, the Dr. Infrared Heater can be difficult to pick up due to its lack of a carrying handle.

We found it easy to set temperatures and humidity settings thanks to its front-facing LED display, plus we like that it comes with a remote control. Its wood panel design makes it welcoming but easy to hide away like a spare filing cabinet.

On Amazon, the Dr. Infrared Heater and Humidifier has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. This is from over 1,000 reviews and 89 percent of which are 4-star ratings or higher.

A commonly praised feature of this heater is its humidifier setting, which some use in tandem with the heater to help alleviate dry throats and noses. One of the most frequent complaints from customers is that the water bottle for the humidifier is too small.

Originally designed for use in greenhouses to keep plants warm during winter months, the Dr. Heater Greenhouse Garage Heater also works well in garages and other hybrid indoor and outdoor spaces. Its compact design and large carrying handle make it easy to move around without sacrificing power.

This heater uses fan-forced heating to radiate a wide area. Its safety features include a precision temperature monitor and adjustable thermostat control that help prevent overheating.

With its blower, this heater was able to heat up our room and keep it warm. We like the simple design, with easy-to-use dials and knobs.

The Greenhouse Garage Heater excels when it comes to portability. Our review team found it very easy to move this heater around thanks to its small size and carrying handle. However, its small size means less power, and it took longer than we expected for our room to reach an optimal temperature.

The Greenhouse heater currently has an average rating of 4.3 stars from around 500 reviews on Amazon. Close to 71 percent of reviewers left a 5-star rating for this heater.

Those who like this heater say it holds up well in very humid conditions. The most common complaint is that this heater only produces temperatures that are too low or too high.

The coziest option in this review, the Duraflame Realistic Ember provides the best that an electric fireplace has to offer. Its flame effect can be used with or without the heater turned on, plus it can project glowing embers to simulate a real fire.

Like other products in our review, the Duraflame uses an infrared quartz heating element. Duraflame claims that this heater can warm a room up to 1,000.0 square feet in size to any desired temperature.

We like the appearance of this heater. The pleasing design and fireplace effects make it an attractive piece of furniture, rather than feeling like an appliance. This heater is relatively small compared to other heaters and it’s very lightweight for easy transporting.

Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the Duraflame’s immediate heat output. It struggled to warm up our room in under 30 minutes, and even after the clock ran out we had to wait for it to show results.

From over 4,600 ratings on Amazon, the Duraflame Realistic Ember heater has an average rating of 4.5 stars. More than 70 percent of these reviews are 5-star ratings, while less than 5 percent are 1 star.

Among customers who left a positive review, there were many who say they prefer this heater over an actual fire since it does not make a mess. Reviewers also like the sound feature, which imitates the crackling of a real fire.

Those who didn’t enjoy using this heater say it doesn’t have enough output to heat their living room. Some even claim plastic parts on this heater started to burn after extensive use.

Unlike most radiant heaters, the Heat Storm Deluxe Mounted heater is WiFi-enabled to work with smart devices. This allows users to monitor their heater from their phone and adjust the temperature if they’re not home. This feature means you can start warming up your room or apartment on the way back from work.

The Heat Storm has a cool-touch grill that won’t burn anything that touches it, even after the heater has been active. Should it accidentally fall out of its mounting, this heater has a tip-over sensor that deactivates the device when not in an upright position.

Because of its wall-mounted design, we like that this heater takes up no floor space. Its digital thermostat provides an accurate temperature of the room and the heater’s output. It did not take long for the Heat Storm to start producing adequate heat.

This heater is relatively small and lightweight. It takes extra effort to install this heater onto a wall, though. Our review team appreciates its futuristic design. However, because of its design, this heater is not portable.

The Heat Storm Deluxe Mounted heater currently has over 5,900 reviews on Amazon and an average rating of 4.4 stars. Less than 10 percent of reviewers left a 2-star rating or lower.

Many customers say this electric space heater is thoughtfully designed, noting its multiple temperature settings as a key feature for constant warmth. While some enjoy this, others say that the heat settings take too long to deactivate, giving this heater a long cooldown time.

Made for industrial use, the Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988 is ideal for warming garages and outdoor spaces. Its overheat and tip-over protection prevent it from accidentally burning the area around it, plus its steel safety grill prevents finger burns.

This electric infrared heater has a safety switch to cut off power in emergency situations. Its carrying handle is sturdy, which makes it great combined with its low weight for portability.

The design of the DR-988 is ideal for outdoor use, and we thought it would double well as a patio heater for small or large outdoor events. We did not like that this heater doesn’t have a timer on it like the others in our roundup.

We were able to heat our room comfortably in a reasonable amount of time using this infrared heater. It is a bit heavier than other heaters, making it difficult to carry around. However, its large handle is handy for transporting.

The DR-988 has an average rating of 4.3 stars on Amazon. This is from almost 1,300 reviews, close to 70 percent of which are 5-star ratings.

Many customers claim this heater works well for garage use. Some customers who don’t like this heater say it’s because it shorted out after a few months of use.

The infrared heaters in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by searching Amazon for top products, looking at factors like Prime shipping eligibility, customer ratings, Amazon superlatives, and prices.

Our product testing team ordered the five infrared heaters that best met these standards. A team member tested each product, taking note of how well the infrared heater warmed up a room, its size, and how well its design blended in with a room. Each heater was given a rating out of 5 stars based on these criteria.

We tested each infrared heater in a small room and let it run for about half an hour. After the 30 minutes were up, we checked how warm the room was to determine how well the heater worked.

Each space heater was also assessed on its design quality and how well it could remain hidden within a room. We determined this based on the noise, materials, and general design of each space heater. Our review team also attempted to transport each heater to determine its portability.

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Yes, it is safe to leave an infrared heater on while you sleep or while you’re out. Most portable space heaters have an auto shut-off that activates when the heater or room it’s in reaches a certain temperature.

The best safety practices with these devices are to make sure your heater has a set timer function and to not place anything flammable within a few feet of the heater while it’s turned on.

Infrared heaters are an excellent way to heat your home without running up your budget. The typical infrared heater costs only 40 percent of what it costs to run an electric or gas heater.

Infrared heaters do not cause cancer and are not harmful to your health. Although quartz element heating technology works similarly to the Sun’s heat, infrared radiation does not contain any ultraviolet components.

Placing your heater in the corner of a room facing outwards is the most productive heating method with infrared space heaters. Some space heaters, such as those with a wall-mounted design, work better placed nearer the center of a wall.

Although infrared systems offer energy savings for heating small rooms, natural gas and baseboard heaters are a better option for efficient heating of homes and large areas. Propane systems also don’t require an electrical outlet and can be used outside of home improvement projects.

*Data accurate at time of publication.

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