So you want to buy a space heater, but you don't know where to start. You might ask yourself a million questions, such as: What should my budget be? How do I know it is safe? What is the best feature to look for?

Well, the good news is that you are not alone in this predicament. Most people don't necessarily think of themselves as space heater experts, in fact they need to know a lot. Fortunately, there are professionals out there who know their stuff, and we recruited one to answer some pressing questions and help us find the best space heater. Input: Lowe's Seasonal Heat and Coolers' deputy merchant, Lauren (Carlucci) Ciancarelli.

According to Ciancarelli, there are five factors to consider when choosing a space heater. Let us break them down.

✔️ British thermal units (BTU): “The BTU level determines how much space the device can safely and effectively heat,” she explained. So, for example, a heater rated at 9,000 BTU will dissipate more heat into more space than a heater rated at 5,100 BTU. Most portable electric space heaters hover in the low range of 5,000, while more industrial heaters (such as wall-mounted, oil-operated or electric fireplace heaters) rank higher.

✔️ Variable settings: Ciancarelli said that you will want to find a model that provides variable settings, in other words, the ability to set the heat output of the device and thus its energy/fuel consumption. This saves energy on warm days that do not require a lot of heat.

✔️ Built-in blower: Some space heaters have built-in blowers, fans or oscillators to help distribute heat in the room faster and more evenly.

✔️ Portability: Not all space heaters are easy to carry. "The options range from small personal heaters that fit on the table to large heaters designed to heat the entire room," Ciancarelli said. "Small heaters are a good choice for heating specific spaces quickly. Larger electric heaters may be permanently filled with oil so that they can hold and dissipate heat for a long time." Ciancarelli explains that oil can reduce the number of heating element cycles. Thereby saving energy. One thing to note is that larger space heaters tend to take longer to warm up, but they can heat larger areas more efficiently.

✔️ Safety function: Ciancarelli said: "There are built-in functions, including automatic shut-off, anti-tipping device and heat insulation device, making the heater more user-friendly and safe." It is important to find a heater that can check all these boxes.

Hope these parameters will make you feel better when buying a space heater. To start your hot search, here are some suggestions from Ciancarelli and passionate product reviewers.