For staying warm in the winter, one of the easiest methods is a space heater.
However, I know there are a lot of concerns about safety with these.
The brilliant thing is that they make cool touch space heaters, which are safe around kids and pets.
Benefits of Space Heaters
Firstly, a space heater is inexpensive.
You can get a high quality, cool touch space heater with enhanced safety features for under $150.
You simply have to plug it in and it is ready to go.
There is no complicated installation required.
Many space heaters are highly energy efficient.
They keep small spaces warm without wasting a ton of electricity.
Most space heaters don’t add significantly to monthly energy costs, which is a huge advantage over trying to keep your home warm with a central heating system alone.
A space heater provides targeted, effective heating for small spaces.
You can literally sit in front of the heater and get warm, which isn’t really possible with a central heating unit.
A central heating system is designed to spread heat throughout the entire house, whereas a space heater provides targeted heat.
Most space heaters are small, compact, space-saving appliances that are easily portable.
You can get a powerful, quality space heater that can easily fit on a desk.
They can be moved around with ease as most space heaters are lightweight.
Top 10 Cool Touch Space Heaters
1. Lasko Cool-Touch Infrared Quartz Heater
This is my top choice of a cool touch space heater.
Lasko is a trusted and well-known brand that makes a range of home appliances.
They are known for high-quality products that make homes more comfortable and healthier.
Their product line ranges from air purifiers to fans to cool touch space heaters.
Their cool touch infrared quartz heater is an incredibly efficient and quality space heater that is one of the top-of-the-line options on the market.
The heater is 1,500 watts, so it is suitable for heating a room of up to 150 square feet.
The heater has an LED digital display for easy operation and has a number of comfort-select controls so you can set the temperature exactly as you want it.
The unit comes with remote control.
The unit also has smart-save technology, which uses an automatic thermostat to help maintain temperature more efficiently.
A built-in timer allows you to set the heater to turn off after a given period of time.
The quiet operation doesn’t add a lot of background noise to your home.
The heater also has an adjustable thermostat and multiple fan speed settings.
Specifications:
- 1500 Watts
- Radiant and Infrared
- 4 pounds
Key Features:
- 3-year limited warranty
- Cool touch system
- Suitable for rooms up to 150 square feet
- Comes with remote control
- LED digital display
- Smart-save technology
- Timer
- Quiet operation
- Adjustable temperature and fan speed settings
2. Bovado Oscillating Cool Housing Space Heater
Bovado is an up-and-coming brand that makes a range of different home products.
The company is known for making versatile products that are affordable and well-made.
Their product line ranges from glass bakeware to cool touch space heaters.
Their oscillating forced-fan space heater is an efficient, affordable, and high-quality personal space heater.
It is compact and space-saving in design and can easily fit on a desk.
The system uses ceramic chips to provide heat, which is not only safer but also makes the heater more durable to stand the test of time.
Built with enhanced safety features, this heater is ETL certified.
It has an overheat protection system and an automatic fail-safe to turn off the heater if it is tipped over.
70 degree oscillation provides for wider coverage of heat.
The heater can act as both a fan and a heater, a feature I always love to see.
It has an easily adjustable thermostat, giving you greater control over the temperature.
The unit is incredibly energy efficient and has an ECO mode that helps reduce the amount of energy used while keeping your home warm and comfortable.
Specifications:
- Forced-air space heater
- 5 pounds
Key Features:
- Very affordable
- Space-saving design
- Lightweight
- ETL certified
- Overheat sensor
- Automatic fail-safe
- Oscillating
- Fan and heater
- Adjustable temperature
3. Pelonis Portable Ceramic Tower Space Heater
Pelonis is a trusted maker of high-end home appliances that are versatile and elegant in design.
Their wide-ranging product line includes tower fans, pedestal fans, box and table fans, and space heaters.
Their portable vertical and horizontal ceramic space heater is a high-quality, powerful space heater that is suitable for most average-sized rooms.
It is 1,500 watts and is suitable for rooms up to 150 square feet.
This is a unique design in that it provides both horizontal and vertical heating.
It has enhanced safety features including cool-touch housing so there is no fear of getting burned while touching the unit.
The heater has overheating protection for added peace of mind.
The unit is a ceramic heater.
It has a fast-heating element that can heat up to 70 degrees in 3 seconds. There are three heating options and an ECO setting that helps keep your home warm without wasting a ton of energy.
The heater comes with a remote control, and is lightweight and easy to move wherever you need it.
A neat feature of this space heater is how easy it is to clean.
You can easily take it apart to keep dust and other debris from gathering.
This makes it far easier to maintain than many other comparable models.
Specifications:
- 1,500 watts
- Radiant and infrared heater
- 13 pounds
Key Features:
- Suitable for rooms up to 150 square feet
- Can be used vertically or horizontally
- Overheat protection
- Three heater settings
- Comes with a remote control
- Lightweight
- Easy to clean
4. Comfort Zone Oscillating Stay Cool Space Heater
Comfort Zone is a reputable and trusted brand that is best known for a range of heating and cooling appliances.
They make affordable, high-quality, versatile products and are trusted by many across the nation.
Their product line includes humidifiers, fans, and space heaters.
The space heater is 1,500 watts so it is suitable for spaces up to 150 square feet.
It has a clear LED digital display so you can easily see the settings, and it comes with a remote control.
The heater is ETL certified and has an overheat protection sensor.
It also has an automatic fail-safe which turns the heater off if it gets tipped over for added peace of mind.
The unit is energy efficient and has an ECO mode which provides for comfortable heat without breaking the bank in utility costs.
The heater is lightweight and can easily be moved anywhere it is needed.
It has a timer with an auto-shutoff, which can be programmed.
The digital thermostat helps ensure constant temperature without constant adjustments.
Specifications:
- 1,500 watts
- Forced-air space heater
- 13 pounds
Key Features:
- Suitable for rooms up to 150 square feet
- LED digital display
- Comes with remote control
- ETL certified
- Overheat protection sensor and an automatic fail-safe
- Lightweight
- Auto shut off
5. Aikoper Oscillating Portable Space Heater
Aikoper is an up-and-coming brand that makes fans and heaters, especially tower and pedestal products.
They have high-quality, safe space heaters that are efficient, with plenty of added features.
Their oscillating tower space heater is a great value and a high-performance heater that is suitable for large spaces.
The heater is 24″ tall and features a thin, space-saving, compact design so it doesn’t take up a ton of floor space.
It has an overheat protection sensor, and an automatic fail-safe so the heater turns off if it is tipped over.
The unit has a digital thermostat for constant temperature control.
The heat can be adjusted by single degrees, and ranges from 40-90 degrees Fahrenheit.
It has an 8-hour timer and a remote control option as well.
The heater is highly energy-efficient and has an ECO mode that helps reduce energy usage while keeping you comfortable and warm.
ECO mode can be set either to high or low, but it will shut off once the set heat is reached.
The Aikoper is lightweight and is cool touch, so it can easily be moved or touched.
Specifications:
- 1,500 Watts
- Convection heater
- 8 pounds
Key Features:
- Suitable for large and small spaces
- Compact, space-saving design
- ECO mode
- Overheat sensor protection
- Automatic tip over sensor
- Comes with remote control
- 8 hour timer
- Lightweight
- Cool to touch
6. Asterion Oscillating Space Heater
Asterion is an interesting brand that focuses on aroma diffuser fans, but their product line also includes fans and cool-touch space heaters.
Their oscillating space heater is an affordable, space-saving heater that can fit on most desks or tables with ease.
With an easy grip handle, light weight, and cool-touch surface, this is a great little portable heater.
The unit is ETL certified and CA65 approved, and has an overheat protection sensor.
It also has an automatic fail-safe so the unit automatically turns off if the heater is tipped over.
The heater has a 72-degree oscillating fan, which helps to better spread heat throughout the room.
It is an energy-efficient heater that has a super energy-saving ECO mode that keeps you warm without using a ton of power in the process.
There are five settings, including low, high, fan, ECO, and freeze.
The 24-hour timer allows a full day’s worth of adjustment, and the digital thermostat display keeps you in the loop about the exact temperature.
Specifications:
- Forced-fan heater
- 3.4 pounds
Key Features:
- Space-saving, compact design
- 72-degree oscillating fan
- 5 temperature modes
- ECO mode
- ETL and CA65
- Lightweight
- tip over sensor
- overheat sensor
- Cool-touch
7. Honeywell Deluxe EnergySmart Cool Touch Heater
Honeywell is an incredibly well-known brand that makes a wide range of high-quality, trusted, and reputable home appliances.
The company is known for using cutting-edge technology and quality design to create a range of affordable products to make life easier.
Their product line features programmable thermostats, air purifiers, and space heaters.
Their Deluxe EnergySmart Cool Touch Heater is an affordable, high-quality space heater that features cool-touch technology so there is no risk of burns when handling the heater.
This is a programmable space heater that is compact, space-saving, but still suitable for heating large rooms.
It has two separate heat settings and can oscillate, so it helps spread warm air throughout the room.
The EnergySmart system is designed for low power consumption, and it even has an indicator to show you total energy use.
The unit features a range of safety features, including overheat protection and a tip-over switch off.
The unit is easy to use and features a LED digital display.
It is well-constructed and durable in design so it will stand the test of time.
Specifications:
- Forced-fan heater
- 5 pounds
- 1,500 watts
Key Features:
- Suitable for spaces up to 150 square feet
- Cool-touch technology
- Programmable heater
- Compact, space-saving design
- Overheat protection and tip-over switch off
- EnergySmart Technology
- LED digital display
- Durable design
8. Honeywell Slim Ceramic Tower Heater
Since Honeywell is such a trusted and reputable brand and they have so many high-quality space heater models, we had to cover another option in this review of cool-touch space heaters.
Their slim ceramic tower heater is an affordable, powerful heater that is well suited for large rooms.
The heater is tall and thin, with a space-saving and compact design so it doesn’t take up a ton of floor space.
Despite its diminutive design, it is a powerful heater that can keep an average-sized room with ease.
The unit features convection heating which is an energy-efficient, quality, and safe style of space heater.
It has a digital LED display and controls and has two different heat settings.
The thermostat is programmable and features a timer.
The heater is designed with safety in mind.
It has a 2x overheat protection sensor which will cut the fuse in the event of overheating.
It also features a 360-degree tip-over switch so the unit will automatically shut off if it is tipped over.
The heater oscillates to more easily move air around the room.
The unit is lightweight and with the cool-touch plastic housing, it can easily be moved to anywhere heat is needed.
Specifications:
- Convection Heater
- 5 pounds
- 1,500 watts
Key Features:
- Suitable for spaces up to 150 square feet
- Slim, space-saving design
- Stay-cool plastic housing
- LED digital display
- Programmable heater
- 2x Overheat Protection
- 360-degree tip-over switch
9. Brightown Personal Space Heater
The Brightown brand focuses mainly on lighting such as fairy lights, curtain lights, and outdoor lights, but their space heater has a good and established reputation.
It is affordable and perfectly suited to very small areas – hence being called a “personal” heater.
The heater is compact and space-saving in design and will easily fit on a standard-sized desk.
It has PTC ceramics for an efficient, long-lived heater.
It features three settings: low heat, high heat, and fan so it can be used all year round.
The thermostat can be adjusted by single degrees from 0 to 158 degrees Fahrenheit.
That’s really hot!
It is also good for drying off things like clothing and shoes.
The Brightown has overheat and anti-tip protection for added peace of mind.
Being incredibly lightweight and cool touch, it is easy to move the heater anywhere it is needed.
It is also ETL certified.
Specifications:
- Forced-fan heater
- 1500/750 Watts
- 3 pounds
Key Features:
- Suitable for small rooms like dorms or home offices
- Space-saving design
- ETL certified
- Lightweight
- Cool-touch plastic housing
- Overheat and anti-tip protection
10. Atomi Smart Wifi Portable Tower Space Heater
If you want a top-of-the-line heater with cutting-edge technology, the Atomi Smart Wifi Portable Tower Space Heater is an excellent option.
The unit is powerful and is suitable for heating large rooms and is rated to heat rooms of up to 750 square feet.
The heater is Wi-Fi enabled and voice-activated so you can operate it through the Atomi Smart App or using Alexa or Google Assistant.
The large touch panel screen has a digital display for easy operation, offering three different modes and a programmable timer.
The heater oscillates for better large room coverage.
Specifications:
- 1,500 watts
- 8.3 pounds
Key Features:
- Suitable for rooms up to 750 square feet
- Wi-fi enabled and works with the Atomi Smart App, Alexa, or Google Assistant
- Large touch panel screen
- Three modes and a programmable timer
- Oscillates
- Lightweight
Space Heater Buying Guide
In my experience with space heaters, there are a few main things to keep in mind when choosing a great heater.
My most important considerations are safety features, price, heating capacity, and noise level.
Let’s take a brief look at each of these.
Safety Features
Space heaters can be dangerous if they don’t have safety features.
All the models I review here are cool touch, which means the outer housing doesn’t get hot, so you can touch it without fear of getting burnt.
Look for a cool-touch space heater that shuts off automatically if it overheats or tips over.
Price
When shopping for any appliance, I always set a budget ahead of time, so my research can be more targeted.
There is no need to waste time researching models that are out of your price range.
Heating Capacity
You want a space heater that can actually do the job.
This means you need to have a rough idea of the size of the room you wish to heat so you can ensure that your heater is powerful enough to heat your room.
For an average-sized room, a heater with at least 1,500 watts is usually suitable.
Noise Level
Nobody wants a space heater that is so loud that you have to yell to be heard over it.
Most modern space heaters are relatively quiet, but if an ultra-quiet operation is important to you, you will want to look for a heater that is built with quiet operation in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of space heaters are there?
The most common types are radiant heaters, convection heaters, fan-forced heaters, and micathermic heaters.
- Convection heaters are the most common type of heater, found most often as ceramic heaters. The heaters work through convection, whereby a heating element heats the air that is forced through the system.
- Radiant heaters use an electric coil or quartz tube to put out heat waves. This type of heater will heat up really quickly but is only suitable for smaller spaces.
- Fan-forced heaters use a fan to push hot air throughout the room. This type of heater can be useful for heating large spaces, but they are the most inefficient type of space heater out there.
- A micathermic heater is one of the rarest types of space heater. With this heater, the heating element is covered with sheets of mica. They basically work through both convection and radiant heat and are typically thinner and smaller than other space heaters.
What size of space heater do I need to heat my space?
According to best practices, you need 10 watts of heating power for every square foot you are trying to heat.
For an average-sized room of 150 square feet, a space heater of 1,500 watts will suffice.