Recommendations appreciated-I can’t stand all these cold drafts anymore (this apt. building wasn’t designed to insulate from the cold).
One thing to consider is whether you want heat blowing on you or not. Our old tower-style heater (like this but not quite as fancy) croaked this year, and we bought a radiant-type heater to replace it. I hate it. Hate it. My husband claims that it does a better job of warming up the room, “but the heat doesn’t blow on you so you don’t feel as warm”. My contention would be that feeling warm is kinda the whole point. You’ll have to choose your preference.
Based on a recommendation on another forum, I ordered a Soleus Micathermic heater for my study, which is my main winter living area. So far, I haven’t even turned on my forced-air unit in that room. My November electric bill was just over half what it was a year ago; the December bill was down about 35%. I live in Chicago. Impressed, I gave two of them as Christmas gifts.
So that’s my hearty recommendation. It’s apparently a combination of convection and radiant heat. You feel the heat almost immediately but the outside stays cool to the touch. It’s completely silent. It can be wall-mounted. You can put it on an ordinary timer so a room will be warm in the mornings before anyone arrives.
Go electric for safety and comfort.
I don’t believe using an unvented fuel burning type was an issue. They should not be used. If they had to, at least make sure it had a built in CO and oxygen depletion sensor that shuts it down automatically.
I have a couple of these small oscillating electric space heaters in my house, and I love them. They have remote controls (great for when you’re heating up the bedroom before going to sleep), timers, and thermostat settings. I don’t know why they’re only getting a three out of five star rating - I can’t think of what else they could do or do better.
Okay, read the reviews - people don’t know how to use them and apparently have lost the manuals.
Safety first.
Get a model that stays cool on the outside and has things like a tip-over shut off.
Make sure it has a good fan built in. I get the compact ceramic type.
I would stay away from instant heat radiant heaters (ones that glow orange). They are much better for temporary heat in a cold spot, like you may use in a unheated garage work spot, or a bathroom that is seldom used and heat turned off/down, and would be used pretty much like you would use a light switch, just for the time you are in there.
I also personally prefer a heater that is used to constantly heat a room to be a convection (normally fan forced but could be fins) heater.
This.
Also, please understand that whatever you choose is going to bump your electric bill, so you might want to find one that is as energy-efficient as possible. Also, until you get used to the new higher electric bill, you might want to use it sparingly.
I know that this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but nobody likes a surprise bill.
Electric space heaters are all pretty much 100% efficient.
My recommendation is to invest in a NEW one, not an old one from a thrift store or a relative. We just got a brand new electric oil-filled dealie, and it is SO small and SO light and heats SO well… not at all like the ones we remember from twenty years ago.