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Space heaters

Ceramic, radiator, and infrared space heaters compared on real safety features and verified prices, not wattage marketing.

A 1500 W heater draws about the same power and makes about the same total heat no matter the brand or the technology inside it. What actually differs between models is how that heat spreads, how much noise it makes, and which safety features it has.

What space heaters cost right now

We track 4 products here across 6 offers from 5 retailers. Every figure below comes from a price we opened and checked ourselves, on Aug 30, 2026.

Cheapest we track
$39.99

Lasko 754200 at Lasko

Typical
$87.49

The middle of the 4 best prices on this page

Most expensive
$159.95

Top of the range we currently track

Where stores disagree today

Same product, different shelf, different price. These are the gaps we found on the dates shown, and they are the whole reason to check before buying.

  • Lasko 754200: $39.99 at Lasko against $62.59 at Staples. $22.60 apart, checked Aug 30, 2026.

Best rated by shoppers

Cheapest is not the same as best liked. Of the 3 space heaters here that stores publish a rating for, Lasko 754200 holds the highest, 4.4 out of 5 from 28 ratings at Staples. Its best price today is $39.99. These are the stores' numbers, not ours.

Buying guide Read the full guide: The best space heaters in 2026 →

All 4 products we track, cheapest first

Checked AUG 30
Lasko

Lasko 754200

4.4 28 store ratings

A 9-inch desktop ceramic heater built for warming the space right around one person, not a whole room.

from $39.99 at Lasko
Compare 2 prices Save $22.60
Checked AUG 30
Lasko

Lasko CT20111

4.2 312 store ratings

A 20-inch oscillating ceramic tower heater with a digital thermostat and remote, sized for a bedroom or office rather than an open floor plan.

from $44.99 at Target
Compare 1 price
Checked AUG 30
Dr. Infrared Heater

Dr. Infrared Heater DR-968

A furniture-style infrared cabinet heater that pairs a quartz tube with a PTC element, built for a living room or den rather than a desktop.

from $129.99 at Dr. Infrared Heater
Compare 2 prices
Checked AUG 30
De'Longhi

De'Longhi TRD40615T

4.1 64 store ratings

An oil-filled radiator that heats by radiant warmth with no fan, for a room where quiet, steady heat matters more than a fast warm-up.

from $159.95 at De'Longhi
Compare 1 price

What actually differs

The specs that vary across the space heaters we track. Sorted cheapest first, so you can see what the extra money is buying rather than guessing.

Product Best price Shopper rating CoverageDimensionsSafety featuresThermostatTypeWarranty
Lasko 754200 $39.99 4.4 28 100 sq. ft. maximum (Lasko's estimate)9.2 in. H x 7 in. W x 6 in. DAutomatic overheat protection, cool-touch housing, ETL listedAdjustable thermostat with 11 settingsPersonal ceramic heater, fan-driven, desktop size3-year warranty
Lasko CT20111 $44.99 4.2 312 100 to 300 sq. ft. (Lasko's estimate)20.4 in. H x 7 in. W x 7 in. DAutomatic overheat protection, cool-touch exterior housing, ETL listedDigital, adjustableCeramic tower heater, oscillating, remote control included3-year limited warranty
Dr. Infrared Heater DR-968 $129.99 — 200 to 500 sq. ft. (manufacturer's estimate)16 in. H x 11 in. W x 13 in. D, 19 to 20 lbOverheat protection, tip-over safety shutoff, UL and cUL listedElectronic, 50 to 85 degrees F rangeInfrared quartz tube plus PTC dual heating system, cabinet style3-year limited warranty
De'Longhi TRD40615T $159.95 4.1 64 23.2 sq. ft. (De'Longhi's own spec sheet, listed as 'working capacity')16.4 in. x 10.3 in. x 26.1 in.Thermal cut-off, fully enclosed heating elements, rounded cornersMechanical temperature and power dial with a programmable 24-hour timerOil-filled radiant heater, no fan, 6 finsFull manufacturer warranty (De'Longhi does not state the number of years on its product page)

How to pick one

The first real decision in a space heater is how it moves heat, not how many watts it draws. A ceramic tower or a ceramic desktop unit uses a fan to push warm air across a room fast, so you feel a difference within a few minutes but also hear a fan running the whole time it is on. An oil-filled radiator and an infrared cabinet heater both radiate heat with little or no fan noise, which suits a bedroom, but they warm the surrounding air more slowly and are built for a smaller, closer range. Match the type to where the heater will actually sit.

Every heater sold for home use in the US tops out near 1500 W, the practical limit for a standard 15-amp household outlet, and a 1500 W heater converts almost all of that electricity into heat no matter the brand or the technology inside it. Claims about an advanced heating element saving money on your bill describe how the heat spreads or how the unit looks, not how much heat a given number of watts produces. If two heaters both run at 1500 W, expect them to cost about the same to run and put out about the same total warmth.

Coverage numbers on the box, whether it is 100 sq. ft. on a desktop unit or 500 sq. ft. on a cabinet heater, are the manufacturer's own estimate. They are not independently tested or standardized between brands, so treat them as a rough size class rather than a guarantee. What is worth comparing directly is the safety hardware: a tip-over switch that cuts power if the unit is knocked over, automatic overheat protection that shuts off an overheating element even while the unit is upright, and an independent certification mark like ETL, UL, or cUL. Those three features separate a heater built to modern safety standards from one that is not.

Personal desktop heaters and small ceramic units heat only the space right around them, so they belong on a desk or under a table, not in the middle of an open room. Oscillating tower heaters and cabinet-style units are built for a whole room and are the ones worth checking the coverage estimate against your actual square footage. Whatever the type, plug a space heater directly into a wall outlet rather than an extension cord or power strip, keep it at least three feet from anything flammable, and do not leave one running in a room with no one in it.

Common questions

How much should a good space heater cost?

The ones we track run from about forty dollars for a small desktop ceramic heater to around one hundred sixty dollars for a furniture-style infrared cabinet or an oil-filled radiator. See each product page for the exact price we verified and the date we checked it.

Do infrared heaters cost less to run than ceramic heaters?

No, not at the same wattage. A 1500 W infrared heater and a 1500 W ceramic heater draw the same power and produce roughly the same total heat over time. The difference is in how that heat reaches you and how quiet the unit is, not in the electric bill.

What is the difference between a tip-over switch and overheat protection?

A tip-over switch cuts power the moment the heater is knocked over or tilted past a set angle. Overheat protection is separate: it shuts the unit off if an internal sensor detects the heating element or housing getting too hot, even while the heater is standing upright and working normally. Both are worth having, and neither substitutes for the other.

Is it safe to leave a space heater running overnight or unattended?

Most manufacturers and fire-safety authorities recommend against it, even on a unit with a timer, a tip-over switch, and overheat protection. Those features reduce risk, they do not eliminate the reason the advice exists: a plugged-in heating element left unwatched is still the leading cause of home heating fires.

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