If you’re looking to buy a space heater but want something portable and that won’t be a big drain on electricity, you will want a low wattage space heater. In this guide, we take a look at three great options. We’ll walk you through their pros and cons, and which situations they are particularly good for.
Quick Look at Our Top Picks
Why Choose a Low Wattage Space Heater?
There are two main reasons you might want to choose a low wattage space heater.
- They are smaller: If you only have a small area to place it or you want something a bit more portable, low wattage space heaters are the perfect solution.
- They use less energy: If you only need to heat or small area or just want a personal heater, using a low wattage space heater will still keep you warm without your energy bills going through the roof.
How Low Are We Talking?
Although there are exceptions, most full-size space heaters use between 1000 – 1500 watts. In this guide, we’re only going to be looking at space heaters which are 750 watts or less.
You can find space heaters with as low as 50 watts. However, these are generally not very effective and aren’t as common. The 50 watt heaters that I have come across seem to be cheap Chinese imports which may not even be up to necessary safety standards so you definitely want to avoid these. The lowest wattage space heater we will be looking at is 250 watts.
Best Low Wattage Space Heaters
Below you can find our top picks for the best low wattage space heaters. We have picked out the best option for various sizes to help choose the best heater for your requirements.
AmazonBasics 500 Watt Heater
Best Overall
Power: 500 watts | Height: 6.3″ | Tip-over Protection: Yes
- Very budget-friendly
- Small & portable
- Wattage not too low
- Tip-over protection
- Quiet
- 4 colors available
- No overheat protection
- No heat control settings
What we like most about the AmazonBasics heater is that it packs a lot of power for a small size making it perfect for keeping you warm at your desk. It’s only 6.3″ tall but at 500 watts it puts out plenty of heat. Not only that but it’s great value for money too, and at the time of writing, the cheapest heater on our list.
Although this heater has tip-over protection (this means the heater will automatically turn off if tipped over), it doesn’t appear to have overheat protection. It’s never a good idea to leave a space heater unattended, but particularly with this model. The other downside is that there are no heat control settings. However, this seems to be the case with most low wattage heaters, especially in this price range.
Brightown 250 Watt Heater
Great for Warming Hands & Feet
Power: 250 watts | Height: 6.7″ | Tip-over Protection: Yes
- Budget-friendly
- Very Small & portable
- Low power consumption
- Tip-over & overheat protection
- Quiet
- Low heat output
- No heat control settings
If you just want a heater to keep your hands or feet warm, this Brightown heater is the perfect solution. It only uses 250 watts which really helps to keep the running costs down and it is extremely small and portable. It has plenty of safety features too with tip-over protection, overheat protection, and a cool-touch exterior.
Due to the very low wattage of this heater, it isn’t going to put out a huge amount of heat. It’s great for keeping your hands and feet nice and warm, but it certainly isn’t going to heat a whole room. Like the AmazonBasics heater, this one doesn’t have adjustable settings and can only be turned on or off.
Cozy Products 750 Watt Heater
For Heating Small Rooms
Power: 750 watts | Height: 11″ | Tip-over Protection: Yes
- High heat output
- Adjustable thermostat
- Variable fan speeds
- Tip-over & overheat protection
- Quite noisy
- Quite expensive
The previous heaters on our list are great for keeping a small area warm, but if you want to provide heat for the whole of a small room, you will need something a bit more powerful. This Cozy Products heater is a nice balance between power and low wattage. It’s still half the wattage of most full-size space heaters, but it gives off enough heat to keep small rooms warm. Unlike the previous heaters in our list, this one has an adjustable thermostat and variable fan settings so you can dial it in to get the perfect temperature. It has safety features you want from a heater too, with overheat and tip-over protection.
This heater is quite a bit more expensive than the previous heaters on our list, but if you want the extra features and higher wattage, it certainly isn’t over-the-top expensive. The other disadvantage (although some consider it an advantage) is the noise. It creates quite a loud white noise. Some people like this because it drowns out background noise, but it’s something to consider if you want a very quiet heater.
Last update on 2020-02-19 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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