I’m looking for a small room electric heater for my WFH office which is in a third floor bedroom that while heated isn’t great as the house is old with minimal to no insulation. I have one of those oil filled radiator type, but would like one with a fan that I can put under my desk or near it to give me quick heat when I’m up there working. My employer has indicated that our WFH situation is not ending anytime soon, I work from home every day now except Wednesday’s.

With the winter in full effect here in Pennsylvania, it’s starting to get a little chilly up there.

Would anyone be able to recommend a small unit that is relatively energy efficient?

Any resistance heater will effect your electric bill based on the size and how many watts it uses.
A given amount heat equals a given amount of dollars.

I have a small 200W ceramic heater behind my keyboard. It definitely doesn't heat the room, but it's sufficient to keep me warm when needed.

Increase insulation, reduce C.F. of area to be heated.

We have one of those plug in wood cabinet digital units. Everyone makes them. Ours in a Duraflame. Works great and is ridiculously cheap to run for an electric heater. Astonishingly so actually. I cannot believe how cheap it is to use for long periods of time.
Turn it on. Set the temp you desire and it will run until it reaches the temp you set or keep running if it does not reach that temp. It is a great little space heater.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
...as the house is old with minimal to no insulation...

If that is the case, then what is the condition of your wiring in that room and between the breaker and that room?

Besides the obvious tip-over fire from space heaters, house fires are also caused by overloaded circuits. A high amperage space heater plugged in for hours/days/weeks at a time and unattended is much different than plugging in a 10 amp vacuum cleaner and using for a few minutes. 2018 NFPA fire report and statistics highlights:

quote:

Local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 52,050 fires involving heating equipment each year in 2012-2016. These fires resulted in annual losses of 490 civilian deaths, 1,400 civilian injuries, and $1 billion in direct property damage.

Most home heating fire deaths (86%) involved stationary or portable space heaters.

A safer alternative would be having an electrician drop in a new circuit and install a dedicated electric baseboard heater.

As mentioned above Watts used equal heat given off. I do not think that when comparing resistance heaters there is much efficiency difference when heating up a wire.

But you can get a perceived heat difference depending on the style of heater. For example parabolic heaters that focus the heat output onto a relatively small area will seem a lot hotter than a rotating unit with the fan set on high.

Insulate \ cover any windows, seal any drafts and put a fan behind the oil filled radiator.

I've started to dress better as it gets colder. A long underwear bottom and top under regular cloths helps.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
We have one of those plug in wood cabinet digital units. Everyone makes them. Ours in a Duraflame. Works great and is ridiculously cheap to run for an electric heater. Astonishingly so actually. I cannot believe how cheap it is to use for long periods of time.
Turn it on. Set the temp you desire and it will run until it reaches the temp you set or keep running if it does not reach that temp. It is a great little space heater.

Old Rugged Cross,

You are spot on! This is what my wife and I use a lot to decrease our propane usage. It is astounding how well they perform.

Do you have a ceiling fan in the room?

I have a small office, and use an oil filled radiator heater. In the morning, I get up and the room is around 63 degrees. I turn on the heater and the fan, take my shower and grab some breakfast. Within 90 minutes, the room is up to 68, and I turn the heater from high to mid, and the room will stay 70-72 all day for pennies.

The trick with the radiator heaters is air movement. Without the fan, the room won't get above 66.

My 2 bookkeepers were always complaining about being chilly in the Winter. I got them each an under the desk radiant heater and they loved them. They don't get overly hot or have a blower they just radiate warmth at you, and use under 200 watts of electricity when on. They were similar to this one.

https://www.globalindustrial.c...MFvZcWRoCymkQAvD_BwE

watts is watts. my oil filled one has 500/1000/1500. If yours gets the job done at one of those over time you know the size you need. The big advantage of the fan ones is direct heat. Radiant is a different strategy and if you can put it above it will likely have good results at 1/2 the watts.

I would encourage you to watch this video.

https://youtu.be/V-jmSjy2ArM

He explains what others are saying in detail. Will helo you avoid marketing wank.

If it's for a home office, I would go with a radiant heater. Don't waste energy heating up the air.

Look for one of those radiant heaters with one of those parabolic reflector dishes.

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter01:
But you can get a perceived heat difference depending on the style of heater.

This is very much true. My wife has an oscillating w/fan small space heater, and mine is a Pelonis ceramic with a fan but no oscillation. Both have the typical low (900watt) and high (1500 watt) settings. Being around hers, vs mine, mine feels much warmer. Both set to low.
 
If I leave mine running on low in the bedroom, (2500 cu. ft.) with the door closed, it actually raises the room temp over a period of a couple of hours, without any help from central heat. I never use it on high, both for safety reasons and because I never need it. Granted our climate is a bit warmer than up north, but I'm talking about mornings where it is between 25 and 30 degrees outside. The heater case stays cool as does the cord. When I'm at my desk, I aim the heater towards the knee hole, from 6 ft away, and can only stand 30 minutes or so before I have to redirect it to the room.
 
My model is no longer made, but is identical to this current model.

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter01:
But you can get a perceived heat difference depending on the style of heater.

Adding humidity will definitely increase perceived heat.

I've been pleasantly surprised at how efficient & comfortable adding a mid-weight merino wool under shirt has been in moderating my comfort level without using electric heater in my work shed. Hours of bench work with a touch of intermittent propane heater works well in my situation. With a 15A circuit for minimal tool use in my 'temporary building' I've been very cautious about overloading electric circuit.

Tatertodd, Scurvy, Woodman - it appears my efforts here over the years are paying dividends. You guys saved me a lot of typing.

Buy insulation, or correct the HVAC, if neither are possible add a dedicated circuit for an in wall heater or space heater. Make sure the circuit is 20a instead of 15a so you are only using 63% vs 80% of the circuit capacity.

I used to always joke that this time of year for electricians (and firemen) is space heater season because the phone call always goes to one of us.

As for the 'Ive used x space heater for years and never had a problem' folks. Would it be okay for me to say I've driven drunk everyday for years and never killed anyone, so driving drunk is safe?

We have a finished basement where our primary tv is located. I’ve been researching for a better solution, but in the meantime we have been using a Dyson heater. My wife seems to think it adds about $20/month to our electric bill, but it sure helps and works well.