Electric space heaters fall into four main categories: fan heaters, ceramic, infrared, and oil-filled. Fan heaters are the cheapest, but are often the least efficient and versatile. Nonetheless, they can be useful for heating small spaces, such as a small room or office cubicle. Ceramic heaters push air across a piece of heated ceramic material. They can adequately heat a typical bedroom. Infrared heaters provide more heat than ceramic models, and are also smaller and quieter. They do not oscillate like ceramic heaters, but consist of a heating chamber deep within the unit that prevents accidental fires, and allows for greater accumulation of heat before it is emitted by the unit. By the mid-2010s, many were outfitted with touch-screen controls and energy-saving settings, and were styled in such a way to complement the user's furniture. They grew in popularity in the 2010s. Oil-filled heaters can silently heat larger rooms, but take longer to heat up. Like infrared models, they lack a fan, but circulate heat according to a room's air patterns, which is why it may take longer for a user to discern a difference in temperature. By the mid-2010s, some higher-end models included more precise controls.
Safety
- Fire, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning are the main risks of space heaters. About 25,000 fires are caused by space heaters in the United States each year, resulting in about 300 deaths. Roughly 6,000 hospital emergency department visits annually in the US are caused by space heaters, mainly from burns.
