8 Best Space Heaters For Large Rooms (Up To 1,000 Sq Ft)

Large rooms need large room space heaters. To heat a 400+ sq ft room (20×20 or more), you will need one of the best space heaters for large rooms. That’s why we analyzed the best indoor electric heaters for large rooms.

A space heater is a self-contained appliance that supplies heat to a given space. Even bigger indoor electric space heaters have quite a simple and universal design. They consist of 4 key parts:

• Heating element. The bigger the heating output, the larger the room space heater can heat up. Most common electric 1,500W heating elements can provide supplemental heating to big 1,000 sq ft rooms.
• Fan. Draws in the colder room air and expels out the heater’s hotter air.
• Motor. Powers the fan.
• Metal casing.

Now, there are several kinds of space heaters for large rooms. Here’s how we measure the heating output of large space heaters:

• In BTUs (British Thermal Units). That’s most true for propane and natural gas space heaters. Example: #3 Dyna-Glo natural gas heater produces 30,000 BTU of heating output.
• In Watts. Electric indoor space heaters for large rooms (by far the most popular units to heat larger rooms) use electric power input (Watts) to express how much heat they produce. Example: #1 Dr Heater DR-968 has a 1,500 Watt power input.

Which room heater is best for big rooms?

We have rounded up the 8 best large room space heaters by comparing their specifications (you will find the heater models, comparison table, and reviews further on). Here’s what the comparison table looks like:

It needs to be said that figuring out which space heaters are best for large rooms is not the easiest job.

Here are the key issues we face when choosing the best space heaters for large rooms:

• Majority of big portable electric heaters (most commonly used to heat larger spaces) have at most 1,500 W power input. That’s a good 5,000 BTU and producers claim these electric heaters ‘heat up to 1,000 sq ft spaces’. That’s not entirely true; in such large rooms, 1,500 W electric heaters can provide only supplemental heat. That includes the best oil-filled radiator heaters.
• Extra-large electric heaters can have anywhere from 2,000 W to 4,000 W (up to 13,500 BTU) power input. While they provide ample heating output, they are harder to install; they usually need to be mounted on the wall. However, they can heat up large rooms with high ceilings.
• Natural gas or propane heaters can heat large rooms on their own. They can produce up to 30,000 BTU of heating output but they are difficult to install, need proper venting (with some exceptions), and you will have to always have to look for carbon monoxide buildups. They have adequate heating output but are notoriously unpopular.

Based on the specification and considerations we will cover first, we have created a list of the best space heaters currently on the market. You can skip to the list, comparison table, and reviews of these top space heaters here:

Skip To List Of Best Space Heater For Large Rooms In 2023 Here

But first, let’s look at how you should figure out which large room space heater is the best for your specific situation.

We will cover key specifications, such as a large room heater’s heating capacity, room sizes and coverage, heating methods, safety features, and other features you need to check before buying a space heater.

Let’s start with heating capacities that will help us figure out how big of a room will large room space heaters heat:

Heating Capacity Of Big Room Space Heaters

What should all the best space heaters for large rooms have in common? An above-average heating capacity, of course.

The most popular kind of big room space heater are the 1,500 W electric space heaters. There are heaters with higher wattages, and natural gas and oil heaters that can produce an absurd amount of heating output for a space heater:

• Electric heaters: 1,500W max. heating input; that’s equal to about 5,000 BTU. Pro: Most popular for large spaces.
• Huge electric heaters: Up to 4,000W max. heating input; that’s equal to about 13,500 BTU. Cons: Difficult installation. These higher wattage units are considered to be the best space heaters for large rooms with high ceilings (Example: #5 Cadet Manufacturing 67527 heater in the table below)
• Natural gas or propane heaters: Up to 30,000 BTU of heating output; that is equal to almost 9,000W. Cons: Difficult installation, needs venting.

Based on this, we can see what space heaters put out the most heat. However, the real question is this:

Why do we prefer to use 1,500 W indoor electric heaters for large rooms, and not other larger heaters?

The answer is pretty simple. 1,500 W big room heaters are very safe and easy to install and use. You just plug them in.

With huge electric heaters (up to 4,000 W), you need to mount them on the wall. That involves quite a bit of installation, and they are there pretty much forever (even in the summer).

The beauty of 1,500 W indoor electric heaters is that they are portable. You can move them to a large room only when you need extra heating, and you can roll them out and store them easily. Bigger wall-mounted electric heaters are fixed on the wall.

The biggest space heaters are those powered by natural gas and propane. It seems pretty reasonable to use those to heat up large rooms, right? According to the BTU/wattage output/input, that’s true. However, nobody really likes these gas-powered space heaters because of the difficult installation, and the need for them to be vented. That’s quite a lot of hassle; too much for most of us.

How Big Of A Room Will Large Room Heaters Heat? (Heating Coverage)

To get a realistic feeling of what all these heating inputs/outputs mean we need to translate all those Watts and BTUs to square feet.

Due to the popularity of 1,500 W space heaters for big rooms, the key question is this:

How big of a room will a 1,500-watt heater heat?

With all-electric heaters, we can use this simple rule of thumb for calculating the heating coverage:

Rule of thumb: 10 W can heat up 1 sq ft of living area.

Using this rule, we can quickly figure out that a 1,500W heater can heat up rooms up to 150 sq ft.

Example: That’s a 12×12 room. Not a really big coverage, right? Why would you use a 1,500W electric space heater in large rooms if they can only heat up rooms up to 150 sq ft? These are considered small rooms.

The key here is to understand the difference between central (systemic) heating and supplemental heating. The goal of central heating is to keep the whole house warm; that requires a lot of energy. If a 1,500W space heater would be used as central heating, it would only heat up small rooms with up to 150 sq ft.

These space heaters, however, are not used as central heating. In the majority of cases, we use large room space heaters as supplemental heating. When used as supplemental heating, these electric room heaters only need to provide auxiliary heating in addition to central heating.

The generated heat, however, makes a tremendous difference. If you sit near a 1,500 W space heater (be it ceramic, tower, or standard heater), you will feel the warmth.

In fact, as a supplemental heating source, these 1,500W heaters can heat up an up to 1,000 sq ft room. That’s why they are used as large room space heaters.

There is a nuance here, of course. How big a room a space heater can heat (as a supplemental heat source) depends on how warm/cold the room already is due to central heating.

You can place a 1,500W space heater in a mildly warm 800 sq ft room without a problem, for example. However, if you put it in a very cold 500 sq ft room, the 1,500W input wattage won’t generate enough heat to adequately heat up all the room.

Note: The closer you are to a large room space heater, the warmer will it be. This is especially true for infrared heaters like #6 Dr Infrared Heater (check table below). Infrared heaters primarily heat up objects near them. They are pretty much used to heat people, not the whole room.

Heating Methods Matter As Well

The physical principle of how the heating output is transferred throughout the room is quite important. This is especially important when you want to heat up larger rooms.

In general, space heaters use three distinct principles (heating methods) to propagate the generated heat:

1. Forced air heating. Most popular way; space heater heats up the air that is propelled out of the heater and heats up a large room rather uniformly.
2. Convection heating.
3. Radiant heating.

Forced air heating has the added advantage; you can direct in it any direction. In most cases, we direct it toward us; large room space heaters with forced air heating can heat us directly.

Convection heating is utilized by large room oil-filled radiator heaters. They directly heat the air near the space heater, and heats us indirectly.

Radiant heating is a special case. Such space heaters utilize infrared light to heat us directly. Even the best infrafred space heaters for large rooms heat the whole room indirectly.

Safety Features Is A Top Priority

When buying a space heater for large rooms, always check the safety features and the corresponding certificates.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 25,000 residential fires every year are associated with the use of space heaters, resulting in more than 300 deaths. (Department Of Energy On Space Heater’s Safety)

As you can imagine, big space heaters for big rooms are hot. This heat can start residential fires (25,000 residential fires every year is quite a big number). On top of that, hot space heaters in large rooms can also cause undesired non-fire situations; ie. burn injuries.

Here are the main characteristics of the safest large room space heaters:

• They are newer models with all current safety features.
• They don’t need to be vented; ie. are electric space heaters (not powered by natural gas or propane).
• They carry a UL (Underwriter’s Laboratory) label.
• They are thermostatically controlled (to prevent overheating).
• Placement: Keep the large room space heater away from foot traffic, children and pets.

Department Of Energy points out that electric space heaters are “the only unvented space heaters that are safe to operate inside your home.”

This is why, for indoor use, the big electric space heaters are the safest to operate in large rooms.

An essential safety feature to look for in electric space heaters for large spaces is the tip-over safety switch. This switch immediately shuts off the space heater if it’s tipped over (to prevent the carpet from being set on fire, for example).

Note: Electric heaters should always be plugged into the wall outlet directly. If you do need some kind of extension cord, be sure to use the shortest cord. The heavy-duty 14-gauge wire or larger is preferred.

With all that in mind, let’s have a look at the 8 best space heaters for large rooms currently on the market:

List Of Best Large Room Space Heaters (With Spec-By-Spec Analysis, Reviews)

1. Dr Heater DR-968: Best Indoor Electric Space Heater For Large Rooms.
2. Delonghi KH390715CB: Best Oil Filled Radiator Heater (Quiet And Energy-Efficient).
3. Dyna-Glo BF30NMDG-4: Extra Large Room Heater For Large Basement Or Large Drafty Room.
4. Stiebel Eltron 074057: Best Wall-Mounted Electric Heater For Large Room.
5. Cadet 67527: Best Space Heater For Large Room With High Ceiling.
6. Dr Infrared Heater: Very Popular Infrared Space Heater For Large Room.
7. ASTERION Ceramic: Best Ceramic Heater For Large Room.
8. Pelonis Tower: Best Tower Heater For Large Room.

---

1. Dr Heater DR-968: Best Indoor Electric Space Heater For Large Rooms

As we have seen, there is quite a lot of features that the best electric space heater for large rooms should have. This includes at least a 1,500-watt heating element, a wide temperature range, a safe metal casing, and adequate safety certificates. Dr Heater DR-968 combines all of that and more. That’s why it’s the best space heater for large spaces currently on the market.

Dr Heater DR-968 comes with dual high power settings; 1,000 W on low setting and 1,500 W on high setting (as well as ECO setting). That allows it to provide supplemental heating to up to 1,000 sq ft large room. On its own, it’s capable of heating a 150 sq ft room, given the 30+ BTU per sq ft heating output needs.

It has quite a wide temperature range. You can set it as low as 50°F for power saving, or as high as 85°F. 85°F is the primary setting when you want to heat up a larger room.

Safety-wise, the Dr Heater DR-968 comes with an all-important tip-over sensor. On top of that, the touch-safe front drill is added which reduces the likelihood of getting burns if you touch it. Infrared space heaters, in general, are one of the safest types of space heaters. An additional dual high limit sensor ensures that the temperature of the overall unit is kept adequately low.

Dr Heater DR-968 con is shared by all electric space heaters. It can primarily be used as a supplemental heating unit in large spaces up to 1,000 sq ft. It provides full central heating only to about 150 sq ft of space (8 ft ceiling height).

All in all, the Dr Heater DR-968 is the highest-rated electric space heater for use in large rooms. It has superb specs, is made out of high-quality materials, and comes with a no-brainer plug-it-in installation for instant use:

---

2. Delonghi KH390715CB: Best Oil Filled Radiator Heater (Quiet And Energy-Efficient)

Oil-filled radiator heaters are very popular when it comes to heating up larger rooms. They can be placed pretty much anywhere, can provide 5,000 BTU of heating output, and are dumb-easy to install. The best oil-filled radiator heater is the energy-efficient and extremely affordable (below $100) Delonghi KH390715CB.

As all bigger oil-filled radiator heaters, the Delonghi KH390715CB can run on max. 1,500 W electricity input power and can provide supplemental heating to up to 1,000 sq ft rooms. It has the largest possible temperature range (from 50°F to 85°F). The upper 85°F is especially useful when using this oil-filled radiator heater in large rooms. When you place it in a larger room, you can set it to 85°F and enjoy its full 1,500 W input heating power.

What’s especially useful are the 3 level heating models: 600 W, 900 W, and 1,500 W. Of course, when heating a large room, you want to start with the max. 1,500 W setting. But when it becomes comfortably warm, you can switch it to a 900 W or even 600 W setting.

That ability, on its own, makes it one of the most energy-efficient space heaters for large rooms. On top of that, Delonghi KH390715CB you can automatically adjusts the heating output and conserves energy.

As all oil-filled radiator heaters, the Delonghi KH390715CB is very safe. It comes with overheat protection and tip-over protection. It shuts off automatically if and when the unit is tipped over.

The Delonghi KH390715CB heats the space via convection, not forced air. That is not ideal for supplement heating; convection is more common in central heating systems (radiators).

The reason why Delonghi KH390715CB has a lot to do with a very low price point. This is oil-filled radiator heater costs less than $100. That’s one of the cheapest space heaters that you can buy:

---

3. Dyna-Glo 30,000 BTU: Extra Large Room Heater For Large Basement Or Large Drafty Room

Dyna-Glo 30,000 BTU is the most powerful space heater. Unlike most space heaters that are powered by electricity, the Dyna-Glo unit is a natural gas space heater. Because it can provide 500% more heating output than electric heaters, it’s the most suited as a gas space heater for large basements or big drafty rooms.

Dyna-Glo can generate either 15,000 BTU or 30,000 BTU heating output. That’s as much as 5 or even 6 1,500 W electric space heaters. That’s because it uses natural gas as a power source. Natural gas burns with 99.9% efficiency and costs about 3 times less than electricity per BTU; making Dyna-Glo 30,000 BTU an extremely cost-efficient way to heat large rooms.

Obviously, the problem even the best gas space heaters is venting. Electric units need no venting; hence why they are so popular. Dyna-Glo 30,000 BTU is designed as a vent-free gas space heater. However, you do need to take precautions while using it.

Due to the use of gas, this is not the space heater for a large bedroom, for example. It’s best to place it in a room where you don’t spend a lot of time. That’s why this is the best space heater for basements, drafty rooms, garages, and so on.

It does come with ODS (oxygen depletion sensor) that detects even minuscule build-up of carbon monoxide (a side product of burning natural gas).

Dealing with natural gas space heaters is riskier than dealing with electric space heaters. Yes, Dyna-Glo is very powerful (30,000 BTU heating output) and can provide central heating to 1,000 sq ft rooms (30 BTU per sq ft formula). It’s also cost-effective. But if safety is your primary concern, you would do better with an electric space heater for large rooms.

---

4. Stiebel Eltron 074057: Best Wall-Mounted Electric Heater For Large Room

Wall-mounted electric heaters are the ultimate space savers in large rooms. The best wall-mounted electric space heater – the Stiebel Eltron 074057 – doesn’t reduce your overall room square footage, can provide more than 1,500 W of heating output, and comes with a built-in thermostat.

Stiebel Eltron is a well-known German company (established in 1924) that makes everything from tankless electric heaters to wall-mounted electric heaters. Their Stiebel Eltron 074057 electric heater can be mounted on the wall with general ease and is powered by 2,000 watts.

It really takes German engineering to manufacture a 2,000 W space heater. You can use it as a large room space heater that provides supplemental heating to rooms up to 1,000 sq ft. On its own, the Stiebel Eltron 074057 is powerful enough to adequately heat a 215 sq ft room. That’s because it can produce 500W more power than standard electric space heaters.

On top of that, Stiebel Eltron engineered a wall-mounted space heater that can distribute the heat evenly across a large room. This is achieved by a down-draft design where the air colder air is pulled into the heater from the top, and the warmed air is expelled in the bottom.

Stiebel Eltron 074057 is also one of the quietest space heaters. It can operate at a very quiet 49.7 dB noise level. That’s due to using of galvanized steel in the CK and CKT heaters, and a quiet blower. The glass-reinforced poly-carbonate blower operates at 49 dB noise levels.

For energy efficiency, the Stiebel Eltron 074057 has a built-in thermostat. This prevents the unit to generate unnecessary heat.

The true con of every wall-mounted electric heater is that they need to be mounted on the wall. It takes a bit of work to do that. Stiebel Eltron 074057 also runs on 240V voltage to provide more powerful 2,000 W heating.

All in all, Stiebel Eltron 074057 is probably the best-engineered space heater in the market. Its the quintessential wall-mounted space heater that can provide more heat (useful for large rooms) than conventional electric space heaters:

---

5. Cadet 67527: Best Space Heater For Large Rooms With High Ceiling

Cadet 67527 is the most powerful electric space heater for large rooms with high ceilings. While most electric units are powered by 1,500W, the Cadet 67527 is powered by 4,000W (+150% more heating output).

Due to its high heating output, the Cadet 67527 can heat up to 600 sq ft rooms on its own (central heating type). That means that it can provide supplemental heat to up to 2,000 sq ft rooms. These are calculations for 8 ft ceiling rooms.

If you have a room with a higher-than-average ceiling height (8+ ft ceiling), you need a more powerful electric space heater. Cadet 67527 is ideal for such high ceiling rooms; it has a heating output of about 13,500 BTU compared to 5,000 BTU heating output generated by standard electric space heaters.

It’s also a space-saver; that’s a pro and a con in one. You have to create a recess in the wall and do the subsequent installation; harder than just plugging a unit into an outlet. However, you will lose no space whatsoever.

For such a powerful unit, it also has a very low price point. Cadet 67527 is a 4,000W space heater for large rooms that costs less than $200:

---

6. Dr Infrared Heater: Very Popular Infrared Space Heater For Large Room

Infrared space heaters are primarily designed to heat us directly. They don’t directly heat up large rooms; however, they can be used in large rooms to heat our bodies directly. Among these units, the most popular and best-infrared space heater is the Dr Infrared heater.

Dr Infrared is focused solemnly to engineer heaters based on infrared heating. This unit is powered by 1,500W; the same power the conventional electric heaters are powered by. As such, it has a maximum coverage space for supplemental heating up to 1,000 sq ft.

The more important part is the direct heating. Because Dr Infrared heater is focused on heating us, not the surroundings, it’s very energy-efficient. It only generates enough heating output to heat our bodies, not the large room as a whole.

Obviously, in many cases, we would like for the whole room to be warm as well. This is something Dr Infrared heater doesn’t provide. This is despite the built-in thermostat that can be set at temperatures ranging from 50°F to 85°F.

Because it uses a radiant heating method (not forced air), this unit is very quiet. The low noise blower generates at most 39 dB noise levels. In general, infrared space heaters are considered the quietest type of space heaters, even if they are set to 100% heating output in larger rooms.

In short, Dr Infrared is the best infrared space heater manufacturer, but infrared heating has its limitations:

---

7. ASTERION Ceramic: Best Ceramic Heater For Large Room

Ceramic space heaters are considered to be one of the safest types of space heaters. Essentially, the ceramic plate is heated up, and that heats up the surrounding air. The best ceramic space heater for large rooms is the ASTERION ceramic heater.

That’s because it is powered by the required 1,500W. That can provide supplemental heating to up to 1,000 sq ft spaces.

One advantage of ceramic space heaters is the price; ASTERION, for example, costs less than $100. Of course, it’s not as reliable as conventional forced-air electric space heaters and is more prone to breakdowns.

All in all, if you’re looking for a ceramic space heaters, the ASTERION is your best bet:

---

8. Pelonis Tower: Best Tower Heater For Large Room

The best part of tower space heaters is the prolonged ‘tower’ structure in combination with forced air heating. The prolonged design enabled a very directed hot airflow; very useful for heating a person. Pelonis tower space heater is a good example of such a personal space heater.

However, the tower structure is less useful for heating up larger rooms. Some people still use these units to heat up larger spaces but electric (especially wall-mounted units) are more useful in that aspect.

Pelonis heated is powered by 1,500W and can provide adequate heating for a single person. Other than that, it’s not exactly as useful for heating larger areas.

---

Overall, we have seen that there are many types of space heaters that can be used to heat up larger spaces, either as supplemental heat units or central heat units. Some are better than others at heating entire rooms, while others are more useful as personal heaters.