Space heaters can be loud. The typical decibel levels for electric space heaters range from as low as 30 dB to as high as 65 dB. Obviously, the best space heaters for bedrooms are the ones with low noise levels. We went on a mission to find the quietest space heaters.
Normally what we do is check 100 or so best-selling heaters, crack open the specification sheets, put all the noise levels in a table and see exactly which space heaters are the quietest. Unfortunately, almost none of the space heater manufacturers specifies the noise levels.
That means that’s impossible to pinpoint exactly which are the quiet space heaters that would be best for the bedroom, right?
Well, without the specified noise levels, we can do the next best thing:
- Check for space heaters without the noise generating parts. These quiet heaters would be the best for bedrooms since you can sleep without the space heater waking you up.
- Check for user reviews. If the heater is loud, people will surely point that out. On the other hand, if somebody is using an electric space heater in the bedroom, he or she might praise it for being whisper quiet.
Here’s a valuable insight about the noise generating parts:
Space heaters that use the forced air heating method are the loudest (above 50 dB). That’s because they include the #1 noise generator in heaters: the fan. Forced air heaters are exactly what you shouldn’t buy for a bedroom; the fan that pushes out the warmed air is the loudest part.
Which type of heating method is quietest for room heaters?
Infrared and convection-type heaters are the loudest. At most, they generate up to 49.7 dB, and on many occasions, they can operate at 100% heating output at below 40 dB (that’s true for the silent micathermal heating – check #1 Delonghi heater).
Note: The absence of a fan also increases the energy efficiency of space heaters. The small amount of electricity that is used to propel a fan can now be used 100% for heating.
Micathermal, oil-filled radiators, and convection panel heaters produce the least amount of noise (because they don’t have that loud fan). Based on the quiet heating types and user reviews, it was possible to select a list of the 4 quietest electric indoor space heaters.
You can check the list below, complete with the spec-by-spec comparison table of these whisper-quiet heaters, and individual reviews. These are the best space heaters for bedrooms since they generate less than 49.7 dB noise levels. You can skip to the list here:
Skip To List Of 4 Quietest Space Heaters For Bedrooms Here
In addition to having a quiet heater, you also want a reliable heater. All these silent space heaters are built out of durable materials, and they have to be adequately sized.
Before we check the list of the 4 quietest and best for bedroom room heaters, let’s look into how non-forced-air heating methods reduce the decibel levels and what are the sizes (wattages, coverage area) of these silent units:
Which Space Heater Heating Methods Are The Quietest? (With Examples)
Here’s the deal:
More than 50% of space heaters on the market use forced-air heating methods. That’s simply because they are the simplest to make: You need an electricity-powered heating element + fan. The heating element will heat up the air and the fan will push it out.
There’s a big problem with that design. Admittedly, forced-air space heaters will rapidly heat up a room, but they will also be very noisy. The reason why people complain about not being able to sleep with a space heater ‘on’ is because they use a fan-forced space heater in their bedroom.
The recipe for choosing a quiet space heater is quite easy: the unit shouldn’t have a fan. Here are the types of heating methods and specific space heaters that produce the least amount of noise:
- Convection Heating. The heating element heats up a surface (convection panel, oil-based radiator) and the heat in contact with that surface is heated up. There is no fan to propel the air; the heated air naturally rises and heats up a room. This process produces a minimal amount of noise.
- Radiant Heating. Here the electricity is used to generate warm radiation (most popular is infrared radiation; found in quiet infrared room heaters). This radiator heats up the elements in the room and thereby increases the temperature in the room.
- Convection + Radiant Heating (Micathermal). Michathermal heaters heat up the room instantly and quietly. That’s because they use both convection and radiator (without forced-air airflow generation that produces undesired noise) effectively.
Micathermal heating doesn’t require a noisy fan. It combines convection and radiant heating to heat up a room quickly and quietly.
Now, if you really want the best heater for the bedroom, you should pick one that produces convection or radiant heating, or, even better, both.
Nonetheless, some people might prefer forced-air heaters. For those, the best choice is the get combo heaters that use forced-air and radiation or convection. These combo units can produce quick room heating at lower-than-average noise levels. A perfect example is the #2 Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 (you will find it in the table below) that uses forced-air heating in combination with radiant heating.
Size Of Quiet Bedroom Heaters (1,500 Watts; Up To 300 Sq Ft)
The best space heater for the bedroom should also be adequately sized. Basically, you don’t want a heater that’s too small (it will leave the bedroom cold), and you don’t want an oversized heater (it’s overkill).
The size of electric bedroom heaters is measured in input wattage. That’s a measure of how much heating power does a heater have. Luckily, most space heaters, including the safe space heaters for bedrooms, have 1,500W wattage. That’s most appropriate for the majority of bedrooms.
1,500W heaters can produce a bit more than 5,000 BTU of heating output. Based on this, they have a recommended coverage area of up to 300 sq ft (that’s about 16 BTU per sq ft of space; with a standard 8 ft ceiling).
That means that you can put a 1,500W space heater in a small 100 sq ft, standard 160 sq ft, or even a master room with 200 sq ft,
At 1,500W, even the best space heaters for a bedroom will cost about $0.20 per hour to run at 100% output (using the average national price of electricity: $0.1319/kWh). When the bedroom achieves the set temperature, the output and the costs of running a bedroom heater will fall below 100% and below $0.20, respectively.
Note: The best space heaters for small bedrooms are quiet below 1,000W heaters. They use less electricity while still having an adequate heating output to keep you warm during the night.
The best quiet space heaters also have the advantage over noisy space heaters. Without the electricity needed to run a fan, these are actually the most energy-efficient quiet space heaters.
With all this in mind, let’s have a look at the 4 quiet space heaters for bedrooms:
List Of The Quiet Space Heaters (Perfect Bedroom Heaters)
- Quietest Space Heater (With Micathermic Heating): DeLonghi Mica
- Safest Space Heater For Bedroom With Quiet Operation: Dr Infrared Heater DR-978
- Quietest Oil-Filled Radiator Bedroom Heater: DeLonghi KH390715CB
- Convection Quiet Space Heater For Small Bedroom: EconoHome Heater
| Silent Heaters: | #1 De’Longhi Mica | #2 Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 | #3 DeLonghi KH390715 | #4 EconoHome Heater |
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| Heating Power: | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) | 600 W (2,047 BTU) |
| Heating Method: | Micathermic | Radiant + Forced Air | Radiant | Convection |
| Room Coverage: | Up to 300 sq ft | Up to 300 sq ft | Up to 300 sq ft | Up to 200 sq ft |
| Quiet Operation: |  |
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| Price: | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Average Rating: | |
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| Availability: | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
1. Quietest Space Heater (With Micathermic Heating): DeLonghi Mica
| Heating Power: | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) |
| Heating Method: | Micathermic |
| Room Coverage: | Up to 300 sq ft |
| Quiet Operation: | |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): | 27 x 10 x 22 inches |
| Weight: | 15.4 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: | |
As we have talked about in the intro, the best quiet space heater should use a combo of conventional and radiant heating. That will produce quick heating at the lowest possible noise level. The best example is the quietest overall space heater – De’Longhi Mica.
De’Longhi Mica uses micathermic heating; a combination of convection and radiant heating. None of these heating types requires a fan. This means one simple thing – a whisper-silent operation. In fact, the De’Longhi Mica is the only space heater with reported noise levels below 40 dB.
This is a 1,500W heater that produces more than 5,000 BTU heating output at 100% capacity. That means it has an up to 300 sq ft coverage area and is one of the best space heaters for bedrooms.
On top of that, the De’Longhi Mica is very easy to use and convenient. It’s a simple plug-in model (you only need a standard 110/120V outlet; it will draw about 12.5 amps).
It’s very portable. You can choose to mount on the legs with rollers and easily move it around. What’s more, you can even mount it on the wall and use it as a quiet wall-mounted space heater in your bedroom.
All in all, the De’Longhi Mica is reportedly the quietest space heater on the market. It uses the combo of convection and radiant heating, is adequately sized for most bedrooms, easy to install (just plug it in), and energy-efficient:
2. Safest Space Heater For Bedroom With Quiet Operation: Dr Infrared Heater DR-978
| Heating Power: | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) |
| Heating Method: | Radiant + Forced Air |
| Room Coverage: | Up to 300 sq ft |
| Quiet Operation: | |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): | 9.4 x 9.4 x 12.1 inches |
| Weight: | 10 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: | |
First of all, the Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 is pretty much one of the best and most popular space heaters. That is a part of the reason why – even with a partially forced-air heating method – we can count it among the best and safest space heaters for bedrooms as well.
Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 does have a fan. Remember what we laid out earlier? The quietest space heaters are the ones without fans because fans are noisy.
That’s still true; Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 is not the quietest heater. However, because of its unique dual heating – infrared + forced-air – it can still operate at very low noise levels (below 50 dB), especially compared to other forced-air heaters.
Because Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 has the dual heating method, it has to rely less on forced-air heating. That means its fan is smaller and produces less airflow, resulting in a quieter operation.
It has to be noted that the small fan was not primarily designed to reduce noise levels. It was designed smaller because they wanted to make the best small heater (check the small dimensions). For a small heater, you do require a smaller heater, and hence – as a positive side effect – you have a much more silent operation.
All in all, Dr Infrared Heater DR-978 is basically one of the most popular heaters on the market and it has a relatively quiet operation. On top of that, it’s praised about how safe it is and generally through of as the safest space heater for bedrooms.
It’s the perfect compromise between quick heating and silent heating, with the extra safety that’s pretty nice to have because it can operate during sleeping hours in your bedroom with almost zero risk:
3. Quietest Oil-Filled Radiator Bedroom Heater: DeLonghi KH390715CB
| Heating Power: | 1,500 W (5,122 BTU) |
| Heating Method: | Radiant |
| Room Coverage: | Up to 300 sq ft |
| Quiet Operation: | |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): | 5.9 x 13.8 x 24.8 inches |
| Weight: | 26.1 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: | |
All oil-filled radiators run very silently. That’s because the generation of heat via heating element, the transition of heat to the oil, and heating the air is a silent process. Of all the quiet oil-filled radiators, the DeLonghi KH390715CB is the best and the most popular one to buy for bedroom heating.
DeLonghi KH390715CB is powered by the standard 1,500W wattage and has a coverage area of up to 300 sq ft (pretty much enough to heat up any bathroom).
This is also one of the few space heaters with thermostats. The thermostat automatically adjusts the heating output and decreases your electricity expenditures. Coupled with the energy efficiency oil-filled radiators are known for, the DeLonghi KH390715CB is the most energy-efficient quiet space heater.
Of course, oil-filled radiators are not without drawbacks. They tend to heat up a bedroom slower than forced-air heaters. Obviously, for the DeLonghi KH390715CB to truly be whisper silent, such forced-air heating is not allowed.
In short, the DeLonghi KH390715CB is the quietest and best oil-filled radiator heater. This quiet space heater uses thermostat to be even more energy-efficient and it will provide silent and effective heating to any-sized bedroom:
4. Quiet Space Heater For Small Bedroom: EconoHome Heater
| Heating Power: | 600 W (2,047 BTU) |
| Heating Method: | Convection |
| Room Coverage: | Up to 200 sq ft |
| Quiet Operation: | |
| Dimensions (LxWxH): | 24 x 0.4 x 36 inches |
| Weight: | 23.2 lbs |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: | |
Most quiet space heaters for bedrooms run on 1,500W. That’s enough to heat a big master bedroom. If you, however, have a smaller bedroom (about 100 sq ft, for example), you don’t actually need a big heater. You need a smaller one. The best space heater for small bedrooms is the EconoHome heater.
Instead of 1,500W, the EconoHome heater has a rated electric input of only 600W. With that, it can generate a bit more than 2,000 BTU. It has a specified coverage area of up to 200 sq ft but the EconoHome heater is best suited to quietly heat up bedrooms with about 1oo sq ft total square footage.
The positive side of that is that’s very cheap to run. It uses (at 100% heating output) only 0.6 kWh per hour or about $0.08/h worth of electricity. That’s about 60% less than comparable 1,500W heaters.
The EconoHome heater is basically a quiet convection panel heater. Convection panels have their own pros and cons. They are, in general, very safe and quiet units. However, they heat up a small bedroom slower and can be fragile to harsh handling (they are thin and breakable, don’t kick them).
With a small bedroom, you also have to save as much space as possible. The convenient thing about convection panels such as EconoHome heater is that they can be mounted on the wall and don’t have to be hard-wired; you just need to plug them in a standard 110/120V outlet.
All in all, the EconoHome heater is a very silent heater for small bedrooms and it comes with all the space-saving features of convection panels (ideal for smaller rooms):
All in all, we see that the best space heaters for bedrooms are the quietest ones. Despite many of these units not having specified noise levels, we can conclude that the ones without the noise generating fans are the quietest ones.