I used to keep my whole house at 70 degrees all winter. My gas bill in January hit $210. For a 1,200-square-foot house where I spend 80% of my time in two rooms. It made no sense.

I bought a space heater for my home office. Then one for the bedroom. Now the thermostat stays at 62 and I heat only the rooms I am actually in. My winter bills dropped by about 40%. Here is what I learned after trying a few of them.

Types of Space Heaters That Actually Work

Oil-filled radiators are the best for long-term room heating. They look like old-school radiators on wheels. The oil inside heats up and radiates warmth even after the unit cycles off. Silent, steady, no fan noise. Downside: takes 15-20 minutes to warm up a cold room.

Ceramic heaters with fans are better for quick bursts. Walk into a cold bathroom, turn it on, and you feel warm air in under a minute. Noisy though. I use these in the bathroom but not in the bedroom.

Infrared heaters heat objects, not air. If you are sitting directly in front of one, you feel warm fast. Point it at your desk chair and you are comfortable even in a cool room. Less effective for heating a whole space.

The Cost Math

A 1,500-watt heater running 8 hours a day costs about $1.50 to $2 per day depending on your electricity rate. That is $45-60 a month per heater. Compare that to heating your entire house with central heat. If you can turn the thermostat down 5-8 degrees and use a heater in one room, you almost always save money.

I ran the numbers myself: my house thermostat at 70 all day cost about $7/day in gas. Thermostat at 62 with one space heater running in my office cost about $3/day. Over a cold month that is over $100 saved.

What to Look For

• Thermostat: Set a temperature and the heater maintains it. Without a thermostat, it runs full blast until you manually turn it off.
• Timer: Auto shut-off after 2, 4, or 8 hours. I set mine to turn off at bedtime so I do not wake up sweating.
• Tip-over switch: If it falls, it shuts off. Essential if you have pets or kids.
• Cool-touch exterior: Some heaters get dangerously hot to the touch. Worth the extra $10-15.

One Heater I Returned

I bought a tiny “desktop” heater for $25. It claimed to heat 150 square feet. It could barely warm my hands two feet away. If a heater is under $30 and smaller than a shoebox, it is probably a toy, not a tool. Spend at least $50-70 for something that actually heats a room.

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