Three space heaters we'd pick this fall

A space heater makes sense for one room you use a lot, not for the whole house. Heat the room you’re in, turn the central thermostat down a few degrees, and the rest of the house costs less to keep warm.

The three types below cover almost every case. Pick by the room, not by the wattage: nearly every plug-in heater in the US draws the same 1,500 watts on high.

Which type for which room

Ceramic heaters warm a room quickly with a fan. They’re compact, light and good for a bedroom you heat for an hour before sleep. Look for a real thermostat, not just high and low, so it cycles off once the room is warm.

Oil-filled radiators heat slowly and silently, then keep radiating after they cycle off. They’re the best choice for a living room you sit in all evening, and for anyone bothered by fan noise.

Small desk heaters warm you, not the room. Under a desk in a cold home office, a low-wattage panel heater uses a fraction of the power and is enough.

What it costs to run

At 1,500 watts, a heater on high uses 1.5 kWh per hour. At a typical US rate of about 17 cents per kWh, that’s roughly 25 cents an hour, or about $1 for a four-hour evening. A thermostat that cycles the heater off cuts that noticeably.

Safety, every time

• Tip-over shutoff and overheat protection. Don’t buy a heater without both.
• Plug it straight into the wall. Never into an extension cord or power strip.
• Three feet of clearance from curtains, bedding, sofas and paper.
• Turn it off when you leave the room or go to sleep, unless it’s designed to run overnight with a thermostat.