If you’ve been searching for the best electric wall heaters on the market, this is the review for you!
In this proHVACinfo guide, you’ll learn:
- What are electric wall heaters?
- What are the different types of electric wall heater? (learn what to focus on)
- How do electric wall heaters work?
- What do you look for in the best electric wall heaters? (don’t miss these top considerations!)
- Our reviews of the best electric wall heaters
- And much more!
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
January 2, 2022
Stiebel Eltron 1500-Watt Heater
Check on AmazonNavigating your way through the vast number of electric wall heaters available today can be extremely tricky.--break--They tend to look quite similar, and as they all effectively have the same job, choosing the best is a tough job!--break--Fortunately, we’ve done the leg work for you, and after reviewing the best of the best, we narrowed it down to 5.--break--Out of those 5 electric wall heaters, we named the Stiebel Eltron 074058 our best overall pick.--break--Why?--break--Starting with build quality, Steibel Eltron are in a league of their own.--break--The fit and finish of this electric wall heater is superb, and it looks great on the wall, too.--break--This is a forced air heater, the technology is simple, but proven and reliable, and this is definitely something you need to demand of any electric wall heater, especially if you’re using it in lieu of central heating.--break--Unlike many electric heaters, this model is powerful enough to provide standalone heat, although if you’re just looking for supplemental heat, it also features a low power mode.
| Image | Product | |||
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Our Top Pick | Our Top Pick | Stiebel Eltron 1500-Watt Heater
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| View on Amazon |
High End Pick  | High End Pick | Cadet Energy Plus Electric Wall Heater
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| View on Amazon |
Best Budget Pick  | Best Budget Pick | Heat Storm Deluxe Infrared Wall Heater
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| View on Amazon |
 | Envi High Efficiency Heater
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| View on Amazon | |
 | King Electric Wall Heater
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| View on Amazon |
What's in This Guide?
What Are Electric Wall Heaters?
Whether you’re looking to maximize efficiency by heating only the room you’re using, or you simply don’t have access to central heating, an electric wall heater is a great option for you to consider.
Homes with central heating have a furnace, typically located in a utility room or basement, that runs ducts to all areas of the home.
Alternatively, a boiler heats water and sends it to radiators in the rooms.
Either way, one large heating system is providing heat to the whole home.
Electric wall heaters, on the other hand, are household appliances that provide heat only in the room that they are installed in.
Because they use a smaller heating element than a central heating system, they cost less to run, and because you are only heating the space you’re using at the time, there is no waste, making them a highly efficient alternative.
What are the Different Types of Electric Wall heaters?
Fan Assisted
Fan assisted electric wall heaters are tried and true.
They operate on a very simple principle – a current is passed through a wire and a resistor.
As it encounters this resistance, it converts electricity into heat.
As the wire, often known as the coil, begins to heat up, it warms the air surrounding it.
At the same time, a fan located behind the coil is blowing out the heated air into the room, and drawing in cooler air to be heated and redistributed.
Infrared
Infrared electric wall heaters use a special type of quartz lamp to provide heat to the room.
This lamp creates infrared electromagnetic radiation, which doesn’t heat the air, but rather heats the objects and people in the room.
This type of heat feels much like the warmth you feel while you’re in sunlight.
Even on days when the air temperature is cool, the sun coming into contact with your skin makes it feel warm.
The biggest advantage of infrared heaters is that the warmth they provide is pretty much instantaneous.
How Do Electric Wall Heaters Work?
By using one of the above methods of providing heat, electric wall furnaces will warm the air, or the objects within a room, raising the overall temperature and providing a comfortable environment.
Electricity is either converted to heat, or used to power a lamp that will generate warming energy.
Either way, electricity is clean and most of all, safe. The alternative to electricity is often gases like propane.
Propane is an effective fuel for providing heat, but gas heaters require open flames, which carry a fire risk, and any time you introduce combustion in your home, without proper maintenance, you invite the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, a non-existent risk with electric heaters.
Not only are they one of the more efficient means of heating, they are also one of the lowest maintenance options available.
Central heating systems often require annual service contracts and definitely a higher overall cost to run.
With electric wall heaters, even if they suffer complete failure, a full replacement unit is likely cheaper than a simple service on a central heating system.
Definitely something to bear in mind!
What Do You Look For In The Best Electric Wall Heaters?
When shopping for an electric wall heater, it’s important to know what features set one model apart from another.
Keep reading as we describe what you should be looking for when it comes to the best heaters.
Efficient Operation
This is especially important if your decision to invest in an electric wall heater was for the purposes of saving money on energy bills.
First and foremost, Energy Star certification is a great indication that the model you’re looking at is efficient. Another surefire way to spot efficient models is max BTU vs energy used.
Here’s an example. You have 2 electric wall heaters side by side, and both run on 1500w.
Heater A generates 4000 BTU, while heater B generates 5000 BTU.
In this case, heater B is the more efficient, as it produces more heat while using the same amount of energy.
Safety
Electric wall heaters are generally a safe option, but there are some features that help to increase that factor.
First of all, safe touch, or cool touch surfaces – in the event of accidentally touching or bumping into your heater, you don’t want to suffer burns as a
result. Safe touch surfaces ensure that the outer surfaces of the appliance won’t reach a temperature that is likely to cause injury on contact.
Next, active safety features – look for thermal overheat protection.
This is a function that will shut down the heater if the internal temperature exceeds the manufacturer’s threshold. This will help to prevent fires.
ETL certification is another great feature to look for.
ETL certification shows that a heater has been independently tested based on standardized benchmarks at a nationally recognized laboratory for safety.
Finally, look for a heater with sufficiently long power cords.
Plugging extensions into any heater is an absolute no, so having a safely rated cord with sufficient length to reach your outlet is a must.
Our Reviews of the Best Electric Wall Heaters
Stiebel Eltron 1500-Watt Heater (Our Top Pick)
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Our best overall pick was this excellent electric wall heater from Stiebel Eltron.--break--This was amongst the quietest on test, registering at just 49.7 dB – and quietness is a must have feature, especially when your heater is being installed in areas like living rooms and bedrooms.--break--For fast, even heating, it works on a downdraft principle, drawing cool air in from the top of the device, and blowing warm air downwards out from the bottom.--break--As the warm air that is ejected begins to rise, it warms the room from the floor up, for even temperature distribution.--break--This is a 1500w heater, with a handy frost protection feature built in.--break--The frost protection allows you to maintain the room temperature just above freezing to prevent issues with frozen pipes, ideal for maintaining your property’s safety if you’re spending extended periods away from home.
Pros
- Even Heating--break--41-86 Degree F temperature range--break--Warms up quickly
Cons
- Inefficient when mounted greater than 8” from the floor--break--Difficult to hide wiring
Cadet Energy Plus Electric Wall Heater (High End Pick)
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If you’re looking to spend a little more and get a feature packed electric wall heater,--break--our best high end choice may very well be the model for you.--break--This heater is designed for longevity, it features a durable, sealed corrosion resistant heating element, and a variable speed fan.--break--This is a great choice for families, too thanks to the abundance of safety features.--break--There is a thermal safeguard that will shut down the heater in the event of excess temperature, and the quiet operation is unlikely to disturb even the lightest sleepers.--break--If you’re replacing an old wall mounted heater, the Cadet Energy Plus is universal fit, so it should easily fit into the old wall can.--break--If not, it does come with a full installation kit, including a new wall can, heat box, grille and digital thermostat.--break--The large LED display is easy to read, and one button operation makes this heater a joy to use.
Pros
- Universal fit--break--3 Fan speeds + fan only mode--break--Easy installation
Cons
- Requires a wall cavity--break--Heating can be uneven in auto mode
Heat Storm Deluxe Infrared Wall Heater (Best Budget Pick)
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Anybody looking for excellent heating performance without breaking the bank should--break--consider this model from Heat Storm.--break--This is an infrared powered heater that provides pleasant, and practically instant warmth.--break--It features a large, easy to read LED display that provides real time information on the temperature setting and the ambient temperature in the room.--break--To avoid unnecessary light in the room, the display goes to dark mode after 5 minutes of inactivity, which we thought was a nice touch.--break--For remote operation it features WIFI control, allowing you to adjust settings from an app on your compatible smartphone.--break--This is one of the smaller units we looked at, with under 2 square feet of real estate required on your wall.--break--It has a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty, and is ETL certified.--break--This model also features power outage recall, a setting that will automatically turn on the heater again after a power outage with the same settings programmed before the loss of electricity.
Pros
- Auto power loss restart--break--ETL Certification--break--1 Year Warranty
Cons
- Noisy when fans start--break--WIFI Control can be unreliable
Envi High Efficiency Wall Heater
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This sleek wall heater from Envi is a great way to improve the comfort in your home and save money.--break--This is an efficient model that offers fanless performance, which means less power used, and zero audible noise! It features cool touch surfaces, with max temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and an auto shutdown in the event that it is removed from the wall while running.--break--At just 500 watts, it operates on around a third of the power an average electric wall heater does, which not only saves money, but also reduces the load on your circuits and prevents frequent breaker trips.--break--It operates by a patented stack effect convection process that quickly and evenly heats a room.
Pros
- Extremely efficient--break--Doesn’t cause excessive drying of the air
Cons
- Doesn’t get as hot as more powerful models--break--Noticeable odor for the first few hours of use
King Electric Wall Heater
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Our final recommendation is this discreet recessed electric wall heater from King.--break--This is a great choice if you want something that is practically invisible.--break--The vent style grille keeps the heater hidden in plain sight.--break--It features King’s pic-a-watt technology, which makes use of a fin style heating element - this unique design lets you choose the desired heating power when installing the unit, less power for smaller rooms, or full power for large spaces.--break--Installation is as easy as it gets, there is only a single screw to take care of, and this heater will be secure in its recessed wall can.--break--It can be connected to any of the King electric line-voltage thermostats (sold separately) for precision control of the temperature in the room and for easy custom settings.
Pros
- Design blends in with any decor--break--Fast warming--break--Multiple heat settings
Cons
- 240v version may require professional installation--break--Thermostat is not included--break--Not as quiet as advertised
Final Thoughts On The Electric Wall Heaters
Electric wall heaters provide a genuinely viable alternative to traditional central heating systems. With the average cost of energy going up across the country at alarming rates, homeowners now have a multitude of great options to reduce their energy consumption, which is good for the planet as well as their wallets!
In most cases, electric wall heaters are easily installed as a DIY job.
They typically don’t require any wiring or complicated engineering, and shouldn’t take an average person more than a couple of hours to hang.
