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Every winter evening, someone in the house ends up typing in fingerless gloves because the home office is the one room the furnace forgot. Oscillating tower heaters fix that by sweeping warm air back and forth across a single room instead of heating the whole house. After comparing 2 models, the Vocrs Ceramic Heater is our top pick, with 1,500 watts rated for up to 200 square feet. Its thermostat holds a target from 76 to 84°F. The Honeywell Ceramic Heater is the alternative, adding a 750-watt low setting below its 1,500-watt high.
Pros
- 1500W PTC ceramic heat for quick warmup
- 70° oscillation helps spread heat evenly
- ECO thermostat range from 76 to 84°F
- 32 dB quiet operation with mute mode
- Tip-over and overheat protection, ETL certified
Cons
- 200 sq ft coverage suits smaller spaces
- Remote needs 2 AAA batteries, not included
- Thermostat range is limited to 76 to 84°F
Pros
- 2 heat settings, 1500 watts and 750 watts
- Programmable thermostat and digital controls
- 2x overheat protection plus 360-degree tip-over switch
- 1, 2, 4 or 8 hour auto-off timer
- Oscillation, cool-touch housing and 4.5-pound weight
Cons
- Large room size listed, but no square footage rating provided
- No remote control is listed
- Electric space heater is for supplemental room heat
What We Looked For in an Oscillating Tower Heater
A tower heater sits close to beds, desks and curtains for hours at a time, so the specs that matter are the ones that decide how much room it can warm and how safely it does it. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, portable heaters account for only 3 percent of home heating fires but 41 percent of the fatal ones.
- Heat output for the room: Both of our picks top out at 1,500 watts, so the real differences are in how they step down and how much floor they claim to cover. The Vocrs Ceramic Heater is rated for up to 200 square feet, which fits a bedroom or home office, and its ECO mode shifts between its H2 and H3 levels instead of running flat out. It also carries tip-over and overheat protection and a thermostat you can set from 76 to 84°F. Our other pick offers a fixed 750-watt low setting, half its high output, for milder nights.
- Tip-over and overheat protection: The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says an automatic cut-off is required to turn off electric heaters if they tip over, and both picks have one. One uses a 360-degree tip-over switch plus 2 layers of overheat protection: a sensor and a cut-off fuse. The other is ETL certified and built from V0 flame-retardant materials. That certification lines up with the CPSC advice to choose a heater certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
- Thermostat range and controls: Among our picks, one lets you set a target from 76 to 84°F and stops heating once the room runs 2°F above it. That same model adds a remote that works from up to 25 feet, though it needs 2 AAA batteries that are not included. The other uses digital controls with a programmable thermostat. Its auto off timer has four settings and tops out at 8 hours, while the remote-equipped model runs a 12-hour timer.
- Noise level: One of our picks lists a rating of 32 dB, which its maker compares to a quiet library, and adds a mute mode so button presses do not wake anyone. The other does not publish a decibel figure, so for a nursery or a light sleeper, the stated 32 dB is the safer bet. For contrast, one heater we left off the list is rated at 55 dB.
- Oscillation and heat spread: Both picks oscillate, which matters because a tower heater blowing in one fixed direction warms whoever sits in front of it and little else. One of our picks sweeps a 70-degree arc, which its maker says boosts heating coverage by 20 percent and pushes warm air toward the corners. The other oscillates but does not state its angle.
- Size, weight and portability: Our top pick stands 24 inches tall, weighs 5.4 pounds and has a hidden handle for carrying it between rooms. Our alternative pick has a slim body and a sturdy base meant to tuck into tight spots. Wherever it goes, the CPSC advises setting a heater on a level, hard, nonflammable surface, not on a rug or carpet.
We left out central furnaces and whole-house systems because they need professional installation, and we skipped water heaters and heated blankets because they do a different job. Unvented fuel heaters without an indoor rating were also excluded, since they carry a carbon monoxide risk indoors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advises installing a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector. A few other tower heaters came close, and they are worth knowing about.
Other Tower Heaters Worth Considering
These are other tower heaters we looked at but did not put on our main list.
If weight is what decides it, the Lasko Ceramic Heater comes in at 2.5 pounds, less than half the 5.4 pounds of our top pick. It still delivers 1,500 watts and is ETL certified. Its 7-hour timer is shorter than the 12-hour timer on our top pick, which is the main reason it sits here rather than on the list.
Noise is where the Pelonis Ceramic Heater falls behind. It sweeps a 75-degree arc, a little wider than the 70 degrees of our top pick, and matches it with 1,500 watts, an adjustable thermostat and tip-over and overheat protection. At 55 dB versus 32 dB, though, it is the louder choice for a bedroom.
Prefer something close to a twin of our top pick? The Olixis 23-Inch Space Heater offers 1,500 watts, 70-degree oscillation, an adjustable thermostat and both tip-over and overheat protection. It is a capable unit, but on paper it adds nothing that our top pick, rated for 200 square feet at 32 dB, does not already cover.
And if a long timer is the whole reason you are shopping, the Aubkn 24-Inch Space Heater matches the 12-hour timer and ETL certification of our top pick at 1,500 watts. It also has tip-over and overheat protection. It stayed off the main list because it does not match the needs of a tower heater shopper as closely as our two picks.
FAQs
How far should a tower heater sit from furniture and curtains?
The CPSC, the U.S. Fire Administration and the CDC all say to keep a space heater at least 3 feet from bedding, drapes, furniture and anything else that can burn. The CDC adds that you should never cover a space heater, so keep blankets and laundry off it.
Can a 1,500-watt tower heater warm a whole room?
Both of our picks top out at 1,500 watts, and the one that lists coverage is rated for up to 200 square feet. That suits a bedroom, office or dorm room. In a larger open space, expect it to warm the area where you sit rather than the far corners, even with a 70-degree sweep.
Is it safe to leave an oscillating tower heater on overnight?
The U.S. Fire Administration advises turning space heaters off when you leave the room or go to bed. If you run one in the evening, our picks offer timers from 1 to 12 hours, and one of them shuts off on its own after 24 hours without interaction.
How quiet is a tower heater for a bedroom?
Among the heaters we compared, published noise ratings run from 32 dB to 55 dB. The quieter end also comes with a mute mode for the control panel, which helps when someone is asleep nearby.
Sources
- CPSC Offers Tips to Prevent Home Fires From Space Heaters, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Fire-safety tips and required safety features for space heaters.
- Heating Fire Safety, U.S. Fire Administration. Home heating fire statistics and prevention messages.
- Safety Guidelines: During & After a Winter Storm, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Winter heating safety for space heaters, kerosene heaters and carbon monoxide.
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