The Different & Best Infrared Patio Heaters for All Spaces

Not just are Infrared Patio Heaters better than gas, but they are more efficient and a cheaper way to get heat to your patio and garden quickly, as long as you have an outdoor plug.

We take a look at the different types of electric heaters that you’ll find online and which you might need depending on the space that you are trying to heat.

Specifically, we take a look at infrared technology which heats people and items rather than the air around them, making them the most efficient way to heat any outdoor space.

Space-saving Wall Mounted Electric Patio Heaters

If you don’t have a large patio or even-ground to place a free-standing electric heater, you may want to consider buying a wall mounted electric patio heater.

They are powerful, they are flexible, and once you’ve hung it up, they are definitely out of the way. A wall-mounted patio heater should have multiple heat settings meaning it should give a moderate heat in the summer (800 to 1500W) to high heat for the autumn and winter (over 2,000W).

Look for an IP65 Waterproof setting. This will make the wall-mounted heater splash proof, not rainproof. So make sure you buy a cover or that you can easily remove it from the wall to put away during heavy downpours.

Under Table Infrared Heater For the Safety Conscience

Tower Electric Heaters come in all shapes and sizes. But bigger isn’t always better – it all depends on the space and who you have around them.

If you are going to have a ground-level source of heat, you’ll want to make sure it’s touch-proof. You don’t want dogs, cats or small children to burn themselves.

That’s where under table infrared electric heaters come into play.

These are usually lightweight and portable because they are meant to be used under the table warming up the legs and core of your guests.

It’s a very effective way to heat up people without using too much energy, making it economical and eco-friendly.

What it isn’t is very powerful. If you stand it in the open, you’ll have to be sitting next to it to feel the heat. But stick a couple of these under a table and you’ll soon watch all your guests get a warm cozy glow to their cheeks.

Hanging Electric Heaters For Covered Patios and Areas

If you are looking for something that doesn’t quite stand out like a wall-mounted electric outdoor heater, how about hiding it in plain view as a lamp?

Maybe you have a gazebo that needs a little extra heat on summer evenings, or maybe your patio is undercover anyway. If you need a more permanent fixture and one that will radiate heat directly onto your guest, then an electric heat lamp is your answer.

A hanging infrared heater is hung directly onto a ceiling or canopy, having heat directly dispersed over your head is one of the best ways to get a large group of people warm.

The fact that you are undercover helps give this some extra oomph when trying to heat up a large space, meaning you probably only need 2,000W to warm up 10 to 15 square feet.

Table Top Electric Heaters for Balconies and small spaces

We are going to put a small disclaimer here and say that if you do have a small balcony, and you are looking to host guest, the under table electric heater is a great solution as well.

However, if we are going to go with small and mighty, then a tabletop infrared heater will provide radiant heat for all your guests in a close space.

This has the added benefit that it’s very small, so if you are short on space generally, it can be tucked away in the back of a cupboard somewhere until you need it again.

Don’t let the size fool you, these little babies can usually give out a heat rating of 2,000W or more, much like the bigger ones on this Electric heater list. But because it’s more concentrated, it may not feel as powerful.

These will not help much in Winter or Snow, but it will allow you to make the most of your small outdoor on cool spring evening or even on dark autumn nights.

Umbrella Parasol Heaters for the socialite

Remember how we said that overhead heat can be the best heat to warm up a large area quickly? Well, some clever engineer figured that seeing as we all tend to have patio tables and umbrellas in the summer, why not use these in the winter as well?

Parasol Umbrella Electric Heaters are clever not just because they give all your guests equal heat over the whole table, but the umbrella acts like a roof meaning it minimises the heat lost in the cold night air.

These also tend to be all weatherproof because they will live outside. Once you’ve got them onto your parasol, their foldable arms will go up and down with the equipment, giving these their own rain cover. No need to store away, or hide them.

All in all, you can expect to heat an area of around 12 square feet around an outdoor table. It’s obviously not a practical solution if you are looking to have a large garden party with people spread over a wider area.

What’s The Best Overall Free-Standing Electric Heater?

So what is the best overall electric heater? Well, what you want is power and flexibility.

The infrared outdoor heater has to be able to give out a heat of over 1,500W. To keep everyone safe, the heat source should be far enough away from prying hands and prying heads – ideally you should be able to increase or decrease the size of the free-standing heater.

If you are sitting down, making it smaller so the heat source is closer is best. If you are having a garden party, a couple of these free-standing heaters with the directional head pointing outwards will provider more general warmth.

Ideally, you could even wall-mount it once you no longer need to move it around the garden, so there’s a set space for it.

In short, it should do a little bit of everything – it should be able to be easily put away and moved around as needed depending on whether you need to heat up a gathering of people for drinks, or having a cosy dinner with your loved one.

The only question you need to ask yourself is how many you need for the space you’ve got. Because these powerful infrared garden heaters can be moved around to suit all your needs.

Are infrared Patio Heaters safe?

As long as you buy your electric garden heater from a reputable source, then they only real danger is the one you’ll find with all electrical objects.

You should always check that your electrical output is safe and able to provide the energy needed for an additional heat lamp.

The most important thing to always check is whether the patio heater you’ve bought is made for the outside and how it reacts to adverse weather.

Though we will say that no matter what the box says, it’s always wise to buy a cover or put your heat lamp under cover when it rains or snows. Call us paranoid, but we prefer to keep electricity and water as separate as possible.

Can I leave infrared heater on all the time?

No, absolutely not. That said, most infrared electric outdoor heaters will have a cutout system if it gets too hot, giving you that peace of mind that it won’t overheat.

The good news is that if you don’t buy cheap electric patio heaters, these tend to be built to provide heat for a long period of time – most will be able to give you all night heat.

Though if you are still sitting outside at 4 am, we suspect that you’ll be drinking your own heat source at that point.

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