Best Infrared Heater for your Home: My Top Pick

What’s the best infrared heater? I tried, tested and researched several infrared heaters and came to a conclusion.

My goal is to pick a model where you get the most out of your money. I don’t want you to waste time and energy on buying heaters that will last you only a few months or can’t deliver the heat you need.

Here’s the short version: The best infrared heater in terms of quality, price, and reliability is by far the Dr Infrared Heater Dr-968 (click to view it on amazon). Among all infrared heaters, it is my favorite, because, in contrast to other models, it is able to keep the temperature of big rooms high, even when it’s the only heat source in your home in mid-winter. The Dr Infrared Heater is incredibly good to have for emergencies and whenever you need a reliable heat source. It comes with all the safety features you need and has a built-in thermostat (which is unusual for infrared heaters).

The Dr Infrared Heater costs a little more than some other heaters, but it’s absolutely worth it. In the long run, paying the price once will save you so much more money.

Instead of wasting money on useless infrared heaters that don’t really work until you randomly find a model that lasts, why not buy a durable one right away? With the Dr Infrared Heater, you get a heater that will last you for many many years (And that’s even guaranteed with a 3-year warranty).

Why I Chose the Dr Infrared DR-968

There was one story that totally convinced me about the Dr Infrared heater. It proves that you can rely on it. 

Reliability

This heater is battle-tested:

In a freezing cold winter night with sub-zero degrees, a father’s oil furnace ran out of heating oil. Overnight the house lost all the heat and in the early morning, the house was cooled down. When you are alone, that might be no problem. Just order new fuel and wait for the delivery (takes 1 or 2 days). But with a wife and two kids at home, you should guarantee that they stay warm.

Luckily he bought two Dr Infrared Heaters before. Before his wife and his kids woke up, he set up the heaters and turned them on.

Two days later, when the fuel was delivered, his kids didn’t know anything about the heating outage. The father was able to heat his WHOLE 1200 square feet home with the two heaters for two days continuously. The temperature inside was toasty and you couldn’t tell that there was a heating outage.

In my opinion, it’s astonishing that two simple infrared heaters are able to heat a whole house in mid-winter. I would always choose the Dr Infrared Heater because I know that I can trust them to keep the temperature up.

The infrared heater has nearly 6,000 positive reviews on amazon and is, in my opinion, a totally convincing product.

You can go so wrong with infrared heaters: I once bought a heater that was not even able to heat a single (small) room, even though its energy usage implied that it should be able to.

Here’s another review about the Dr Infrared Heater:

“Ran this bad boy constantly 24/7 from like November to April because the place we were renting had no heaters that actually worked. […] Thanks to two of these heaters we heated about 800 square feet all winter long”

Product review

Functionality

In contrast to many other infrared heaters, this one comes with a built-in thermostat. You can simply set your desired temperature and let the heater do the job.

It cycles on and off to maintain and control the heat you desire.

Additionally, it comes with a built-in timer, that automatically shuts the heater off after a set time. This eliminates the need for external timers. Also, you can use the heater safely overnight, because you know, it will shut off automatically.

Comfort

This is a powerful heater. But the heat it produces is warm and toasty and feels good. It’s not the dry kind of heat that cheaper heaters produce.

The Dr Infrared Heater is quiet, but not super quiet. As a powerful heat, it source produces sounds. If you want to use it overnight, it’s better to place it in the hallway instead of in your bedroom. Then you can hardly hear it.

Quality

The quality is JUST right. You definitely get the most out of your money with this heater. The control interface on the front doesn’t seem like it’s cheaply made. The knobs feel good, which leaves a good impression.

Also, you get a 3 YEAR warranty, which tells you that the manufacturer trusts his own product and knows it’s good. Which is, in my opinion, a very good sign.

Safety

Only one small part of the heater gets hot: The metal grid that protects the heat source, where the heat comes out. So, that’s unavoidable. There are some people complaining about it, but it makes no sense. It’s like complaining that a frying pan gets hot. The heat must escape somewhere.

The other parts of the heater are all completely safe to touch and don’t get hot to the touch, which makes it very safe.

In contrast to other heaters, this one doesn’t turn on right away when you plug it in. This is another safety feature that ensures it doesn’t turn on accidentally, for example when it’s connected to a misconfigured timer.

Just like other heaters, you get additional safety features like tip-over protection and overheat protection.

Conclusion

The Dr Infrared Heater DR-968 is by far the best value for your money. For a reasonable price, you get lots of functionality, heating power and safety features for your home.

It is perfect for heating rooms without any heat sources, for emergencies (as in the heating-outage story above) or in garages or cabins.

I’m always surprised by how much heat this heater can put out. If you want to keep your feet warm under a desk and you are looking for an infrared heater that does just that, the Dr Infrared Heater might be a little too much.

But when you’re looking for a reliable heat source that lasts for years, you shouldn’t think twice and get the Dr Infrared Heater. 

For more reviews, check out the recommended products page!