When it comes to space heaters, there are many options to choose from online and in big box stores. Generally, portable heaters are designed and used to provide spot heating to a specific small area or person. For example, placing a space heater under a desk to warm a person’s legs and feet, or placing the heater in a small room, such as a bathroom, for extra warmth.

We typically think of a space heater as a small, inexpensive unit with metal ribbons or coils inside that are heated (like a toaster) to radiate heat. Others are designed so that air flows over the coils to supply hot air forced by the fan. Most inexpensive drives are made of plastic components and are not designed to last long. Other units are more expensive and can last for years or decades.

But are they really portable heaters or something else?

I think they are actually more than just a space heater. You’ve undoubtedly seen the advertisements and infomercials for the beautifully constructed and handcrafted wooden cases that can heat up an entire room. I am referring to the EdenPURE GEN4 models. There is a similar unit that does the same job called iHeater 1500. The question is; Do they work and which is better?

The answer is that they work when used correctly and the point of decision as to which is best is personal preference. What is preferred is if you like infrared heat technology that is solid state or quartz tube, or if you like heat lamp or quartz tube technology.

EdenPURE units have generally used Sylvania heat lamp bulbs in the past. The main problem with these units is that the bulbs burn out and need to be replaced. Recently, the EdenPURE GEN4 (about $ 397) has been upgraded to include infrared technology which is basically a quartz glass tube that heats up a metal cylinder. There are three of these cylinder and quartz tube combinations. These quartz glass tubes can also burn out and need to be replaced. The three tube / cylinder units are built into a rounded triangular housing through which fan-forced air moves. The fact that there are three of them built into a housing would make it difficult to detect whether any of them are burned or not. Ambient air enters the rear of the unit, moves through the cylinder housing of the quartz tube, and exits the top front of the EdenPURE unit, and hot air fills the space it is in. The Eden Pure Gen4 uses three Sylvania infrared quartz bulbs that have an advertised life expectancy of 10-15 years for the unit, and 20,000 hours for the bulbs. They cost roughly $ 50- $ 60 to replace.

The iHeater uses a lifetime warranty solid state copper heat chamber and claims it can last for 9 years of continuous use or 15 winter seasons. The iHeater 1500 (about $ 379) uses a solid-state copper heating chamber infrared system that contains no quartz glass bulbs or tubes. It comes with a lifetime filter that can be removed and cleaned without tools. The iHeater 1500 also uses fan forced air through its heating chamber. Ambient air enters the rear of the unit, moves through the solid-state infrared copper heating chamber, and exits the top front of the iHeater 1500, and warm air fills the space in which it is located.

Both units have similarities.

Both units have closed housings that are cool to the touch. Both are portable and can be placed on wheels for rolling. They both have digital controls and a remote control. Both are safe for children and pets and have an overheat sensor to shut down the unit at a certain temperature.

Both units have been modified to improve performance. The EdenPURE GEN4 runs quieter and has an upgraded fan, upgraded thermostat, and infrared quartz bulbs. The iHeater 1500 has upgraded its thermostat and relocated it inside the unit away from the heat chamber, improved the unit seals, and built it to more stringent specifications, improving airflow strength and air heating . Both units have a lifetime air filter that can be easily removed and cleaned. And finally, both units claim to heat a room evenly, wall to wall, floor to ceiling, reducing your heating bill.

Both units have differences.

The EdenPURE GEN4 has three bulbs that need to be replaced and you don’t know when one or more will burn out. If even one burns out, the unit must run longer to produce the same heat, reducing its efficiency. The iHeater 1500 does not use light bulbs and offers a lifetime warranty on its solid state heat chamber. Additionally, EdenPURE GEN4 advertises an approximate 5,000 BTU covering 1,000 square feet. The iHeater 1500 advertises that it covers up to 1,500 square feet at approximately 5,125 BTUs. The iHeater also has a safety feature that will turn off the unit if it is tilted. Lastly, the units retail price is roughly $ 18, the EdenPURE GEN4 at $ 397 and the iHeater 1500 at $ 379.

You can find both offered with various discounts. An internet search returned a reputable negative comment with one of the units. A report was found in Consumer Reports about the EdenPURE GEN4 1000 having a melting and burning plastic problem. The link for more information is http://news.consumerreports.org/appliances/2011/02/one-melted-edenpure-space-heater-sparks-costco-recall-.html.

Now that the units have been identified by general operation, heat chamber technology, similarities, differences, and prices, how do they save money?

It’s simple, 100% of the heated air produced by the unit is used within the space where the unit is located. The heat evenly heats a room from wall to wall and from floor to ceiling. This is not the case with your oven inside your home. Most households that use an oven only use 50% of the fan-forced hot air. Approximately 10% of the heat from your oven escapes through the chimney. Additional heat loss occurs at the tin joints and fittings and your furnace ducts and registers. If any of those ducts are in an exterior wall, the heat radiates into the wall as a heat sink and can be seen with a thermal camera escaping through the wall to the outside of your home. Drafty windows and other home improvement problems contribute to additional heat loss.

When using a device such as the iHeater 1500 or EdenPURE GEN4, 100% of the hot air produced is used within the space that is being heated. Multiple units can be purchased to be placed in various rooms of a house creating zones. One zone can be set warmer than another. As these units are used, the domestic oven thermostat can be lowered, saving natural gas costs. For example, the units can be placed in a living room, a study and some bedrooms. During the day, the units in the bedrooms can be lowered to a lower heat setting, while the units in the living room and study can be raised a bit higher. When you return home, you can place the living room and study units higher overnight. Before going to bed, you can lower them and raise the bedroom furniture. Meanwhile, the oven thermostat can be lowered to reduce natural gas costs.

The electrical cost to run an iHeater or EdenPURE unit is approximately 10 to 12 cents per 1,000 watts per hour. So a 1,000 watt EdenPURE unit would cost about 10 cents an hour to run and the iHeater 1500 running at 1,500 watts would cost about 15 cents an hour to run. Since these units are equipped with thermostats, they automatically turn off when the ambient air reaches the desired heat setting.

Typically when using these units they will turn on, set to your desired temperature setting, and left on and off to maintain room temperature at your setting.

All you have to do is choose the unit that you like best and the best price you can find.

Kevin owens

Radiant heat USA