Electric patio heaters are appliances designed to provide heat for your various needs. These needs could be cooking, boiling, roasting, baking, warming, and many more. While electric heaters are mostly used for cooking and boiling, they come in handy for space heating in the winter seasons. Apart from electric models, people also use propane patio heaters for the same purpose of space heating but the major issue with this method is having to always refill the gas cylinder. With electric patio heaters, all you need to do is plug into an electrical outlet and enjoy the heat. For more information about electric vs. propane appliances check our Buyer’s Guide.
Electric heaters also have their own major disadvantage which is the heavy costs they inflict on your electricity bills. In order to curb this issue, most products are designed to be energy efficient thereby cutting down a bit on the cost of your electricity bills. If you have electric sockets close to your patio and you decide that an electric patio heater will be the best option for you, then continue reading our electric patio heaters reviews below to choose the best one for your needs.
AZ Patio Heaters Electric Patio Heater, Parasol
AZ is one of the most trusted brands in the market today has been in existence since 2012. As far as heating equipment are concerned, they have invested a lot of energy and time thereby making their products stand out from others in the same industry. Being unable to sit outside during cold climates can be frustrating at times especially after spending the whole day indoors, or after arriving from work. With the AZ Parasol Electric Patio Heater, you can confidently come out into your patio to either spend time with your family or watch the stars and the moon in the sky. It comes with a lot of features which you’ll definitely enjoy.
Features
Umbrella Design
If your patio is a small verandah where you have one of these large umbrellas, this product is just ideal as it is designed with three burners positioned in the form of a ceiling fan. You can hang the heater at the top of the umbrella while you and your family sit around the table to either have dinner or reminisce on beautiful moments that happened in the past. In the absence of an umbrella, you can find a way to suspend the heater from the top using chains to bring it to a level where the heat radiation can extend to everyone on the table.
Indoor and Outdoor Use
Unlike gas patio heaters that are advised to only be used outdoors, this electric heater can be used both indoors and outdoors. Its ability to radiate heat around a 15 square feet radius means you need to position it at a strategic location in your sitting room so that the heat can get to everyone.
Safety Anti-tilt Switch
When installing this electric heater, it is required that the chains used to suspend it are tightly secured to the ceiling and also on the heater itself. A poor installation may cause it to tilt or fall thereby becoming a danger to anyone around. The safety anti-tilt switch senses the tilt and instantly shuts off the heater automatically thereby averting any form of danger.
Variable Temperature Control
The massive 1500 Watts heater could radiate intense heat at times thereby causing inconvenience, especially in not-too-cold climate conditions. A variable temperature knob is however fitted on the device allowing you to reduce the intensity of heat while at the same time reducing the power consumption and saving your energy.
High Quality and Durability
AZ products are known for their high quality and durability. Having gathered multiple years of experience in the heating element industry, you can always count on their products to serve you exactly the way you want, and for a very long time. Another reason why this heater is capable of lasting long is the fact that you don’t have to always change its position. After suspending it in your patio, all you need to do each time you want to relax is plug in the chord to a 120 Volt AC socket and turn it on. No unscrewing of valves and changing of cylinders as it is with gas patio heaters.
Warranty and Support
Everyone wants some form of warranty on equipment as this no matter how high its quality is. AZ provides you with a 1-year warranty within which you can have the heater repaired or replaced if it goes bad. They also have their support lines open 24 hours, 7 days of the week where you can always call in to either make inquiries or complaints.
Drawbacks
There are no drawbacks for this product.
Ener-G+ Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Electric Patio Heater
Ener-G+ is another top manufacturing company when it comes to the manufacture of heating appliances. Their Ceiling Electric Patio Heater with LED Light and Remote Control is one of the best electric patio heaters you’ll come across in the market today. They are designed for both indoor and outdoor use but before they can be used, you need to choose the desired position where you want it hanged. After choosing this location, use the chain provided to mount it down to the center of your table so that the radiation can reach everyone equally. Below are some more features you’ll enjoy by purchasing this electric heater.
Features
1500W Maximum Heating Capacity
This Ener-G+ product consumes 1500W of electric energy when set at its highest and is enough to radiate heat as far as 15 square feet. Although not big enough for a large space, it’ll efficiently serve its purpose on a big center table in your patio or in the main house. If 1500W impacts too much on your electricity bill, you have the option to reduce the power consumption to 800W or 700W which is moderate but with lower heat radiation.
Safe Infra-Red Technology
Rather than employing the conventional heating element used in most heaters, this unit is designed with infrared bulbs making it a safer option. The infrared bulb has a life expectancy of 5,000 hours giving you ample time to enjoy those cool winter evenings with your family before the need to replace them arises.
Indoor and Outdoor use
The Ener-G+ ceiling patio heater is designed for both indoor and outdoor use. If you find yourself frequently switching between indoor and outdoor relaxation, you may opt to buy two separate units rather than changing their position frequently. Unlike other manufacturers that don’t care how you hang your ceiling patio heater, Ener-G+ provides you with a chain and hook thereby making your job extremely easy. Simply hammer the hook into the ceiling and suspend the heater on the hook using the chain.
Remote Control for Easy Operation
For an appliance that is hung to the ceiling, one would really require a means by which it can be conveniently operated and that means in this case is a remote control. If you have bought the appliance just for your patio then you can suspend it in a way that it looks permanent. The plug can also be permanently plugged into a socket so that all you need to do whenever you come for relaxation is to pick up the remote and operate the heater. That certainly makes life easier and more interesting.
Water Resistant and Dust Proof
If your patio is one that doesn’t have a roof or umbrella over it, you may still decide to hang your heater permanently not minding rain or dust. Ener-G+ is designed to be water-resistant and dustproof. This is proven by their IPX4 certification so go ahead and hang your heater permanently outside whether in rain, snow, or sun. After hanging, if there’s anything you’ll need to protect, it is the electricity socket and the plug.
Drawbacks
LED Bulb Always On
The light bulb provided on the unit is supposed to be an advantage but since it has no control either on the unit or on the remote, it has to be regarded as a drawback. A customer once complained that the bulb is useful at times and pretty annoying other times because it deprived him of that dark feeling especially when he is alone with his spouse. He eliminated the drawback and solved his problem anyway. He simply unscrewed the bulb from the unit so that it remains permanently off!
Might not be Sufficient for Your Patio
A lot of people complain that the heater is not sufficient for their patio but they have to understand that this unit is designed for a small area usually under a large umbrella or indoors.
Endless Summer New Orleans Indoor/Outdoor Electric Tabletop Heater
The Endless Summer New Orleans is an electric model designed for indoor and outdoor use. Just like the other electric heaters in this review, it is capable of heating a small area efficiently. It is however not designed to be hung on the ceiling but to be placed on a table. Having a heater that sits on the table has its own advantage, just as it is for those that are made to hang from the ceiling too. Below are some features the New Orleans boasts of.
Features
1200 Watts heating Capacity
The New Orleans electric heater consumes about 1200 watts of electricity when radiating heat at its highest temperature. The heat production from the appliance is capable of reaching 115 square feet radius and will therefore warm up the whole room in a short space of time. Warming up an outer space prior to use might be difficult but you’ll definitely enjoy the radiation sitting at close range to the heater.
Beautiful Steel Build
For an appliance whose place is always on a table, it has to be designed to be strong because it could be accidentally pushed to the floor. The electric cable may also be kicked accidentally thereby exposing the heater to the ground. In order to ensure that it is not destroyed if any of these happens, it is designed with strong but beautiful steel which instantly rhymes with the elegance of your patio. The steel top housing the heater sits on top of a decorative weather resistant cherry twist base which not only provides strength but also adds to the overall elegance of the appliance.
Tabletop Design
Unlike the other two in this review that are designed to be hung from a ceiling or umbrella, this one is a tabletop design and therefore gives you a host of options. It makes mobility easy and so you can always move it from your patio to your bedroom, sitting room, and to any other place where you want to be heated. All you need is a standard outlet which the plug can easily reach and you can have the area heated any time, any day.
Drawbacks
Poor Packaging
This is the major drawback a lot of people have complained about. They claim that the packaging is poor and should have been better.
Not Very Long Cord
The cord length is moderate however, people have complained about it not being long enough. They claim that a tabletop unit should have a lengthy cord so that the electrical outlet wouldn’t always have to be close by.
Conclusion and Recommendation
The heaters discussed above are all of the top quality but you definitely have to go with one. First of all, the AZ and Ener-G+ products are designed to be suspended from a ceiling while the Endless Summer New Orleans is a tabletop heater. Since all three are capable of radiating heat across similar lengths, you need to consider your patio. If you have a large umbrella above a center table where you spend the evenings with your family, then both AZ and Ener-G+ should be considered. Even if you don’t have an umbrella but the ceiling is close, you can still use both. If on the other hand, your relaxation spot is in the garden where you have a center table but no ceiling or umbrella, the Endless Summer tabletop unit would be the best electric patio heater for you.
On a final note, my recommendation would be the AZ Parasol Umbrella Heater due to its design. The heating element is spread across three plates that look like the blades of a fan. It helps radiate the heat more efficiently. Another reason why I recommend them is because of their customer care representatives who are always available to attend to your complaints. It also has the most positive reviews on Amazon.
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