Are infrared heaters energy efficient?

Efficiency is not the same as savings

Electric heating converts electricity into heat, and the Department of Energy lists its efficiency at 95 to 100 percent. An infrared heater sits in that range like every other electric resistance heater, so no model turns a watt into more than a watt of heat. Source: DOE

When a seller says an infrared heater is more efficient, the honest version is narrower: radiant heat can keep you comfortable while you heat less space. The savings depend on what you turn down elsewhere. Source: Far Out editorial

Where infrared can lower a bill

Zone heating means warming only the rooms or spots you use. If you lower the thermostat for the whole house and warm the one room you sit in, you buy fewer kilowatt hours than you would heating every room. Source: Far Out editorial

Radiant heat helps this approach in spaces that lose warm air quickly: drafty rooms, rooms with tall ceilings, garages with an open door, covered patios. You feel the heat without first filling the space with warm air. Source: Far Out editorial

Where it does not

A space heater adds to the bill if the main heating stays at the same setting. Running a portable heater for long hours in several rooms can cost more than the system it was meant to supplement. Source: Far Out editorial

Heat pumps are the more efficient electric option for whole-home heating. The Department of Energy says heat pumps can provide up to three times more heat than the energy they use, and can reduce electricity use for heating by approximately 50 percent compared to electric furnaces or electric baseboard heaters. Source: DOE

The same guide calls electric resistance heating more expensive than a heat pump. An infrared heater is electric resistance heating, so for many hours of whole-house warmth, a heat pump wins on cost. Source: DOE

Work out the running cost

The cost of an hour of use depends on two numbers: the heater's power and your electricity rate. The US Energy Information Administration publishes average residential electricity prices by state each month. Its October 23, 2026 release gives a preliminary US average for August 2026, and that is the rate our calculator uses. Source: EIA

Enter a model's wattage and your hours in the running cost calculator linked below. It uses the same EIA average, and your own utility bill will show your local rate. Source: Far Out editorial

Ways to use less

Choose the lowest wattage that warms the spot you use. Point the heater at you rather than at the room. Use a thermostat or timer if the model has one, and turn the heater off when you leave. Source: Far Out editorial

Is a quartz heater cheaper to run than a ceramic one?

At the same wattage and run time they use the same electricity. The difference is how the heat arrives: a quartz heater warms you directly, while a ceramic fan heater warms the air. Pick by the space, then compare wattage. Source: Far Out editorial

Do infrared heaters use a lot of electricity?

A heater uses electricity in proportion to its wattage and run time. A small under desk panel uses a fraction of what a full size portable heater uses. Check the wattage on the specification label. Source: Far Out editorial