VWhy should you invest in an electric garage heater instead of gas or propane models? And is a 240v heater better than a 120v unit?
Unlike propane and gas heaters, electric machines won’t produce carbon monoxide.
Compared to 120v heaters, the 240v model can heat the double space with fewer amperes.
Generally, the best 240v electric garage heater is a money-saving and environmentally-friendly solution to help you warm up your space when the temperature drops. Roll down to pick up one:
Here are the best 240v electric garage heaters you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Semi-Insulated Garage: Dr. Infrared Heater DR966 Shop Garage Commercial Heater
- Best For Large Garage: COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER Ceiling-Mounted Heater
- Best For Uninsulated Garage: DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable Electric Heater
- Fast-Heating: Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater
- Quiet: NewAir Portable Garage Heater
| 5 Best 240v Electric Garage Heaters | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Semi-Insulated Garage | Dr. Infrared Heater DR966 Shop Garage Commercial Heater | |
Best For Large Garage | COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER Ceiling-Mounted Heater | |
Best For Uninsulated Garage | DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable Electric Heater | |
Fast-Heating | Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater | |
Quiet | NewAir Portable Garage Heater | |
Best For Semi-Insulated Garage: Dr. Infrared Heater DR966 Shop Garage Commercial Heater
- Sturdy and durable
- Movable louvers
- A bit difficult to install
Heated airflow will partly come out of your semi-insulated garage, so you might still feel cold when using a low-wattage heater. The heavy-duty Dr. Infrared Heater can distribute warmer heat through your garage thanks to its 3000-6000W heating range.
Plus, the 8-inch fan can maximize the hot air flow without being influenced by the cold wind from the outside. Its 5 adjustable louvers directly distribute the warmth to your position, not waste heat.
| Dr. Infrared Heater DR966 Shop Garage Commercial Heater Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 14.5 x 13 x 14.5 inches |
Wattage | 3000-watt/6000-watt |
BTU Output | 20,500 |
Highlight Features | Adjustable Thermostat with HIGH and LOW Setting A dynamically 8-inch fan 5 Adjustable Louvers |
Dr. Infrared Heater DR966 Shop Garage Commercial Heater can properly heat a semi-insulated garage.
Best For Large Garage: COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER Ceiling-Mounted Heater
- Pretty simple to install
- Handy remote
- It makes sounds when turning on and off
COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER is a fan-forced air heater. Its heating part offers heated air while the fan evenly disperses through your large garage. Moreover, this machine comes with adjustable directed airflow vents that play an important role in distributing heat through a wide room.
| COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER Ceiling-Mounted Heater Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 20.7 x 20.3 x 21.3 inches |
Wattage | 10,000W |
BTU Output | 25,589 BTU per hour |
Highlight Features | A fan-forced air design The integrated digital thermostat control 12-hour timer and remote controller Heavy-gauge steel body An adjustable mounting bracket |
COMFORT ZONE CZ260ER Ceiling-Mounted Heater is designed to distribute heat in a large room evenly.
Best For Uninsulated Garage: DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable Electric Heater
- Easy to use
- Quiet
- Well-made
- Smell
Heating an uninsulated garage means that a heater must warm a room, easily affected by the outside temperature, especially in the winter. Luckily, the DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable electric heater can heat both your garage and the cold wind that goes inside through uninsulated walls. The practical customer experience proves it:
This heater efficiently works in an uninsulated one-car garage when the outside temperature is under 30 degrees. It just takes about 15 minutes to warm up his space up to 70 degrees. He even could feel the comfortable warmth from 20 feet away.
| DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable Electric Heater Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 11 x 7.25 x 9.25 inches |
Wattage | 4800W |
Highlight Features | Heavy-duty 240 volt portable construction Running lights Durable stainless steel tubular element 6 Foot cord |
DIMPLEX DCH4831L Portable Electric Heater can warm up both the uninsulated garage and outside cold temperature going inside.
Fast-Heating: Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater
- Cost-effective
- Powerful
- Quiet
- Too small to efficiently work in a wide room
Most heaters take you about 10 - 15 minutes to heat the room, but you can’t sometimes wait for that long. In this case, the Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater is your saver. Its advanced dual heating technology can warm up a large garage quickly and evenly without leaving any cold spots.
| Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 12 x 12 x 16 inches |
Wattage | 4200 watts - 5600 watts |
BTU Output | ~18,500 BTU |
Highlight Features | Thermostat control switch 6-feet heavy duty 3-prong power cord |
Dr. Infrared Heater DR-988A Garage Shop Heater can quickly heat and warm up your garage.
Quiet: NewAir Portable Garage Heater
- No smell
- Well-built
- It takes a bit long (30 minutes) to warm up
If you usually sleep in your garage after working or you want to set up this machine in your bedroom, the NewAir Portable Garage Heater is an ideal solution. It won’t produce loud sounds, disturbing your sleep.
Most people think that the more powerful the heater runs, the louder it sounds. This machine is an exception. Its 5600W heating capacity can heat a large garage to 560 square feet.
| NewAir Portable Garage Heater Specifications | |
|---|---|
Dimension | 11 x 10.5 x 14 inches |
Wattage | 5600 Watt |
BTU Output | 19107 BTU |
Coverage | 560 sq ft |
Highlight Features | The built-in carrying handle with cord storage Easy-to-use temperature control Single-pole thermostat |
NewAir Portable Garage Heater works as quietly as possible not to hear any uncomfortable sounds while sleeping.
How To Choose The Best 240v Electric Garage Heater?
Why should you choose a 240v electric garage heater over a 120v electric garage heater?
The 240v electric garage heater helps you save more money on electricity bills when heating a large area.
A 120V 4000W heater that heats 500 square feet area uses 33 amperes. But, the 240V heater with the same wattage can heat double space, especially it just uses 16 amperes.
Why Should You Pick An Electric Garage Heater Type?
Although propane garage heaters don’t require you to connect them to gas or electricity, they work with a canister that must be refilled. Some come with wheels to roll anywhere, so they are useful for people with back pain. You don’t have to lift and carry a heavy model from place to place. Gas garage heaters must be hooked up to a gas line, and not all garages have one. Moreover, both of them produce carbon monoxide.
If you don’t want to change your garage’s ventilation, consider an electric heater that comes with a handle on the top to carry everywhere. Plus, this type usually comes with an extended cord that allows you to plug everywhere.
Do You Need Adjustable Louvers?
These items are very important because they allow you to mount the heater at different angles to change the appropriate airflow direction. So, you can decrease a large amount of heat waste.
How To Choose The Most Durable Heater?
Strong metal material is durable, but you should consider dent-resistant and anti-corrosion features to expand your machine’s durability.
Which Safety Features Do You Need?
Without being careful, you can cause unexpected accidents when using an electric garage heater. Thus, it’s best to buy a unit with essential safety features such as a cool-touch feature, overheat protection, and a tip-over switch.
For instance, the automatic temperature adjustment function won’t increase above a preset level, causing overheating. Overheating electrical devices use more energy than required, so they will raise your household bills. Besides, overheating can cause excessive wear-tear parts. Bear in mind that a heater running on a fan should have finger-proof and discharge grills. This feature is extremely important for families with pets and children.
Which Size Is The Best?
To pick up an ideal size, you need 2 vital pieces of information: your garage size (square foot) and the heater’s power capacity (British Thermal Unit (BTUs). For a well-insulated garage, 20-40 BTUs are enough to heat each square foot area. For example, 4000-7000 BTUs heat a single-car garage while 13000-17000 BTUs warm a 2-car garage.
Where Will You Set Up Your Garage Heater?
If you usually work in different positions in your large garage, an infrared or radiant heater can quickly heat a specific working area at a time.
If you have a fixed working position in the center, you can consider a lightweight ceiling heater or a wall-mounted model. The latter solution helps you save more space. Whether you choose a wall-mounted or ceiling heater, they come with a mounting bracket.
There are 2 types of mounting brackets:
With a fixed and rotatable bracket, you only have to rotate the bracket to fix it on the ceiling with screws or hang it on the wall.
A separate bracket requires you to fit it in with the heater, hang it on the wall or mount it on the ceiling.
How Much Wattage Do You Need?
A saving-energy model works well for people who regularly use the garage heater. However, if you are a professional, it’s better to invest in a unit with multiple wattage options which have many settings to meet the different needs of users. Of course, it also includes a saving-energy setting. Below is specific information:
room sq. ft | heater wattage |
50 | 500 |
100 | 750 |
125 | 1000 |
150 | 1250 |
175 | 1500 |
200 | 1600 |
250 | 2000 |
300 | 2500 |
350-400 | 3000 |
450-500 | 4000 |
Which Brands Make The Best 240v Electric Garage Heater?
Comfort Zone
Comfort Zone produces and sells a wide range of high-quality fans and related-fan products, such as wall-mounted fans, box fans, window fans, tower fans, pedestal fans, table fans, personal fans, and space heaters.
FAQs
How big of an electric heater do I need for my garage?
This depends on your garage size. To find out the answer, you just need to use the size formula (in cubic feet) times 0.133 times the desired temperature increase. For example, you can choose an 8000-12000 BTU garage heater for a one-car garage.
How many watts does it take to heat a 2 car garage?
A 22x20 2 car garage (440 sq ft) takes 4400 Watts or 15000 BTUs.
How much does it cost to run a 1500 watt heater for 24 hours?
The cost to run a heater depends on your electricity cost/ kilowatt hour. You can find this information on your electric bill.
Here is a standard example. The average cost of a kilowatt-hour is 20 cents/ hour. If you want to know how much your 1500-watt electric heater runs for 24 hours, this is the result:
1500 x 24 ÷ 1000 x 0.20 = $7.20$
How can I heat my garage cheaply?
Using an electric garage heater is the most efficient way to provide your garage with hot airflow quickly. You only need to plug your machine into an electrical outlet, and it will produce warmth immediately. Or you can also use other types of heaters like gas garage heaters and space heaters.
Mounting radiant heat ceiling panels to the wall or ceiling can also radiate heat into your garage. This solution takes less space without getting in the way.
Radiant floor heaters heat from the floor over the wall or ceiling. It’s cheap to install and maintain this system, but make sure that your floor can transfer the heat from the hot water while withstanding your car’s weight and other heavy items.
Is it less expensive to operate the electric heating unit on 240v or 120v?
The 240v electric heating machine operates less expensive than a 120v electric heating heater because the former uses half the amps than another.
Conclusion
The best 240v electric garage heater helps you heat and warm up your space efficiently, environmentally friendly. In particular, you can save a lot of money when investing in this type of heater.
