1. Dr Infrared Heater DR-968
9.0
/ 10
Radiant quartz heat aimed at the seating area makes a glassy room comfortable when air heating can't keep up. The best single heater for a sunroom.
Read full review
~$113 typical price
Buy on AmazonUse-case guide · 2026
Best heater for a Sunroom or Three-Season Room
A sunroom is mostly glass, which means it loses heat about as fast as you make it. Warming the air is a battle you'll lose on a cold night; warming the people and the furniture with infrared is a battle you can win. The goal is usually to stretch the season — comfortable afternoons and evenings in spring and fall — not to hold 70°F in January.
What this room needs
Heater size needed
1,500W infrared for supplemental use; 2× or 240V to hold temperature
Type that fits best
Infrared cabinet (radiant warmth, not air)
- ▸Glass walls mean high heat loss — figure 15–20 W/sq ft to actually hold temperature, which is beyond one plug-in for anything bigger than a small room.
- ▸Infrared warms you and the furniture directly; that's what makes a sunroom usable on a 40°F evening with a single 1,500W heater.
- ▸Insulated cellular shades or thermal curtains at night cut the loss dramatically and are cheaper than a second heater.
Not sure what size you need? Run your room through the heater sizing tool →
Our picks
Infrared heat plus a convincing flame in a stove housing — the sunroom focal point that also makes the room usable in October.
Read full review
~$140 typical price
Buy on Amazon
Six quartz elements and a quiet fan for less — a second unit for a large sunroom, or the first one on a budget.
Read full review
~$109 typical price
Buy on AmazonBefore you buy
- ▸Sunrooms often have one outlet on a circuit shared with outdoor lighting; check before running a 1,500W heater on it.
- ▸Keep heaters three feet from wicker furniture, cushions, and plants — and away from the glass, where cold air drops.
- ▸Don't try to hold a winter temperature in an uninsulated sunroom with plug-in heaters; it's expensive and it won't work well. Use it for afternoons and evenings.
Frequently asked questions
Can I heat a sunroom with a space heater in winter?
For supplemental comfort, yes — an infrared heater makes the seating area pleasant on cold afternoons. To hold a living-room temperature overnight in a glass-walled room you'd need 15–20 W/sq ft, which usually means a 240V unit or a mini-split, plus insulated window coverings.
Why infrared for a sunroom?
Because the air in a glass room is a lost cause — it leaks out as fast as you heat it. Infrared radiates heat onto you and the furniture directly, so you feel warm while the air stays cool.