Roundup · RV
In a house the constraint is the room. In an RV it is the pedestal: a 1,500 W heater is half your electrical service, and that changes the entire shopping list.
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In an RV the limit is the electrical service, not the room. A 30 A pedestal supplies 3,600 W total, so a 1,500 W heater takes 42% of everything you have. Pick a unit with a published 750–900 W low setting and a tip-over cutoff, and run it on low.
Every other roundup on this site starts with the room's square footage. This one cannot, because in an RV you will hit the electrical limit long before you hit the sizing limit.
| Shore power | Total available | 1,500 W heater takes | Left for everything else |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 A household outlet | 1,800 W | 83% | 300 W |
| 20 A outlet | 2,400 W | 63% | 900 W |
| 30 A RV service | 3,600 W | 42% | 2,100 W |
| 50 A RV service | 12,000 W | 13% | 10,500 W |
Computed as amps × 120 V. A 50 A RV service is two 50 A legs at 120 V, hence 12,000 W. Continuous-load derating (80%) applies on top of these figures for anything running three hours or more.
The 30 A row is the one most people are living in, and 2,100 W of remaining headroom sounds like plenty right up until the converter is bulk-charging a flat battery bank and someone puts the coffee maker on. Drop the heater to a 900 W setting and the same pedestal has 2,700 W left — which is the difference between a working evening and a walk to the breaker in the rain.
| Wattage | 8 h/day |
|---|---|
| 750 W | $33.01 |
| 900 W | $39.61 |
| 1,500 W | $66.02 |
Computed at 18.34¢/kWh — the U.S. residential average for June 2026 (EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, released August 26, 2026). Your rate is on your own bill; substitute it and the arithmetic still holds. Monthly figures are 30-day months at full output; a thermostat that cycles will reduce them.
If you are paying for metered electricity at a site, the low setting halves the bill for the same reason it halves the amp draw. If your site includes power in the nightly rate, the amp budget is still the binding constraint — you just stop caring about the right-hand column.
An RV is not a well-insulated room. Thin walls, large single-pane windows, roof vents and a lot of exterior surface per square foot of floor put it closer to our unheated-space correction than to an average bedroom. At 15 W per square foot:
| Room size | Watts needed | BTU/h | Plug-in heaters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 sq ft | 900 W | 3,071 | 1 |
| 100 sq ft | 1,500 W | 5,118 | 1 |
| 150 sq ft | 2,250 W | 7,677 | 2 (different circuits) |
| 200 sq ft | 3,000 W | 10,236 | 2 (different circuits) |
Computed as square feet x 10 W x insulation factor x (ceiling / 8 ft), for an unheated space (garage, unfinished basement) — 15 W/sq ft, 8 ft ceiling. Heater count assumes the 1,500 W plug-in ceiling.
A 24-foot travel trailer is roughly 150–180 sq ft of floor. That lands right at the edge of what a single heater can hold in a poorly insulated envelope — which is the honest reason RV owners so often report that a space heater takes the chill off but does not replace the furnace on a genuinely cold night.
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Coverage and current draw are computed from each unit’s published wattage. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Covers | Draw | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaskoNo photo Lasko 754200The 900 W low setting is the whole point: it is the rare listing that publishes both settings, so you can compute what the cheap mode actually costs instead of guessing. | One person at one desk | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | HoneywellNo photo Honeywell HCE200WA compact 1,500 W ceramic that publishes the two features cheap small heaters usually omit — a tip-over switch and overheat protection — in a body the size of a shoebox. | The smallest sensible footprint | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | VornadoNo photo Vornado VH200Circulates the room's air instead of aiming a hot jet at your shins — the difference you feel is uniformity, not output, because the output is the same 1,500 W as everything else. | Even heat, not a hot spot | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | De'LonghiNo photo De'Longhi HMP1500A micathermic panel is a radiator that gave up its bulk: it radiates like oil-filled and warms up like ceramic, and it is about three inches deep so it can live against a wall. | A slim profile against a wall | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
Coverage computed at 10 W/sq ft, average insulation, 8 ft ceiling. Draw computed as watts ÷ volts. Neither figure is a manufacturer claim.
Top pick · One person at one desk
The 900 W low setting is the whole point: it is the rare listing that publishes both settings, so you can compute what the cheap mode actually costs instead of guessing.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W high / 900 W low, at 120 V |
| Maker's coverage claim | None published — sold as a desktop heater |
| Thermostat | Adjustable, 11 settings |
| Size | 9.2" tall |
| Other modes | Fan-only |
| Heat type | Ceramic (PTC) |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No listing mark published in the listing text; check the rating plate for UL or ETL. |
Who it is for
A desk, a small office, a dorm room — somewhere you want heat on a person rather than in a room.
What it is not for
Overnight or unattended use, and not a nursery. Without a published tip-over cutoff it does not belong on carpet next to a bed.
Sources for this entry
2 · The smallest sensible footprint
A compact 1,500 W ceramic that publishes the two features cheap small heaters usually omit — a tip-over switch and overheat protection — in a body the size of a shoebox.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W at 120 V |
| Heat settings | 2, plus an adjustable thermostat |
| Safety | Tip-over switch, overheat protection, cool-touch housing |
| Maker's coverage claim | None published — sold as a personal heater |
| Heat type | Ceramic (PTC) |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No listing mark published in the listing text; check the rating plate for the UL or ETL mark. |
Who it is for
A desk, a small bedroom or a home office where the heater has to be out of the way but still needs a tip-over cutoff.
What it is not for
A large or open-plan room, and not unattended overnight use — no timer, no lock.
Sources for this entry
3 · Even heat, not a hot spot
Circulates the room's air instead of aiming a hot jet at your shins — the difference you feel is uniformity, not output, because the output is the same 1,500 W as everything else.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W at 120 V (retail listings; Vornado publishes settings, not watts) |
| Heat settings | 3 |
| Thermostat | Thermostatic control knob |
| Safety | Tip-over switch, automatic safety shut-off, cool-touch case |
| Warranty | 5-year limited |
| Heat type | Fan-forced |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | Vornado's product page publishes an “Automatic Safety Shut-off System” and a tip-over switch but does not name a listing mark; check the rating plate. |
Who it is for
A bedroom or living room where the complaint is “one end is warm and the other isn't”, rather than “it never gets warm”.
What it is not for
Silent operation, and not a garage. A moving-air heater in an uninsulated space is heating the outdoors with extra steps.
Sources for this entry
4 · A slim profile against a wall
A micathermic panel is a radiator that gave up its bulk: it radiates like oil-filled and warms up like ceramic, and it is about three inches deep so it can live against a wall.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W high / 750 W low, at 120 V |
| Element | Mica panel — radiant plus convection, no fan |
| Mounting | Freestanding or wall-mountable |
| Controls | Adjustable thermostat, two heat settings |
| Frost mode | Standby setting holding the room above 41°F |
| Safety | Thermal shut-off, internal tip-over switch, standby setting |
| Heat type | Micathermic |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No listing mark published in the listing text; verify the UL or ETL mark on the rating plate. |
Who it is for
A room where floor space is tight and fan noise is unwelcome — a small bedroom, a study, a hallway landing.
What it is not for
A nursery or a household with toddlers, unless it is wall-mounted well out of reach. A hot panel at knee height is a burn, not a fire.
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Running a 1,500 W heater on a 30 A pedestal alongside anything else substantial
A 30 A RV service on 120 V is 3,600 W total for the entire coach. A 1,500 W heater is 42% of it before you have run the water heater element, the microwave, the converter charging the batteries or the air conditioner. The failure is not subtle: you trip the pedestal breaker, and you usually do it at the exact moment someone starts the microwave. Either run the heater on a low setting, or accept that it is the only large load you can have on at once. The circuit arithmetic generalizes.
Any unvented propane or catalytic heater inside a closed RV
This site is electric-only, but propane comes up in every RV heating search so the position is worth stating rather than leaving you to infer from silence. Unvented combustion consumes oxygen and produces carbon monoxide and water vapor inside a very small, very well-sealed space. An electric heater has no combustion and therefore no carbon monoxide at all — that is the single strongest argument for electric in a coach, and it is why every pick on this page is electric.
Three feet of clearance in every direction is the standard guidance, and an RV interior is where that rule is hardest to honor. Two practical consequences worth planning around before you buy:
And what we did not do: we have not tested these units, owned them, measured them or run them in a room. Everything above is compiled from published manufacturer specifications and live retail listings, with the electrical load, room coverage and running cost computed by us from the published wattage. The full method.
On a 30 A service, yes — but it takes 42% of the coach's total 3,600 W, so it may be the only large load you can run. On a 15 A household outlet a 1,500 W heater exceeds the 1,440 W continuous limit on its own.
Size it as an unheated space at about 15 W per square foot because of the thin envelope. A 150 sq ft trailer works out around 2,250 W, which is more than one plug-in heater — so expect a heater to supplement the furnace rather than replace it.
Electric heaters produce no carbon monoxide, which is their main advantage in a small sealed space. The risks that remain are clearance and tipping, so choose a unit with a published tip-over cutoff and keep three feet clear of bedding and upholstery.
It can. A 1,500 W heater draws 12.5 A of a 30 A service. Add a converter charging batteries, a microwave or an air conditioner and you are close to the limit. Running the heater on a 750–900 W setting is the simplest fix.
12.5 A against a 12 A continuous limit — the arithmetic nobody publishes, and what to do about it.
Electric heaters have no combustion, so they make no carbon monoxide. Which heaters do, and why.
For rooms under 150 sq ft, where 1,500 W is oversized and the thermostat is what actually matters.
Where the 750 / 1000 / 1500 W tiers come from, and why 1500 W is a hard ceiling on a U.S. outlet.
Mounting deletes tipping, floor clearance, cord routing and child reach. Plug-in panels and one hardwired unit.
150 sq ft needs about 1,500 W — one heater exactly, with no margin. Here is what that means.