Best Electric Heater for RV In 2019 [Our Reviews and Comparisons]

Being cold in our RV is not fun.

We stopped using our furnace and I was on the lookout for the best electric heater for RV. For me the propane furnace increases humidity in the cabin and I just didn't like how it affected my breathing.

That's why I created this buyer's guide to help you find the best electric heater for your RV and where you can get yours.

2. Lasko Ceramic Oscillating Heater with Remote Control

Great little oscillating heater with remote control. You can adjust the settings remotely.

That means your whole RV can be heating with the oscillating feature. The unit rotates about 90 degrees around is should be able to heat about 340 square feet.

Has built in overheat protection.

Durable little heater with a few different heating levels. You can even just show the flames in the summer without any heat involved. It doesn't replace a nice campfire, but it's still a neat feature.

Has a quiet blower system that helps circulate the heat in the RV. Comes with a 6 foot cord, which should be long enough for any room.

A little heavier at 12lbs and 1500 watts.

4. Dr Infrared Heater Portable Space Heater

Super quiet with electronic thermostat. Heavier than the others, with a weight of 24lbs and 1500 watts.

Tip over and overheat protection as a safety feature.

With infrared heating, this will keep moisture in the air and heats the objects in the room instead.

This heater covers about 600 square feet and has a sturdy, brown casing around it.

Instead of just one, you get 4 ceramic disc heating elements to help keep your rig cool.

It weighs just under 5lbs, but is 1500 wattage, which is a little higher than others of it's size.

As with most heaters, this one has a tipping shutoff mechanism so it turns off if bumped.

What is the Best Electric Heater for RV?

RV Portable Heater!

There are several RV portable heaters to choose from. Many can be found through Amazon or Camping World. If you're near a Walmart you can even pick one up usually in the winter time at the local stores.

The best thing?

These portable heaters don't use up any propane while on the road. The downside is several RV parks will either tell you not to use them or they will require an extra fee during the cold times since these heaters eat up a lot of energy.

You'll also want to make sure that your rig protected from any electrical surges at any of the parks.

But even in places like Texas and Florida temperatures can drop, so it's good to have a little heater available when it does.

Electric Heater for RV or Ceramic Heater or Oil Filled Radiator?

Here's the deal:

When deciding on your heater, look at the differences between a ceramic heater, oil filled radiator heater, and a quartz fan heater.

An electric oil radiator heater is oil filled. The oil heats up and it radiates from the heater there's no fan involved so it's radiates the heat. You won't necessarily feel it throughout the cabin and on a really cold night you have to get closer and closer to the heater to feel its effects.

Electric heaters and ceramic heaters come with a fan that circulates the heat, usually with an oscillating feature as well.

The ceramic heaters have ceramic plates and aluminum baffles that when the heat is then absorbed by the aluminum, a fan blows the hot air into your room.

Portable Propane RV Heater

You'll notice that I added a propane RV heater. I had so many people asking and searching for the Mr. Heater buddy propane heater that I had to check it out. It doesn't use your rig's propane, but you can attach either the little propane canisters or get a 5 gallon propane tank to attach to it.

How to Choose the Right Size Space Heater

When looking at heaters you want to look at the BTU's with the heater. A BTU is the energy needed to heat one pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit and a 1500 watt is approximately 5200 BTUs. 

So what does that mean when choosing your RV heater?

It takes about 20 BTUs per hour per square foot to heat or cool, roughly.  So calculate your rough square footage in your RV, multiply that square footage by 20 BTUs and you'll know the BTUs that you need to heat your RV appropriately. 

If you have a RV that's roughly 200 square feet x 20 BTUs, you want to heater that can produce At least 4,000 BTUs to adequately warm your RV.

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With that in mind here are a few of the favorites  among some full time RVers who use these in their motorhome.

Dometic Heating Element for Your AC

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If you see a setting on your control panel that blows heat, then you already have it installed.

For us, we have the option, but didn't have the actual element installed. So we looked up the part number and ordered it.

The heat strip in the AC shouldn't  be your only source of heat, but it can take the chill out of the morning after a cold night.

You can turn it on in the morning to help your ceramic heater or electric heater warm up the RV much faster.

Safety precautions when using electric heater for RV:

• Plug the heater directly into a wall outlet. If you do use an extension cord, make sure it's the shortest possible length and has a 14-gauge wire or larger.
• Make sure to buy one with tip-over safety switch feature.
• Make sure the heater carries the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) label.
• Choose a heater that has a thermostat to avoid overheating a room.
• Select a heater that is the right size for the RV.
• Put the heater on a level surface away from foot traffic.
• Never leave it running unattended.

Conclusion

As much as I love having the electric heater in our RV, I'm ready to be able to store it away and have warmer weather.

We hope this buyer guide will help you in finding the best electric heater for your RV. If you've found our review useful, please share this article with your buddies and let us know in the comments below.