Before you buy
Are patio heaters worth it?
The useful version of this question is not yes or no. It is what an extra evening outside costs you, and whether your particular patio is one a heater can actually fix.
Worth it if your patio is sheltered and you would use it more than a handful of evenings — roughly $4 an evening on propane or 80 cents on electric. Not worth it if the space is genuinely exposed, because wind defeats heaters faster than output fixes them, and a windbreak is the cheaper purchase.
Why the usual answer is useless
Search this and you get a paragraph explaining that a patio heater extends your outdoor season. That is true, it is not in dispute, and it tells you nothing about whether to spend the money.
The question underneath is an exchange rate: what does one extra usable evening cost, and how many of them will you actually get? Both halves are computable, and neither is usually computed.
What an evening costs
The working
A 20-week season used three evenings a week is 60 evenings. At three hours each that is 180 hours. On a 46,000 to 48,000 BTU propane tower that is about $253 of fuel, or roughly $4 an evening. On a 1,500 W electric unit it is about $50, or roughly 80 cents an evening. Add the heater itself, amortized across however many seasons you keep it.
Four dollars an evening is the honest number for propane, and most people find it reasonable once it is expressed that way rather than as an annual total. Eighty cents for electric is close to free. The full seasonal arithmetic shows the working at other usage levels.
Both figures use national average energy prices, which are almost certainly not yours. The point is the shape rather than the decimal.
How many evenings you actually gain
This is the half people overestimate, and it depends almost entirely on temperature and shelter rather than on the heater.
- Around 50F, sheltered, you did not need a heater — a jacket and cushions cover it. A heater bought for this band mostly sits unused.
- Around 40F is where a heater earns its place, and where the gain is real: evenings you would otherwise have gone inside.
- Around 30F you need real output plus enclosure, and a single heater on an open patio will not do it.
- Below the mid-20s a patio becomes a short visit rather than an evening, whatever you spend.
So the honest gain for most people is the 40F band plus part of the 30s — which in a temperate US climate is a genuinely useful stretch of the autumn and spring, and not the whole winter. What to run at each temperature.
Quick picks
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Output is the maker’s published figure; reach is computed from it or from the maker’s own radius claim, and the table says which. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Output | Reach | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Amazon Basics 46kOne of the very few towers whose maker publishes a coverage radius rather than a vague area, and the 9 ft figure survives the arithmetic. That alone puts it ahead of most of the field. | The published-radius honesty test | 46,000 BTU | 254 sq ft claimed | $156.16 · Check on Amazon |
| 2 |  Dr Infrared 1500 WRadiant heat that a breeze cannot blow out, on a plug. 1,500 W is only 5,118 BTU/h, which sounds like nothing next to a propane tower and lands far more of itself on you. | Wind, and anywhere with a roof | 1,500 W | 256 sq ft | $148.98 · Check on Amazon |
| 3 |  ActionHeat 7V plushBigger, hotter and sherpa-lined, and the one to buy if the blanket has to cover two people. The trade is run time: it reaches 150F but gives up half an hour on high against the smaller throw. | Two people, or one person and a dog | n/a | n/a | $119.99 · Check on Amazon |
Reach marked “claimed” is the maker’s own published figure. Reach without that label is ours, computed from published output at 20 BTU per square foot for an open patio. Neither is a measurement we took.
Top pick · The published-radius honesty test
Amazon Basics 46,000 BTU Outdoor Propane Patio Heater
One of the very few towers whose maker publishes a coverage radius rather than a vague area, and the 9 ft figure survives the arithmetic. That alone puts it ahead of most of the field.
- Fuel
- Propane
- Output
- 46,000 BTU/h
- Reach (claimed)
- 254 sq ft · 9.0 ft radius
- Cost per hour
- $1.35
What works
- A published 9 ft radius is a 254 sq ft circle, and 46,000 BTU is far more than that area needs — a claim on the conservative side of its own specification, which is rare here
- The water-fill base box is a real anti-tip measure, not a sticker: filled, it is the difference between a windy evening and a repair bill
- One-touch ignition and a chain for the cylinder are both small things the cheap clones drop
What does not
- The listing does not name a safety certifying body, only the tilt valve, so we cannot tell you it is CSA listed
- 91 in tall with an open flame: the same wind exposure as every other tower of this shape
- The water box has to be emptied before a freeze or it splits
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated input | 46,000 BTU/h |
| Published reach | 9 ft radius |
| Dimensions | 32.1" L x 32.1" W x 91.3" H |
| Fuel | 20 lb propane cylinder, not included |
| Safety | Tilt auto-shutoff valve; chain to secure the cylinder |
| Base | Water-fill box for ballast, wheel kit included |
| Maker’s coverage claim | 9.0 ft radius, which is 254 sq ft |
| Safety listing | Tilt auto-shutoff valve; the listing does not name a certifying body |
Who it is for
An open patio where you want the largest honest circle of warmth per dollar and are happy to handle cylinders.
What it is not for
Anywhere enclosed, and anywhere the base cannot be filled with water — an empty ballast box makes this a tall, light, tippy object.
Sources for this entry
2 · Wind, and anywhere with a roof
Dr Infrared Heater DR-238 Carbon Infrared Patio Heater with Kasa Outdoor Smart Plug
Radiant heat that a breeze cannot blow out, on a plug. 1,500 W is only 5,118 BTU/h, which sounds like nothing next to a propane tower and lands far more of itself on you.
- Fuel
- Electric
- Output
- 1,500 W = 5,118 BTU/h
- Reach (computed)
- 256 sq ft · 9.0 ft radius
- Cost per hour
- $0.28
What works
- Infrared warms objects, not air, so it is the only heat that survives a breeze — this is the single reason wind changes the whole buying decision
- No combustion means no flue gas, which is what makes it legal and sensible on a screened porch where propane is not
- Three settings matter more than they sound: 900 W costs a third less to run and is enough most evenings
What does not
- 1,500 W is 1,500 W. Nothing at this wattage heats faster than anything else at this wattage; the differences between electric heaters are beam shape and build, not power
- It heats what it points at. Step out of the beam and you are cold immediately — this is a fundamentally different experience from a tower
- A 120 V plug-in unit is capped by your circuit, not by the maker. See why 1,500 W is the ceiling
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W at 120 V |
| Settings | 900 W / 1,200 W / 1,500 W |
| Element | Carbon infrared lamp |
| Reflector | Mirror aluminum, 90% reflectivity per the maker |
| Housing | Anodized aluminum, rated for outdoor use |
| Mounting | Wall and ceiling brackets plus remote in the box |
| Bundle | Currently sold with a Kasa EP40 outdoor smart plug |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the reach figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | ETL listed, per the maker's published product data |
Who it is for
A covered patio, pergola or screened porch where you can mount it overhead and point it at where people sit, and anywhere wind ruins a flame.
What it is not for
A big open patio with nowhere to mount it. Radiant heat needs a line of sight and a place to hang from.
3 · Two people, or one person and a dog
ActionHeat 7V Battery Heated Plush Throw Blanket
Bigger, hotter and sherpa-lined, and the one to buy if the blanket has to cover two people. The trade is run time: it reaches 150F but gives up half an hour on high against the smaller throw.
- Fuel
- Accessory
- Output
- Not published
- Reach (computed)
- Not published
- Cost per hour
- n/a
What works
- 50 x 60 in genuinely covers two people on a bench, which the smaller throw does not
- 150F on high is the hottest setting in the pair and the only one that reads as hot rather than warm
- The low setting runs 6.5+ hours — long enough to cover an entire evening without a recharge, which is the setting most people should actually use
- Sherpa lining does real work on a patio, where a thin throw loses to a breeze whether it is heated or not
What does not
- Same battery, more blanket. 2.5+ hours on high against 3+ for the smaller throw — the extra area and heat come straight out of run time
- Still one blanket, still not a heater. It warms whoever is under it and contributes nothing to the space
- Bulkier to bring out and put away, which in practice decides how often a patio accessory gets used
- No published safety listing, same as its smaller sibling
- No published wattage, so its running cost here is computed by us rather than quoted
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Size | 50 x 60 in |
| Battery | 7 V, 5,000 mAh power bank, included |
| High | 150F, 2.5+ hours |
| Medium | 130F, 4+ hours |
| Low | 120F, 6.5+ hours |
| Construction | Composite fiber face, sherpa lining, three heating elements |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the reach figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No safety listing published by the maker |
Who it is for
Two people sharing, or anyone who found a chair-sized throw too small. Also the better buy if you will mostly run it on low.
What it is not for
Solo use on a chair, where the smaller throw is easier to handle and runs longer on high for the same money.
Three cases where the answer is no
- Your patio is genuinely exposed. This is the big one. A breeze does not reduce a heater's output, it removes the warmed air that output produced, and an exposed patio can need two to three times the heat of a sheltered one. Buying a heater first here is buying the expensive half of the solution — block the wind and then decide whether you still need one.
- You want it for one party. For a single event, renting is genuinely cheaper and the breakeven is only two to four uses. Buy when you expect to want heat repeatedly.
- You have nowhere to store a seven-foot tower and no wall to mount anything to. A heater that is annoying to deploy is a heater that stops getting used by November, and the money is wasted whatever the arithmetic says.
The part of the cost that is not fuel
Fuel is the recurring number and the one worth computing, but it is not the whole purchase, and two other figures belong in an honest answer.
- The heater itself, spread across seasons. A mid-range tower under $200 kept for four seasons is about $50 a year. That is genuinely small next to the fuel, which is the opposite of most people's intuition about this purchase.
- The cylinder, if you go propane. Not included with any tower, a real day-one cost, and the thing people forget at checkout. A spare is worth having too — the arithmetic on swapping versus refilling explains why running one to empty matters.
- Resale, which is not zero. A clean working tower holds meaningful value, particularly in early autumn when demand peaks. It effectively reduces the purchase price you are amortizing, and almost nobody counts it.
Put together: on a four-season horizon the appliance is a minor line and the fuel is the major one. Which means the decision that actually controls your cost is not what you buy but how big you buy — a heater sized well past what the space needs burns the difference every single evening.
Compared against the alternatives
A heater is not the only way to spend money on this problem, and it is worth being honest about where it sits.
| Cost per hour | What it solves | What it does not | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heated blanket | About a quarter of a cent | One seated person, completely | Anyone standing, or the space |
| Windbreak | Nothing to run | The reason heaters disappoint | Cold air on a still night |
| Electric infrared | About $0.28 | A seating group under cover | Open patios, no outlet |
| Propane tower | About $1.35 | An open patio, real output | Wind, and your fuel budget |
| Fire pit | $1.02 to $1.70 gas | A ring of people, and atmosphere | Even warmth across a space |
Running costs computed at 18.34 cents per kWh and $2.674 per gallon of propane. What each actually solves differs more than the prices do.
Read down the second column and the pattern is clear: the cheapest options solve narrower problems very well, and the expensive one solves the broad problem imperfectly. A lot of patios are better served by two cheap answers than by one expensive one — and a fire pit is a genuinely different purchase rather than a cheaper heater.
The cheaper thing to try first
If you are unsure, there is an order that costs almost nothing to test and answers the question for you.
- Block the wind on the prevailing side. Free to run, and it moves the comfortable temperature band by roughly ten degrees on its own.
- Warm the people. Cushions, throws, and a heated blanket at a fraction of a cent an hour. This handles the seated case completely, which is most of an evening.
- Then buy the heater, sized to what is left rather than to the whole problem.
Done in that order, a lot of people discover they need a smaller heater than they were about to buy, and a few discover they did not need one at all. Neither outcome pays us much, and both are the right answer.
The regret pattern worth avoiding
There is a recognizable way this purchase goes wrong, and it is the same story most years. Someone buys the largest heater they can justify, on the reasonable theory that more heat is more warmth. It works beautifully on the first calm evening. On the second evening there is a breeze and it is much less impressive, and by November it is standing in a corner with an empty cylinder.
Nothing was faulty. The heater was bought to solve a problem that was mostly wind, and output does not solve wind — it only outruns it briefly and expensively. That is why the order on this site always puts shelter before the appliance, and it is the single best predictor of whether a heater turns out to be worth it.
If you have already decided to buy and are choosing between price brackets instead, are expensive patio heaters worth it takes that second question on its own terms.
When it is clearly worth it
Some patios are an easy yes, and it is worth naming them plainly:
- A covered patio or porch with power. Electric infrared under a roof is cheap to buy, cheap to run, unaffected by wind and permanent. This is the best value case in the whole category.
- A sheltered seating group you already use and want back for another two months at each end of the year.
- Somewhere you host. The arithmetic changes when the heater is the reason six people stayed outside rather than one.
If you are in one of those, the remaining question is only which one — and the flagship roundup or the under-$200 bracket will settle it.
Common questions
Are patio heaters worth the money?
On a sheltered patio you would use regularly, yes — roughly $4 an evening on propane and 80 cents on electric, for evenings you would otherwise spend indoors. On an exposed patio, no: wind defeats heaters, and a windbreak is the cheaper and more effective purchase.
How much does it cost to run a patio heater per evening?
About $4 for three hours on a 46,000 to 48,000 BTU propane tower, and about 80 cents on a 1,500 W electric unit, at current US average energy prices.
Do patio heaters actually work?
Yes, in shelter. The common disappointment is not that they produce too little heat but that a breeze removes the warmed air before you feel it — which is why the same heater feels excellent on a still night and useless three days later.
Is it worth buying a patio heater for one party?
Usually not. Renting breaks even against buying at only two to four uses once delivery and collection are counted, so for a single event hiring is the cheaper call.
Does a bigger patio heater cost more to run?
Proportionally, yes — output and fuel burn move together, so a heater sized well past what the space needs burns the difference every evening. Over a season that gap is larger than the price difference between the two heaters, which makes sizing the decision that actually controls your cost.
What is the cheapest way to make a patio usable in the cold?
Block the wind first, then warm the people with blankets and cushions, then buy a heater sized to what is left. The first two cost essentially nothing to run and frequently mean you need a smaller heater than you expected.
Do patio heaters lose value quickly?
Less than most outdoor purchases. A clean, working tower retains meaningful resale value, particularly in early autumn when demand peaks, which effectively reduces the price you are amortizing across seasons. The fuel, not the appliance, is the dominant cost over a few years.
Is a fire pit better value than a patio heater?
It is a different purchase rather than a cheaper one. A fire pit heats a ring of people facing it and provides the atmosphere; a heater warms a seating area more evenly. If the fire is the point, the fire pit is better value. If a comfortable seating area is the point, it is not.
How many extra months does a patio heater give you?
Realistically the 40F band and part of the 30s, which in a temperate US climate is a useful stretch of autumn and spring rather than the whole winter. Below the mid-20s a patio becomes a short visit whatever you spend.
Sources
Read next
What a season of patio heating costs
A whole season costed out for each fuel at three usage levels — the number per-hour figures hide.
Patio windbreaks, and why they beat a bigger heater
Vinyl, mesh and curtains compared, with what enclosing a patio changes about your heater choice.
Renting vs buying a patio heater
The breakeven point between hiring a heater and owning one, and the three cases where renting still wins.
What to run at 50, 40 and 30 degrees
Three temperature bands, and what genuinely keeps people outside in each — cheapest intervention first.
The best patio heaters under $200
What $200 actually buys in outdoor heat, and why the answer differs by a factor of nine between fuels.
Are expensive patio heaters worth it?
Why the premium bracket does not buy more heat, what it does buy, and the three cases where paying more pays off.