Honeywell Slim Ceramic Tower Heater at $47.99

Warm one room without heating the whole house

This Honeywell tower is a zone heater for a single large room. You set 1500W when you want the space to come up quickly, or 750W when you only need to hold a chill off, and the programmable thermostat cycles the element to chase the temperature you dialed in. Oscillation swings the warmth across the room instead of leaving a hot spot in front of the unit.

We'd consider it a good fit for a drafty bedroom, office or dorm room where you spend the evening and don't want to run the central system for the whole floor. The 1, 2, 4 and 8-hour auto-off timer makes it easy to have it shut down after you're asleep. We'd skip it if you need to heat several rooms at once, since a corded portable can only warm the space around it.

The price and what the comparison really means

The deal price is $47.99, which is $8.20 under the $56.19 typical price over the last 90 days, about 15% off. That typical figure is an average of recent going rates, so expect the sticker to drift a little above or below it between sales.

This is also the lowest price we've seen on this model, matching its all-time low. Keep in mind that $47.99 covers the heater only. What it adds to your electric bill depends on your rate and how many hours you run it on high.

Cleaning, storage and the running-cost question

Dust collects on the intake and outlet, so plan to vacuum or brush those grilles regularly and give the housing a wipe with a dry cloth once it has cooled. Before you store it for the warm months, coil the cord and keep the unit somewhere dry.

One thing worth checking before you buy is how much a kilowatt-hour costs on your utility bill and roughly how many hours a day you'd run it. That tells you the real per-evening cost of zone heating far better than the box does. The digital display is on the unit itself, and there's no remote included.

When this heater is the wrong choice

Pass on this one if you want something you can control from across the room, because there's no remote in the box. It's also the wrong fit for a bathroom or any damp space, since it's rated for indoor use only and not for wet rooms, and for anyone who expects one portable to replace a home's main heat.

If your room is genuinely large and open to a hallway or stairs, a single tower this size will struggle to make a noticeable difference. Check the surface where you plan to set it: the 360-degree tip-over switch shuts the unit off if it gets bumped, which is useful, but it still needs a level, stable spot. Consider whether the 8-hour maximum timer fits your routine before you commit.

• Check the selected Amazon offer (opens in a new tab)