Solaira All-Season Quartz Patio Heater

A Canadian consumer program, Shopping Bags, includes a commercial-level Solaira quartz patio heater in its informal comparison tests of several patio heater types. We found a handful of owner-written reviews of the Solaira All-Season patio heater at Amazon.com. The Solaira manufacturer's site provides more detailed information, as does a retail site, InfraredHeaters.com.

Electric patio heaters are efficient, warming objects rather than the air. Unlike gas-fueled patio heaters, they're unaffected by wind -- and of course you don't need to worry about refilling a propane tank. Owners say the weatherproof 1,500-watt Solaira All-Season Quartz Patio Heater is easy to hang on a wall and works well, though you may need more than one to provide enough heat. The main drawback is that like all quartz patio heaters, the Solaira All-Season casts an orange glow over the people and objects in its path. You can heat about the same area with an 11,000-BTU propane patio heater such as the Endless Summer 92000 Tabletop Heater (*Est. $125).