If you’re looking for a portable heater to decrease the chill in your workspace or room in your home, you have two general options, the convection and the radiant. Choosing one over the other depends primarily on whether you want to heat people or the space. Convector heaters will warm the air in a space, while a radiant heater will transfer heat to the nearest objects.

The convection process involves blowing air across a heating element. The air absorbs the heat and is then blown out to heat the air in a room. Thus, this is what you want for a small, chilly, enclosed office or a room that lacks sufficient heat.

Generally, an internal box fan blows the air across the heating element inside the heater. The warmed air circulates into the room, raising the ambient temperature until the unit’s thermostat goal has been reached and shuts off the heating element. When the air temperature drops enough, the thermostat will trigger the unit to turn on again.

You’ll find convection heaters in a variety of shapes and price ranges. Oil-filled heaters look like old-fashioned radiators. Ceramic heaters have ceramic disks or plates inside that retain heat for the air to move past and are available in both tower and small box shapes. Some models oscillate, further helping to move the air around the room.

Radiant infrared heaters simply radiate the heat they generate to surrounding objects, much like a campfire. A radiant heater won’t raise the air temperature in a room, so it’s best for small spaces where most people are comfortable, but one feels chilly due to proximity to a drafty window or other circumstance. Radiant heaters have been around for a long time, and older models with exposed heating elements pose serious safety hazards, especially if you have pets or children.