Laqaer Products · Comparison guides
Choose the electric garage heater that matches the circuit you have.
BayHeat Guide is a boring comparison site for electric garage and workshop heat: 120 V vs 240 V, forced-air vs infrared, portable vs ceiling-mount, wall vs ceiling, and whether to seal the building before buying more watts. No star ratings. No invented coverage claims. The breaker and the insulation decide more than the box art.
Decision tree
Work these in order. Buying a 5,000 W unit for a 15 A outlet — or a 1,500 W milkhouse heater for a drafty two-car bay — is how people waste a Saturday and a circuit.
01
Name the circuit, not the dream wattage
A 15 A / 120 V receptacle is a portable or milkhouse problem. Whole-bay heat is almost always a dedicated 240 V circuit and a hardwired unit.
120V vs 240V02
Decide whether you are heating air or a person
Forced-air can work in a reasonably sealed garage. Infrared is usually the better match for open doors, high ceilings, and one workbench.
Forced-air vs infrared03
Size from insulation, not the “cars” label
A tight one-car bay and a leaky three-car shop are different loads. Wattage ranges only make sense after you admit how drafty the building is.
Size by garage04
Seal the envelope before you buy more watts
An insulated door and weatherstrip often beat a jump from 5 kW to 7.5 kW. Infiltration and a cold slab fake an undersized heater. Panel capacity is the hard stop.
Insulate first05
Wall versus ceiling is joist load and throw
Ceiling units throw across the bay if the joists can take 25–30 lb and you have the headroom. Wall mounts win on low ceilings and one work zone. The manual’s clearance wins.
Wall vs ceiling
All guides
How big is the space, and is it insulated?
Best electric garage heaters by size (1-car, 2-car, 3-car)
Start with square footage and insulation. A 1,500 W plug-in unit is a workbench heater, not a two-car garage heater.
What circuit do you actually have?
120V vs 240V garage heaters: circuit and breaker reality
Voltage is not a feature. It is the limit of the circuit you already have — or the one you are willing to install.
Whole bay, or just the person at the bench?
Forced-air vs infrared garage heaters
Forced-air heats the air. Infrared heats people and objects. Drafts punish the first; open-door work favors the second.
Can you hardwire 240 V and hang a 25–30 lb unit from joists?
Ceiling-mount garage heaters under $200
Most sub-$200 ceiling units are the same job: 5 kW, 240 V, hardwired, 30 A, 10 AWG copper. The differences are controls and jumpers, not magic BTUs.
Stuck with a regular 120 V outlet?
Portable garage heaters on a 15 A circuit
On a 15 A circuit, treat ~12 A as the continuous ceiling. A 1,500 W milkhouse heater is 12.5 A — it wants to be the only load.
Can the ceiling take the unit, or is the heat needed on one wall?
Wall-mount vs ceiling-mount garage heaters
Ceiling units throw across the bay if the joists can take 25–30 lb. Wall mounts win on low ceilings and one work zone. The manual’s clearance is the rule, not a blog height.
Is the building leaking the heat you already paid for?
Insulate the garage before a heater upgrade
More watts heat the air you are already leaking. Door, weatherstrip, and sill usually beat a larger breaker. Panel capacity is the hard stop.
How these pages are written
We compare classes of heaters using nameplate electrical data and installation manuals — wattage steps, amps, suggested breaker and copper size, mount type — not composite “editor scores.” Street prices move; “under $200” is a shopping class, not a promise that a given SKU is in stock at that price this week. See editorial standards if you want the full list of things we will not invent.