Canadian winters are long, cold, and brutal—but with the right heating solutions, they don’t have to feel like it. Your entire home can stay cozy with these great winter heating essentials. From indoor heaters to outdoor fireplaces, this guide covers every area of your home. You can stay warm and cozy around a heater or fireplace even as it snows outside.
Read on to learn everything you need to know to keep your home warm this winter.
Why winter heating prep matters
Keeping your home warm with supplemental heaters is a great way to maximize coziness as you minimize your power bill. While your home’s heating system and insulation should be doing the brunt of the work for you, area heaters are a great way to add extra warmth only where you need it. You can create cozy, comfy spaces only where you and your family spend time—without heating your entire home and backyard to 25 degrees.
By using electric fireplaces indoors and patio heaters outdoors, you can extend the usability of all of your spaces. Heaters are a great way to get more use out of your backyard, patio, and basement with a heater that’s perfect for gathering around. Indoor vs outdoor heating options look a little different, but they have the same effect: Warmth where you need it most.
Indoor heating essentials
Winter heating essentials typically look like space heaters, freestanding electric fireplaces, and built-in fireplaces. They’re a great way to create a cozy focal point in any room, and there’s so many options for them that you’ll find something for every home.
Space heaters
Space heaters are a great way to add a compact, cost-effective, portable heater to your home. Available in three main types (ceramic with a fan, infrared with a dish, and oil-based radiating), they’re the most popular option for additional home heating.
Oil-filled space heaters pack a punch
When it comes to space heaters, I recommend oil heaters. I didn’t try my first oil filled radiator heater until my mid-twenties, and honestly: I’m crushed I didn’t try one earlier! They’re near-silent, efficient, and just feel great to have in a room. I always feel like my room gets warmest fastest with an oil heater. They don’t leave you feeling dry the way a ceramic heater does, and they don’t create hot spots like an infrared heater.
Electric fireplaces
While space heaters are the go-to for area heating needs, electric fireplaces offer a little something extra. Stylish and energy-efficient, they’re a safe alternative to a wood-burning fire.
Electric fireplaces can be more permanent than a space heater, and they’re always more eye-catching. More than just warmth, electric fireplaces add a stylish, unique design element to any room. They’re one of the best heating solutions for winter, and they’re available in three main formats.
Freestanding electric fireplaces: Portable convenience
If you’re looking for a product that’s essentially a very stylish space heater, freestanding electric fireplaces are a great place to start. Small, portable, and flexible, these fireplaces offer a lot of flexibility. They’re a great way to warm up a room with a plug-and-play option that creates a cozier sense of ambiance than a modern-looking space heater.
Freestanding electric fireplaces are a great option for renters, apartment dwellers, and people who want a no-fuss heater that’s easy to move around.
Wall-mounted electric fireplaces: Modern efficiency
Modern homes look great with a wall-mounted electric fireplace built in. These sleek, glass fireplaces lie flush against the wall, giving your home a custom feel. Look for features like flame realism and LED lighting control to pick out the design that’s right for you.
Electric fireplaces are a great aesthetic addition to the home because they can be used both with and without heating. Check the heating capacity, safety features, and mounting requirements while selecting your wall-mounted fireplace.
Fireplace TV stands: Suburban comfort
A popular fireplace choice for family homes is the fireplace TV stand. Multi-functional and sturdy, these fireplaces do double duty as heater and shelving. They come with ample space for storage, decor, and your TV, and they’re available in a couple different aesthetics. You can go with a more transitional, wooden feel for a cozy family room, or opt for a more minimalist, contemporary design for a modern living room.
Outdoor heating essentials
Indoor heaters and fireplaces are great for warming up your home itself—but what about your outdoor spaces? You’ll need different products entirely if you want to create cozy, inviting spaces outdoors during the colder months of the year.
Patio heaters, fire pits, and outdoor fireplaces are all great options for heating your backyard or patio. They differ in design but are similar in function. Each one is great at helping you extend your long summer nights and your patio-friendly autumns. (Heaters with enough power can even help you create cozy spaces during the winter! My best friend and I often cozy up by a portable, wood-burning fire pit between Halloween and New Year’s. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors when the outdoors is freezing cold.)
Patio heaters: Low-profile heating with flexible fuel options
Patio heaters are an outdoor essential for heating. With electric, propane, and natural gas options, they’re a flexible choice that will work for any space. They’re easy to set up and offer multiple heights and installation methods for different needs. Small spaces can install overhead electric patio heaters, fixed backyards can install built-in natural gas heaters, flexible spaces can set up portable propane heaters, and more.
The ubiquitous mushroom-style patio heater (also known as an umbrella-style patio heater) is a popular choice for its small footprint. It casts heat downwards from up high, making it great for both standing and seated gatherings.
Fire pits: Natural gathering points
Fire pits are a great way to make your space feel cozy. Available in different fuel formats (including natural gas, propane, and wood-burning), they’re a fantastic choice for people with natural-feeling backyards who love to entertain. The playful, warm flickering of their flames create a natural gathering point for people to circle around.
Fire pits are great for casual, rustic gatherings close to ground level.
Fire pit tables: Natural entertaining points
Fire pit tables are perfect for homes that do a lot of hosting. A popular choice for gatherings like barbecues, wine nights, and evenings in, fire pit tables are typically available with natural gas or propane fuel sources. They sit higher off the ground than fire pits and are often set up on patios or decks rather than the yard itself.
Fire pit tables are a great choice for seated get-togethers with snacks and drinks. Learn more about the difference between fire pits and fire pit tables here.
Outdoor fireplaces: Luxury design and comfort
If you’re looking to make a statement in your backyard, outdoor fireplaces are the perfect way to do it. Eye-catching and bold, these statement pieces are a great way to make your outdoor spaces feel comfortable and luxurious. Look for outdoor fireplaces made from stone, metal, and brick.
Not sure what to choose for an outdoor fireplace? Here are my top five outdoor fireplaces for Canadian winters.
How to choose the right heating option for your room
Not sure how to choose the right heaters and fireplaces for winter? Here’s a step by step checklist to help you choose the right heating option for you.
- First, I’d recommend checking out some of the handy fireplace buying guides on the Best Buy Blog. (My guide on how to buy an electric fireplace online is a great place to start, if I may say so myself!)
- Next, I’d select your type of product. These are your lifestyle needs. They cover what you need your heater to do: Is it most important that it’s small? That it stores stuff? That it’s also a table? Is it there to be tucked away, or to help you entertain?
- For indoor heating, you can go with a space heater, freestanding electric fireplace, wall-mounted electric fireplace, or a TV stand electric fireplace.
- For outdoor heating, you can go with a patio heater, a fire pit, a fire pit table, or an outdoor fireplace.
- Then, you need to figure out how much power you need your heater to have.
- Indoors, that might be as little as 10 BTUs per square foot of the room.
- Outdoors, that might be as much as 45 BTUs per square foot.
- Finally, consider your budget and your preferred fuel source. Wood-burning fireplaces might be something you love, for instance, but the cost of the fuel might be outside of your budget range. In that case, perhaps propane or electric may be a better fit for your home. Consider your options based on your wants, but make your final decision based on your needs.
Stay safe this winter: Tips for running a safe, efficiently heated home
I can’t write an indoor and outdoor heating guide without discussing fireplaces’ safety and efficiency points.
When you’re setting up your heater or fireplace, make sure to follow both your municipal guidelines and your product’s user manual for its placement and clearance margins. (This is especially important for heaters being set up near or underneath a TV!) Make sure your device’s auto-off and safety functions are working properly as well. For instance, ensure that your wall-mounted fireplace turns off after its timer runs out, or that your freestanding fireplace has a working auto-shutoff in case it’s tipped over.
Using a heater or fireplace inside of your home can reduce your overall energy usage by using zone heating instead of central heating. However, you can do even more to get those bills down. Try using timers and thermostats to optimize your heaters’ efficiency. On smart devices, take advantage of their auto-scheduling features so your home is warm when you need it (and only when you need it).
Outdoors, makes sure to store your outdoor units in a covered, dry place when they’re not in use to prevent extra wear and tear. Always unplug or unhook your devices as needed when they’re not in use, and make careful choices to use your best outdoor heaters safely. Be mindful of cords and cables, especially when doing yardwork or mowing the lawn.
Your seasonal maintenance checklist
- Check cords, vents, and safety features of indoor and outdoor units.
- Cover and protect outdoor heaters and fire pits.
- Check outdoor heaters and fireplaces for rust or wear. Monitor weak spots as necessary.
- Inspect propane and natural gas connections.
- Prepare your home for winter heating by making sure all vents are unobstructed and no flammable surfaces are close to any heating devices.
In conclusion
Warm spaces are welcoming and inviting in a way that’s hard to mimic with anything other than a heater or fireplace. They make the perfect gathering spaces for everything from board game night to Halloween hangouts.
With so many different options available for your winter heating essentials, it’s easy to choose the right heater or fireplace for your home. These cozy, warming options are a great way to add ambiance (and actual heat) to any space—indoor or outdoors.
Shop heaters and other heating essentials online at Best Buy today.
