Heat Storm HS-1500-PHX Infrared Heater Review (2026)

Why you should trust this review

I bought this heater with my own money and ran it for nine months across two real spaces: a 200 square foot home office and a covered porch. No brand provided it. Space heaters are easy to test badly, a quick blast in a warm room tells you nothing, so I committed to using it through a full cold stretch in the rooms people actually buy these for. I have used convection heaters, oil-filled radiators, and other infrared units, so I can speak to where infrared makes sense and where its directional nature trips people up, which is the single most misunderstood thing about this category.

How we evaluated

Over nine months I mounted the HS-1500-PHX on the wall and used it as supplemental heat in a 200 square foot office and on a covered porch. I judged how evenly it warmed the room, paid close attention to the difference between sitting in its line of sight versus outside it, and tested the cool-touch grill by deliberately brushing against it to confirm the safety claim. I used the remote and thermostat over the season, ran it on a screened porch through wet weather to check durability of the housing, and estimated the running cost at typical electricity rates so buyers know what 1500 watts means on a bill.

Heat output and the line-of-sight reality

The heater delivers genuine warmth. At 1500 watts of quartz infrared it warms a 200 square foot room comfortably, and in my office it took the chill off and kept the space usable through cold months. The crucial thing to understand is that infrared heat is directional, not ambient: it warms objects and people in its line of sight rather than slowly heating all the air in the room. Sit in front of it and you feel warm quickly; sit around a corner or behind furniture and you feel much less. This is not a flaw, it is how infrared works, but it means placement matters enormously. Position it facing where people actually sit, and it performs well; mount it in a corner pointing at a wall and you will be disappointed. Past about 200 square feet, a fan helps move the warmth around.

Safety, mounting, and porch use

The cool-touch grill is a real feature, not marketing. I could brush against the front without burning myself, which makes it genuinely safer around children and pets than a glowing element you must keep clear of. Wall mounting is the other big practical win: the included bracket gets the heater off the floor, freeing space and keeping it out of the way of foot traffic and curious kids. It also survived covered outdoor use well. On my screened porch, mounted under cover and out of direct rain, it ran through nine months of weather without trouble, which makes it one of the most flexible heaters in the category for porches and detached spaces.

Build, controls, and running cost

The remote and adjustable thermostat work as expected, letting you set a temperature and let the unit cycle, and the tip-over and overheat protections are standard sensible safety features. The honest knock on build is the plastic housing, which feels light next to a metal heater like a Vornado; it does the job but does not feel premium. On running cost, be realistic: at 1500 watts you are looking at roughly 18 cents per hour at average US electricity rates, so this is supplemental heat for a room you are in, not a cheap way to heat a whole house. Used that way, the economics are reasonable.

Who should buy the HS-1500-PHX?

Buy it if: you want strong supplemental heat for a room up to 200 square feet, you like the safety of a cool-touch grill around kids, you want to free up floor space with a wall mount, or you need a heater for a covered porch or detached office. Positioned to face where you sit, it does its job well.

Skip it if: you want ambient whole-room heat that warms the air evenly regardless of where you sit, you need to heat a space much larger than 200 square feet, or you want a premium metal build. Convection or oil-filled heaters suit ambient heating better, and gas options suit large patios.

The verdict

After nine months across an office and a porch, the Heat Storm HS-1500-PHX is the wall-mount infrared heater I would recommend to anyone who understands what infrared is and is not. Within its line of sight it delivers real, comfortable warmth, the cool-touch grill makes it safe around a family, and the wall mount plus weather tolerance make it uniquely flexible for covered outdoor spaces. The plastic housing is the only build complaint, and the directional heat is a feature to plan around rather than a flaw. Mount it facing where people sit, treat it as supplemental room heat, and it is excellent value. Expect ambient whole-room warmth and you will be let down.