Comparison
Buying a space heater from a big-box store, or direct from us
Thousands of Canadians search for a heater at a big retailer every month. Those stores are perfectly good — you can walk in and carry one out today. Here is a fair comparison so you can decide which suits you.
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The short answer
Cheap store heaters are usually coil units with a high/low switch and no true thermostat, so they run flat out until you unplug them. RapidHeat costs $59 CAD and adds a real 15–32°C thermostat, a 1–12 hour timer, a remote and two safety cut-offs, shipped free from within Canada with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The thermostat alone typically halves the monthly running cost compared with an always-on coil heater.
What the big-box option gives you
- Same-day pickup if you need heat tonight
- Several brands side by side on the shelf
- In-store returns at the customer service desk
What buying RapidHeat direct gives you
- One model, specified properly: thermostat, 1–12 hour timer, remote, under 30 dB, tip-over and overheat cut-outs
- Multi-pack pricing that shelf pricing rarely matches — down to under $40 per unit
- Free tracked shipping anywhere in Canada, usually 2 to 5 business days
- 30 days to return it for a full refund
- Canadian support that knows this one product inside out
We dropped the house thermostat two degrees and heat whichever room we're in. January's bill was lower than last year's despite the rate increase.
Where each one wins
If your house is cold tonight and you cannot wait, go and buy something local — genuinely. If you are fixing a cold room for the rest of the winter, ordering direct usually gets you a better-specified unit for less, especially if you need more than one.
What we would avoid either way is a cheap coil fan heater with no thermostat. It is loud, it runs flat out until you unplug it, and it costs more to run than a unit that cycles.
RapidHeat at a glance
- Heating type
- Ceramic PTC convection
- Coverage
- Up to 12 m² / 130 sq ft
- Temperature range
- 15°C – 32°C adjustable
- Timer
- 1 – 12 hours
- Noise level
- Under 30 dB
- Controls
- Touch panel + handheld remote
Free shipping across Canada, 30-day money-back guarantee.
See prices & orderHow to compare fairly on the shelf
- Does it list an adjustable thermostat, or only high/low?
- Is there a shut-off timer?
- Does it state tip-over and overheat protection?
- Is a noise level published?
- What room size does it honestly claim?
What you normally get for $30 to $50 in a store
Shelf heaters at the low end are usually coil units with a high/low switch and, at best, a dial marked from one to five. That dial is not a thermostat in any meaningful sense — nothing measures the room, so the element keeps running until you switch it off.
There is normally no timer, no remote, and often only one of the two safety cut-offs. You pay less on the day and more every month afterwards.
What changes when you buy direct
- A real 15–32°C thermostat that cycles the element off when the room is warm
- A 1–12 hour timer, so it never runs all evening by accident
- A remote, so you actually adjust it instead of leaving it on
- Both tip-over and overheat shut-off, plus a cool-touch housing
- Free shipping from within Canada — no duties, no store trip, 2–5 business days
- A 30-day money-back guarantee and a one-year replacement warranty
The price comparison that matters
A $40 coil heater with no thermostat runs continuously. At 1.5 kWh an hour, four hours a day in Ontario, that is about $28 a month. A thermostat-controlled unit averaging 0.75 kWh an hour costs about $14 for the same comfort.
The difference pays back the higher purchase price inside a single Canadian winter, and you keep the timer, remote and guarantee.
Who RapidHeat suits — and who should skip it
A good fit for
- A bedroom, nursery or spare room up to roughly 12 m² (130 sq ft)
- A home office or den where you sit for hours and the furnace underperforms
- A finished basement corner, den or rec-room nook
- Anyone who wants to keep the house thermostat lower and heat one room instead
- Renters and students who cannot install anything permanent
Not the right product for
- Open-plan living and dining areas — one plug-in 120 V heater cannot keep up
- Uninsulated garages, workshops and sheds — you need a hard-wired 240 V unit
- Whole-home heating, or replacing a furnace or heat pump
- Outdoor use, bathrooms with splash exposure, or anywhere it would get wet
- Anyone wanting to run it from an extension cord or power bar — that is unsafe
Ceramic PTC vs the other heating elements sold in Canada
| Ceramic PTC (RapidHeat) | Exposed coil | Oil-filled | Infrared quartz | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How it warms | Heats air through a ceramic block and fan | Glowing wire | Heats oil, then the room | Warms objects in its beam |
| Warm-up | 3–5 minutes | Fast | Slow | Instant on your skin |
| Surface temperature | Cool-touch housing | Very hot | Hot | Very hot lamp |
| Self-limiting element | Yes — resistance rises with heat | No | n/a | No |
| Best for | Bedrooms, offices, small rooms | Short bursts | Rooms left heated for hours | Sitting directly in front of it |
Running cost by province
| Province | Typical all-in rate | Cost per hour of use | 4 hrs a day for a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 7.8¢/kWh | 5.9¢ | $7.02 |
| Manitoba | 10.4¢/kWh | 7.8¢ | $9.36 |
| British Columbia | 12.6¢/kWh | 9.5¢ | $11.34 |
| New Brunswick | 14.4¢/kWh | 10.8¢ | $12.96 |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 14.6¢/kWh | 11.0¢ | $13.14 |
| Ontario | 15.4¢/kWh | 11.6¢ | $13.86 |
| Alberta | 16.5¢/kWh | 12.4¢ | $14.85 |
| Saskatchewan | 18.2¢/kWh | 13.7¢ | $16.38 |
| Nova Scotia | 19.1¢/kWh | 14.3¢ | $17.19 |
| Prince Edward Island | 19.4¢/kWh | 14.6¢ | $17.46 |
Figures assume 1,500 W at roughly 50% thermostat duty cycle (about 0.75 kWh per hour) and 4 hours of use a day for 30 days. Your own rate is on your hydro bill — divide the total charge by the kilowatt-hours used for the truest number.
Common questions
Sources
- Canada Energy Regulator — residential electricity prices across Canada (March 2026)
- Hydro-Québec — comparison of electricity prices in major North American cities
Electricity prices checked September 2026. Rates change — check your own hydro bill for the exact figure.
Keep reading
What Canadian customers say
4.8
1,287 verified Canadian buyers
- 5 star84%
- 4 star12%
- 3 star3%
- 2 star1%
- 1 star0%
Marc D.
Winnipeg, MB
I work from a basement office and it was always freezing by 3pm. RapidHeat warms it in about four minutes and I just leave it on the thermostat setting. My hydro bill barely moved.
Helen R.
Halifax, NS
I bought two, one for the bedroom and one for the spare room. You can barely hear them. The timer means it shuts off on its own overnight.
Claire T.
Calgary, AB
Compact, plugs straight into the wall and takes up no floor space. The remote is handy and the automatic shut-off puts my mind at ease with a cat in the house.
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