My daughter was constantly complaining about her daylight basement area being cold. Downstairs are two bedrooms, a small TV/computer area and a full bath. Basements are notorious for maintaining constant coolness all year round. No matter what the temperature is upstairs, our main level, it is always cold downstairs. Feeling sorry for her wrapping herself up in a comforter downstairs, I went on the hunt for a reliable inexpensive space heater. I did not want propane or oil units and I wanted something small that did not take up much space. I also wanted something that stayed cool to the touch.

On my quest, I found the DeLonghi DFH469M SafeHeat Fan Heater. I decided to give this a try since it offered a thermostat and a compact design.

Features

Digital thermostat with LCD display: This lets you set the temp you want in degrees. The smart Electric Climate Control (ECC) technology senses the room temperature and will adjust the temperature and heat output according to your setting.

3 heat settings: You can adjust the heat output level from 650 watts to 1500 watts depending on how far the actual temp is from the thermostat with choice of manual or ECC

Anti-freeze setting: This turns the unit on automatically to prevent the room from dropping below the freezing mark, however it does not freeze downstairs.

Motorized oscillating body with foot switch: For oscillation (swiveling from side to side), the base has in integrated foot switch that controls this function. Just tap the large bottom panel with your foot to turn the oscillation on or off. You can also use it to lock the unit into a new blowing angle without picking it up

Carry handle on top of unit: This makes it very transportable.

Stay cool housing: Unlike the old metal ones, this one is cool to the touch.

Extra quiet operation: It is true, this is very quiet.

Cord storage: The cord storage wrap loop set into the back of the housing.

Automatic cutoff switch for safety: This offers a thermal cut off function that cuts power if the unit is accidentally tipped over or covered by a curtain or blanket.

Fan only mode for use in summer: She certainly does not need this downstairs, but it is a good feature to have.

Measurements: Height is 17 inches, width is 12 inches, and depth is almost 10 inches.

Operation

The DeLonghi DFH469M SafeHeat Fan Heater is designed to sit on the floor and operates on 120 volts AC.

The plastic construction is well made and does not feel flimsy. The rounded smooth chassis doesn't have any vibration noise during operation. Everything is made to wipe-clean easily with a damp cloth.

Unlike older space heaters having metal housings that heats up and can burn you and your pets, this unit is designed with plastics everywhere you touch so you can easily pick it up and move it with the top handle and not get burnt in doing so.

The unit has a single top knob for temperature control and a single rubber button. Once you pick a desired temperature using the knob, just tap the rubber button below the knob to pick the operation mode.

Touch the button once for fully automatic heating: the ECC electronic climate control function automatically determines how cold the room is compared to your temperature setting and puts the unit into the appropriate heating mode (high, med, or low.)

Each mode uses different wattage levels for more or less heat keeping the fan speed constant. As the room warms, the ECC reduces the power draw and heat level automatically.

You can manually override the ECC settings to request high, med, or low heat by continuing to touch the button. A red indicator light next to the mode shows what is selected with each tap.

Touching the button more times brings you to a yellow light indicating you are in fan mode only.

My Experience

My daughter’s downstairs area minus the bathroom is approximately 600 square feet, which includes the small living room area along with the two bedrooms.

Keeping the heater in oscillating mode, the heater really performs outstanding and keeps all 3 areas warm.

I no longer see her cuddled up in her comforter to remain warm and I have not noticed a dramatic increase in our electric bills.

I love the stay cool construction and the fact that it automatically shuts off when it tips over, which it has on one occasion when her dog knocked it over.

It is a very quiet heater, which is a plus so the noise, does not overpower her watching TV or doing her homework.

I am very pleased with my purchase and I do hope you consider this one for your needs.

The warranty is 1 year.

Reviews of other heaters we have in our home or have had:

Honeywell Ceramic Heater
Lasko Ceramic
Lakewood Quartz QTV-22
Lasko Oscillating Digital 5435
Honeywell Surround Heater















Recommended: Yes