Vornado Space Heater Review Model AVH4 – review of Vornado Whole Room Heater Model AVH4 purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond.
I bought my Vornado Whole Room Heater (Model AVH4) at Bed Bath and Beyond for $99 (really $80 after using one of those frequent Bed Bath and Beyond coupons). I purchased the Vornado Whole Room Heater because I needed an affordable option to provide some extra heat for my basement from the November through April months. The Vornado Whole Room heater boasts it “heats and circulates all the air.”
My finished basement holds my home office and is ridiculously cooler than the rest of my house. Great for the summer but horrible for the winter. I love my basement but whoever finished the basement before I bought the house didn’t set up decent ventilation. The situation didn’t even improve when I bought a new furnace a few years back and I’ve tried every option when it comes to re-situating vents.
My basement is about 1700 sq feet and routinely dips to around 64 degrees heading into the winter and even cooler when January rolls around. The basement is great but even my kids stop playing down there when the winter months roll around. I have to bundle up with blankets and a hoodie if I’m going to stay down there to work for an extended period of time.
I was leery about buying the Vornado Whole Room Heater. Space heaters can be dangerous with kids around and I wasn’t sure spending $99 ($80 w/BB&B coupon) would put a dent in my problem of trying to heat a 1700 square foot basement. I caved and bought the Vornado Whole Room Heater because of a handy 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond and figured it was worth a shot amidst low expectations. I even brought a temperature/humidity gauge to put near my desk so I could measure the results while I work.
I’ve had my Vornado Whole Room Heated for more than a month and so far I’m very happy with the results. When I come downstairs every morning my thermometer reads 64 degrees. Within 1 hour of firing up the Vornado Whole Room Heater, my desk area reaches a cozy 70 degrees thanks to the Vornado fan distributing the heat. I’m impressed that I don’t even have to have the Vornado close to my desk to feel the warmth. My basement office is at one end of the 1700 square foot basement but I place the heater about 15 feet away from my desk and aim it my direction. Obviously, the Vornado Whole Room Heater isn’t designed to heat a whole basement but it works great in my area and distributes the heat evenly. I can work comfortably wearing normal clothes in the winter and my kids can now play ping pong in the basement during the winter.
I was also impressed with the modern design and safety features of the Vornado Whole Room Heater. The unit is cool to the touch and provides tight grill spirals to prevent injuries. The Vornado Whole Room Heater also shuts off automatically if it is bumped and features adjustable heating controls. That said, I’ve had it a month and hope the durability continues. So far, so good. The Vornado Whole Room Heater is a little fussy and shuts off (for safety) if you try to move it to aim to another portion of the room.
UPDATE: I’m in my 5th season of using my Vornado space heater and the unit still runs just as well as it did out of the box years ago. Fair warning, your electric bill will take a hit if you run a Vornado Whole Room Heater as often as I did last winter. This winter I’m going to situate the Vornado heater closer to me in hopes of using less power. Unfortunately, even if the temperature stabilizes near you, the fan runs constantly so it’s a bit of a power drain. All in all, the Vornado AVH4 unit is holding up well and ready for another chilly basement winter.
Vornado Whole Room Heater Model AVH4 purchased at Bed Bath and Beyond: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=18347075
