Your home’s garage is likely one of the last places you’d want to spend considerable time in during a Mid-Atlantic winter. Between cold concrete floors, drafty walls, and often limited insulation, this space can get quite chilly. Extend the usefulness of your garage and make it comfortable year-round by upgrading its heating. Below we outline four potential ways to heat your garage, their pros and cons, and an estimated average cost based on our research online.
Four of the Best Ways to Heat a Garage
Insulation
Pros:
- Insulation and weather stripping are affordable and usually can be installed without a pro
- No recurring costs after being installed
Cons:
- Not a good choice for areas with more extreme temperature drops
- The homeowner cannot fully control the temperature of the garage
Estimated Cost: Garage door-only kits ranging from $40 – $100+
Electric Space Heater
Pros:
- Newer, energy-efficient models won’t cause your utility bills to jump significantly
- The versatility of use and portable
- The heater can be used in your home elsewhere No additional ventilation required
Cons:
- Requires electrical outlets in the garage
- Slow to warm up entire space compared to other options
Estimated Cost:$40 – $400, depending on wattage and size needed
Ductless HVAC System
Pros:
- Flexibility when it comes to where the unit is installed: on the floor or mounted to the wall
- Easy to use thanks to remote controls
- Combination of heating and cooling means year-round use of a garage
Cons:
- Greater upfront costs (unit plus installation) compared to the previous two options
- Regular maintenance of filters needed to keep unit running properly
- May require supplemental heating for very cold regions
Estimated Cost: $360 – $3800, depending on BTUs and number of zone units needed
Radiant Floor Heating System
Special Note: This is only a solution for those who are building a new garage or those planning to tear out an existing garage floor and replace it with a new concrete floor.
Pros:
- Low operating costs after installation
- Quiet
- More consistent heating throughout the entire garage versus other options as heat rises across an entire floor
- Allows for year-round use of a garage for things like home projects, car maintenance
Cons:
- Greater upfront costs (boiler, floors being replaced, and labor)
- Potential moisture build-up inside the garage could damage contents
- Can only be done as part of a new build or a complete renovation of a garage
Estimated Cost:$1,785 – $5,861, according to a 2020 HomeAdvisor “True Cost Guide”
