UPDATE to my original review: ============================= Even though I did not keep this particular heater, I still use an older DeLonghi oil-filled radiator and have been keeping records about electricity usage. The results should be helpful to anyone considering an oil-filled radiator electric heater. I've tested electrical consumption both using a Kill-A-Watt meter and by comparing my electricity bills over time. The results show that oil-filled radiator electric heaters can be extremely efficient *IF USED CORRECTLY*, but that if not used correctly can actually be less efficient than other types of electric heaters. The most efficient way to use them is to turn them on before you start feeling cold and leave them on low, avoiding if possible turning on both power switches. I live in a moderate climate where nighttime winter temperatures rarely go much below the high twenties Fahrenheit, so this is easier for me than for people in colder areas. I have an oil-filled radiator heater in my bedroom and have found that my electric bills are actually higher when I turn if off the DeLonghi while I'm asleep than when I leave it on low all night. This is because when it's off all night, in the morning I turn it up high, with both power switches, to heat up my room. However when it's on all night at a very low heat setting, in the morning I just turn up the thermostat but don't turn on the second power switch. Instead I use a Lasko 100 My Heat to heat my immediate area. It uses only 200 watts, rather than the 800 watts that the second power switch on the DeLonghi would use, and it heats my immediate area very quickly. The difference in my actual electricity bills were dramatic. Last winter I turned off the DeLonghi before going to bed and this winter I left it on low all night. My electricity bills for the same periods are dramatically lower this year with the DeLonghi on low all night. I was disappointed that the particular DeLonghi I wrote the original review about did not work out for me, but if I were buying a new heater today, it would probably be another DeLonghi oil-filled radiator. When used correctly, they can be really efficient. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I filed for a return on a Friday and UPS wouldn't be able to pick up the unit until Monday, so over the weekend I decided to test it some more. I didn't want to return it unless it really was defective. After about 16 hours of operation at high heat, the odor was finally mostly (but not entirely) gone, but now there was a new problem: the heater wasn't outputting as much heat as when I first had it. Initially, it became so hot that I could barely touch it with my bare hand, but on my last day of testing, I was able to lay my bare hand on top for prolonged periods without feeling any risk of being burned. In contrast, my much older DeLonghi EW0507 Safeheat still gets too hot to touch. I have two other DeLonghi oil-filled radiators and I love both of them. After returning this heater, I considered ordering the same model as a replacement and decided first to contact DeLonghi and find out their reaction to my experience. I immediately received an automated reply that promised a personal reply would follow, but after four business days I still have not received the reply. I've now decided to stick with my old DeLonghi's for a while longer. When I buy another heater, it will probably be this model, but I'll do more research first to confirm that my experience isn't common. There is one problem that seems to be common to DeLonghi oil-filled radiator heaters. It's the low quality electrical plug. It's true of both my DeLonghi's, it appeared to be true of this one, and I've read other owners complain about it, so it seems to be a widespread problem. I no longer use my oldest DeLonghi on high heat because the plug shows signs of melting, and my newer DeLonghi's plug also shows signs of melting, though not as advanced. This is the most disappointing thing about DeLonghi oil-fllled radiators. The heaters themselves will last decades, but if you operate them at high heat, the plugs won't last as long as the heaters. I don't know yet how hard it would be to replace the power cord. In addition to my problems with this heater, I unhappy with the condition in which it was shipped to me. It was obviously a heater that a previous customer had returned. It was disappointing that either Amazon or DeLonghi (I don't know which) didn't even make an attempt to make it look new - the box was taped amateurishly, the power cord was unwrapped, the user manual was dog-eared, and the two power buttons and ComforTemp buttons were all turned on. Additionally, when I first turned it on, I didn't smell the intense odor that I expected, which indicated that it had previously been used, but what odor there was never ended, even after ten hours at high heat. I was not happy that no attempt appears to have been made to check out the unit after the previous customer returned it or to ship it in new condition. However I don't know whether the fault was DeLonghi's or Amazon's. My other experiences with DeLonghi oil-filled radiators have been excellent, aside from my gripe with their electrical plugs. I love the steady heat they produce. I've owned one of my DeLonghi's for 23 years and it's still working, though because of the electrical plug's signs of deterioration, I no longer use it at high heat. I checked the claimed and actual wattages of the EW7707CB using my Kill-A-Watt meter. It showed that this 700/800/1500 watt DeLonghi's actual wattages are 700, 750, and 1350. Discrepancies like this are common in electric space heaters, and in fact these readings are nearly identical to the readings I got for my older DeLonghi EW0507 oil-filled radiator, which is also rated at 700/800/1500 watts. There was one more problem when I submitted my request to return this heater: Amazon gave me instructions to give it to my letter carrier for pickup! I can just imagine the expression on my mailman's face if I asked him to put a very large, 25 pound box in his mailbag! I had to contact Amazon via chat to straighten it out and schedule a UPS pickup. Amazon made that part of it quite easy. General information about buying electric space heaters: ============================================= I've owned and used electric space heaters since 1988, mostly DeLonghi oil filled radiators. When I recently began looking for a heater that would warm up a room faster, I was frustrated at the lack of hard, objective, facts about electric space heaters. Even the manufacturer websites often fail to mention or makes it hard to learn the most basic information you need to know, such as wattage ratings and warranty lengths. Not even Consumer Reports has enough information to really inform a consumer. Therefore it's up to us as consumers to share what we know. The rest of this review shares some of what I've learned. In case you're wondering what heater I decided on to replace my DeLonghi, I didn't. I tried a Vornado PVH and a Bionaire BH1331-U, but I ended up returning both heaters. I finally decided to stick with oil-filled radiators and to replace my 23 year old DeLonghi with one of the new black ones, but it was defective so I returned it and am sticking with my old DeLonghi's for the time being. Basic electric space heater facts: 1. All electric space heaters are equally efficient. All heaters rated at 1500 watts output the same amount of heat, but may do it very differently. You have to choose the one that heats the way you need it. 2. Power consumption is determined by two things: the power setting you're using and how long the heater is actually on. Turning up the thermostat setting doesn't increase the heat or power consumption; it just lengthens the time that your heater will be running. 3. To reduce power consumption, use the lowest power setting on your heater that produces the heat you need. 4. An electric space heater will save you money only if y
