Patio Heater The electric patio heater is safe to use outdoors and is very cheap to run, in fact, it is actually one of the most economical heaters on the market of any kind. It features a remote control which will allow you to control the heater from the bar or inside the venue. It also can be set to motion detection mode which will detect when people are near and automatically power on. It has an automatic shut off in the case it is tipped over and also has a way to lock the controls so your guests can not turn it on or off without permission.