It’s about this time of the year that all the personal finance magazines and blogs come out with articles on how to save money on heating. This time, I will join the fray and reveal my secret. The usual advice to save money on the heating bill is to turn down the thermostat and bundle up. This is good for the wallet, but the Mrs. really hates being cold.
I love my kotatsu table!
My secret is the kotatsu table. This might not work for everyone though, especially taller folks that can’t sit comfortably on the floor. A kotatsu table is basically a coffee table with two top surfaces, a heating element, and a big blanket to keep the heat in. Every household in Japan has one and it is the best place to take an afternoon nap.
You can purchase an authentic kotatsu table, but it is expensive because they have to be imported. Instead, I will show you how to make one.
Ingredients
- $40 Coffee table – You need to find a coffee table with two top surface. A LACK Coffee table from IKEA is what we have. You can also search Craigslist for a used LACK coffee table. If you have long killer legs like Angelina Jolie, you probably want to get a taller coffee table.
- $55 to $100 heating element - There are some “kotatsu heater unit” for sale on EBAY for $70, but the shipping cost is another $30. An alternative is the “cozy legs” radiant heater. I found one on Amazon for about $55 or you can try the local Ace Hardware for $60. The cozy legs works okay, but it takes a long time to warm up, about 10-15 minutes. I would go with the real kotatsu heater if you want instant warmth. *2011 update. The real kotatsu heating element heats up much faster than the cozy legs. It’s 100 times better so I recommend that. It’s not worth cheaping out on this one, trust me.
- $0 old king size blanket – We like the king size, but a queen would probably work too. A comforter is better in colder climate.
- $? pillows to sit on. You can pick up some big pillows from IKEA while you’re there.
Instructions – Put the coffee table together and leave the lower panel out for now. Mount the heater element to the bottom of the coffee table (you’ll have to figure it out yourself.) 
Throw the blanket on top of the coffee table and center it. Put the bottom panel on top of the blanket and TA DA! you’ve got a kotatsu table. Don’t forget to put the pillows under your bums.
If you can sit on the floor comfortably, a kotatsu table will be the best thing that ever happens to you. We rarely turn on our force air heater these days. Our climate is temperate and the concrete condo retains the heat well so our indoor temperature hovers around 64 degrees Fahrenheit. We spend a lot of time under the kotatsu table every winter and save tons of money on heating bills. Our November electric bill went up $10 from our summer bill. Enjoy!
Let me know if you have any questions. I can send you more pictures in an email.
how to mount kotatsu heater unit
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow. A unique way of staying warm this winter.
Heh heh, thanks. I was getting tired of the usual advice to turn down the thermostat.
Those tables sound really great on a cold day. However, on the DIY version, how do you make sure the heater doesn’t catch the table on fire? I’m a stickler about fire safety (my step-dad was a fireman).
I try my best to not leave it on when I’m not using it. If your legs are next to the heater, you’d know when it gets too hot. From what I understand, the ceramic heater element is not supposed to catch fire, but the risk is always there with any electronic heater.
We have a sun-room (other areas of the country might call them three-season rooms) and it’s gotten pretty cold at night the last month or so. We were looking at a cheap way to heat it since if we leave the door open the thin walls will radiate all of our heat away, haha.
How hot does a kotatsu get? Is it so hot I have to be careful what type of wood I purchase on the table? Think it would be good in a 14×15 sun-room with tile floors… or is it the space heater for us?
My heater element is pretty hot, but I don’t think it can reach wood’s combustion point. The LACK table is made of particle boards and I haven’t had any problem yet. I don’t know about sitting on tile floors. It doesn’t sound comfortable…
I remember reading that post last year! The Kotatsu table sounds fantastic!
This looks really neat. Not only on a functional level but they look really nice in a room too. Plus I love the name. It just sounds warm and cozy. I might just have to look into one of these.
It’s quite expensive to import one from Japan. If you live in LA, there are some stores that sell a ready made one starting at $150 or so.
Good to know. Thanks. Looks like I will need to import either way if I want one since I live in Canada.
I live in LA and would love to buy on for my fiance who lived in Japan for two years. Where can I buy them in LA for the $150?
We got one from Murakai market. Not sure how much it cost now.
That’s a really creative idea and I love DIY projects, but I may be too tall for this one!
It does look really nice. I intially had the same question as Little House though.
I think it is always good to rethink conventional wisdom, and since your November heating bill was only $10 more than the summer, that’s speaks volumes.
I remember this article! It was great then, it is great now! I also remember thinking wow! Never even heard about this table.
This is great. But nothing beats a thermostat and a one click heating
Unless you are counting pennies
Sometimes it’s cozier to have a warm spot like this than to heat the whole house – like how nice it is to snuggle under blankets when it’s cold. If the whole house is heated, then most of that warm air is not being used, PLUS can make all the air in the house even drier than winter air usually is.
Thanks for the tips on making your own!
In our old house, we warmed the bedroom at night with a space heater and use the kotatsu table in the living room. The room temp was around low 60s and it worked quite well.
This is a neat little tip. We all like to cozy up next to the fireplace. Now we can also cozy up to a coffee table
A coffee table is much nicer to cozy up to than a fireplace. There is a spot to put your coffee, magazines, and laptop.
I love these! My husband’s parents still live in Japan, and their house gets very cold. These were wonderful; the whole family sits around it!
I’m not much of a floor sitter, but I think for warm legs on a cold night, I could adapt.
I was already sitting on the floor playing video games and such so it was an easy adjustment for me.
That’s fantastic! It’s great to read an actual unique tip like this — not just the same ol’, same ‘ol. And I marvel at the Japanese; they have great design and efficiency.
We love our Kotatsu table. It’s the best spot to gather in the winter.
Great idea! This is a great solution to staying warm in the winter without paying an expensive power bill. Thanks for sharing!
It’s really great, we love it.
This is a very interesting idea. I had never even heard of a kotatsu table before.
It works very well and saved us a lot of money on the power bill.
How do you use the table? When you “spend a lot of time under the kotatsu table” are you literally under the table, like it’s a kid’s fort? Or do you just stick your legs under there? Does it provide warmth if you’re just sitting next to it, or if you’re sitting on a couch and maybe just putting your feet underneath?
It’s best to sit on the floor and stick your legs under the table then pull the blanket over your waist. It works great and warm your whole lower body!
You can sit on the couch and stick your feet underneath too, but it is not as warm then. Sitting next to it is no good.
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