People have been wary of running electric heaters in their homes because they have heard that they are expensive to run. The last thing people want is to send their electricity bills sky high by running a power-gobbling electric heater.
Best and Cheapest Electric Heaters Selection
But are electric heaters as expensive to run as people believe? There are different types of electric heaters on the market, and choosing the right one to meet your needs can actually be more cost-effective than you think.
Here we look at the different types of electric heaters available on the market, which are your best options to buy, and how to use them to help keep your electricity bill down.
Understanding wattage
Before we look at the different types of electric heaters available, it is important to understand that heaters are rated by wattage, which means how many ‘Watts’ the heater uses per hour. For example, if you buy an electric heater with a ‘1500W’ rating, you may pay around 51p (£0.51) per hour at current prices at the time of writing, but the actual cost will depend on your electricity tariff.
Electric Heater Cost Calculator
Types of electric heaters available:
Infrared Heaters – The Cheapest to Run!
Infrared heaters are growing in popularity as they are practical and economical. These heaters give off a consistent and gentle heat that heats objects directly in front of it rather than the air in the room. It will warm you up without generating heated air that could be lost through open windows and doors. They are very popular and widely used on patios too.
Overall, infrared heaters are one of the cheapest electric heaters to run, and they are effective at warming you up without wasting energy heating the whole room. If you are looking for a stylish electric heater that will complement your home décor, then choosing an infrared heater is a good choice.
Some infrared heater manufacturers are creating stylish-looking designs, and their flexibility means you can choose an infrared wall, panel, freestanding or ceiling option. Interior designers have collaborated with manufacturers to create attractive heaters that look like pieces of art or even mirrors.
The benefits of choosing an infrared electric heater:
- Stylish options with wall, ceiling or freestanding models
- They heat you up, not the air around you
- The warmth is 100 per cent safe as it is the same as the sun
- You can instantly feel the heat. The warm gently warms up and stays warm
- Easy to control individual infrared heaters
- Not affected by drafts or cold air through open doors or windows
- Typically have the lowest wattages for any space heaters
By choosing an infrared electric heater, you can save up to 60 per cent of your energy use compared to standard electric heaters.
They will not impact as much on your winter electricity bills, and you have a wide variety of designs to choose from to complement your décor.
However, infrared heaters tend to have higher up-front costs than standard electric heaters, but if you are more concerned about your long-term heating bills, then choosing an infrared heater can work out more cost-effective over time compared to other types of electric heaters.
Warmlite WL42013 1KW Carbon Infrared Heater with Oscillation
• Freestanding
• 500W or 1000W option
• Maximum temp: 65°C
• Distributes the heat across a 70-degree angle
• Portable and light
• Safe and secure
Ceramic Heaters
Ceramic heaters contain ceramic heating elements that are heated up by electricity. Once hot, the ceramic element will heat up the surrounding air. Some models will include a fan to circulate the hot air into the room.
Ceramic heaters have been used for years and are considered to be standard heaters, but the cost of running these types of heaters will depend on their individual wattage and how you choose to use them. Look at any new model’s wattage rating before you buy it.
Pro Breeze® 2000W Mini Ceramic Fan Heater
• Automatic Oscillation
• 2 heat settings: 2000W (High) and 1200W (Low)
• Adjustable Thermostat
The simplicity of ceramic heaters makes them a reliable and consistent choice. They are easy to use and move around from room to room, so you can take your ceramic heater with you to heat the space you are in rather than heating an empty room.
Oil-Filled Heaters
Oil-filled electric heaters are one of the oldest types of heaters on the market. They have been used for many years to heat houses, and although they take a while to heat up, they are good at retaining and radiating heat once they have reached optimal temperatures.
Modern-day oil-filled heaters are far more cost-effective than their predecessors and are a good choice for anyone looking to keep their electricity bills down. They also run almost silently, an excellent option for warming your home office when working from home.
VonHaus Oil Filled Radiator
• Efficient and cost effective
• Portable and safe
• Up to 2500W
Oil-filled heaters are a good option for a family home where people are around for most of the day. The heaters do take a while to heat up and reach optimal temperatures, but because they keep their heat for a long time, they are great for keeping your rooms warm and snug all day.
You can get oil-filled heaters with in-built digital timers so you can set your heaters to come on before you get home from work so you can walk into a warm house.
If you are up and out of the house early in the morning, then oil-filled heaters may not be the best option because you will have left the house before the heater becomes effective. In this case, an infrared heater would be a better option because you will get instantly warm on a chilly morning.
Space Heaters
A space heater or fan heater also called a blow heater, is a heater that works by using a fan to pass air over a heating element. This heats up the atmosphere and warms the space around you. The fan helps warm up a room faster than an electric heater without a fan, but these are not the quietest electric heaters to run.
Fan heaters are also not the best choice to make if you want to keep your energy consumption down. Yes, they are fast and effective, and a good fan heater will quickly warm up a room, but keeping it running all day will impact on your electricity bill.
Another downside to fan heaters is that the warm air it generates will be lost to open doors, windows, or any drafts in your rooms. This means all of the heat will be going to waste.
The reason why fan heaters are so popular is due to their affordability. They are cheap to buy and easy to move around, but their running costs can really hit you in the pocket.
Beldray Dual Position Portable Fan Heater
• 2 heat settings
• 2000W power
• Small and portable
• Cool air option
However, a fan heater will do the job for you if you want to quickly heat a small room that is draft-proof, such as a home office or study. Then you can easily maintain the temperature by running the heater on a lower power setting, using less energy.
You can lower the running costs of your space heater by only using them in smaller rooms. Avoid placing it by frequently opened doors or open windows. Once the room is warm, switch the heater to a lower power setting to use less electricity. You can also set a digital timer to allow your fan heater to come on before you come home to warm the room you want to use.
Storage Heaters
Storage heaters are another traditional heating solution that was heavily used for decades before central heating became popular. Storage heaters are pretty substantial and can be more expensive up-front, but they can be a very cheap option to run.
They work most cost-effectively when paired with cheap off-peak tariffs. The heaters will use the more affordable rated electricity at night and keep heat stored within thermal bricks. They will act like standard heaters and release the heat the following day to keep your house warm.
By choosing storage heaters, you could save up to 50 per cent in energy costs by using off-peak electricity. They are a good investment if you plan to stay in your home for years and want to keep your long-term heating bills down.
Elnur 2.6kw / 1200w Ecombi Smart Night Storage Heater
• Wifi controllable with G-control
• Built in timer and programmer
• Thermostatically controlled
• Converctor heater built in
Because they can be highly expensive to buy, they won’t be a good choice if you plan on moving home in the near future because you won’t be able to recoup the initial expense in lower electricity bills very quickly.
Quick Summary
Hopefully, this guide has given you more insight into your options when buying an electric heater for your home. Here is a quick summary of the cheapest electric heaters to run:
- Infrared Heaters: the lowest wattage per heat provided makes these the cheapest to run.
- Oil-Filled Heaters: their long-lasting heat makes the most out of the electricity used.
- Storage Heaters: saves energy costs by utilising off-peak electricity tariffs.
- Ceramic Heaters: these provide efficient service for the lowest up-front price.
- Space Heaters: most expensive to run but cheap to buy.
Which electric heater you choose will depend on your initial budget and if you are concerned about keeping your long-term energy costs down to a minimum. Many cannot afford the outlay of installing storage heaters, but infrared heaters may be within your budget and would be the most cost-effective choice for most people wanting to keep their running costs down.
Last update on 2024-04-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
