Plugging in a portable electric heater is a quick and easy way to take the chill out of a cold room. A portable heater also makes a good emergency option if your usual heating system's on the blink.
Cheap electric heaters can be surprisingly hard to come by during winter, though, with many going out of stock, so you might find it hard to track down a particular heater that you're after if you wait until the coldest spell to buy.
We've found some of the cheapest heaters available right now and shared some tips on what makes a heater truly good value.
Just want to know which electric heaters are Best Buys? To find the ones that scored top in our rigorous lab tests, head over to our reviews of Best electric heaters.
How much do portable electric heaters cost?
The priciest portable electric heaters will set you back around £150. Some are more expensive because they have extra features, such as air purification claims and wi-fi connectivity.
You still don't want to spend more than you need to, though, and many cost less than £20 to buy.
Electric heater running costs
The cost of a cheap heater can soon mount up once you factor in the running costs.
- On average, most electric heaters run at a maximum output of 2kW. In other words: if you run your 2kW electric heater at full blast for one hour, you'll be paying 68p. For just half an hour, it'll cost you 34p.
- However, many of the 2kW electric heaters we've tested tipped above and below that power output over the course of an hour's use in our tests, resulting in costs from 66p - 73p.
- Under the current Energy Price Guarantee, electricity costs 34p per kilowatt hour for domestic customers on a standard variable tariff.
The cheapest electric heaters we've tested all have thermostats that detect the ambient temperature and adjust the heater's output according to your preferred setting. They usually have adjustable energy settings and timers so you can turn the heat down if you want to, or limit your heater's running time.
Not many of them have specific temperatures in degrees °C, though, so rather than programming specific temperatures on the thermostat you'll need to experiment with your heater's settings and find the coolest setting that still gives you the warmth you're looking for.
Once that desired temperature is reached, the heater won't run constantly anymore. It will toggle on and off sporadically to maintain that temperature.
Cheap heaters usually have fewer features
Cheaper electric heaters do tend to have fewer features than more expensive ones. Compared with more expensive ones, a cheap heater is less likely to have:
- A fan that oscillates to increase the distribution of heat around the room.
- Smart functionality. Though if you prefer manual controls anyway then this is no loss.
- A fashionable design, such as a tower shape or a glass panel.
- A wide range of heat settings: some only offer a couple of heat settings and rudimentary thermostatic control.
- Dehumidification or, as in the case of some Dyson electric heaters, claimed air purification functions. The best heaters aren't necessarily top at these additional jobs, so check out our Best Buy air purifiers and Best Buy dehumidifiers if you're primarily after those features.
How important these features are is down to personal preference. If all you want is something to keep you warm when there's a nip in the air, and you don't care about how it looks or require the ability to control it at a distance, a decent budget electric heater should be perfectly adequate.
The electric heaters we've featured here all cost £100 or less. If you're prepared to pay a bit more, head to our electric heater reviews to see more expensive ones too.
Cheap fan heaters
Fan heaters generate heat and blow it around the room. They get going much more quickly than other types of heater. We've found that convector heaters and oil radiators can take half an hour to raise a room's temperature significantly, but a good fan heater can do this in half the time.
Be wary of fan heaters if you need something really quiet - their internal fans can make noise.
The cheapest electric heaters tend to be fan models with a small horizontal grille. They sit on a desk or sideboard and push air out of a small outlet that gets very hot.
Most cheap fan heaters don't oscillate, so you'll need to point your heater in your general direction. This makes them worse at distributing heat throughout the room.
Dimplex DXUC2B, £39
This 2kW fan heater stands stationary on an elevated surface and blows hot air in whichever direction you face it.
It's useful year-round because of its cold-air setting, where the fan operates without the appliance generating any heat.
It does make noise, but it's not so loud that it'll drown out the TV.
- Buy it now at Amazon or AO (limited availability).
- Read our full Dimplex DXUC2B review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
John Lewis & Partners Mini Tower Fan Heater, £40
You'll usually need to pay more for tower heaters with oscillating fans. However that's not the case with this John Lewis' mini heater.
It also has a cold air setting which might come in handy in the summer months if we face another heat wave.
It also oscillates to spread the heat.
- Buy it now at John Lewis (limited availability).
- Read our full John Lewis & Partners Mini Tower Fan Heater review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
Beldray EH0569SSTK Portable Fan Heater, £19.99
You won't find many electric heaters cheaper than this Beldray fan heater, and it weighs very little at less than 1.5kg.
It has feet on the side as well as the bottom, so you can set it up flat or upright as a very mini tower heater.
Our stability tests found this heater much more secure when it was laid flat, though. When stood upright, it falls over quite easily if knocked.
- Buy it now at Amazon or Beldray.
- Read our full Beldray EH0569SSTK review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
Convector heaters for less than £100
Convector heaters heat up the air in your room in a different way to fan heaters. They have an exposed heating element which warms up cold air that passes through.
They're not quite as cheap generally as fan heaters - the average convector heater and radiator-type costs between £50 and £100 - but they tend to be more thorough, managing to heat rooms evenly from corner to corner, floor to ceiling. They can be slower to get going, though.
Convector heaters and radiators are better suited for use over several hours compared with fan heaters, especially if they're set to a lower power setting.
Princess 341500 Smart Glass Panel Heater, £99
Alright, it's barely less than £100, but if you want an electric heaters with the features this one has, you will need to pay towards the top end.
It has a digital thermostat you can program to specific temperatures in degrees °C, and it can connect to your wi-fi and be controlled using a companion app.
The version we tested is a 1.5kW heater, which means it doesn't use quite as much power as most of the other heaters we tested.
- Buy it now from Currys, Amazon, or Wickes.
- Read our full Princess 341500 Smart Glass Panel Heater review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
Russell Hobbs RHCVH4002 Convection Heater, £40
This heater bucks the trend of convector heaters typically being pricier than fan heaters. It's consistently been one of the cheapest heaters you can buy, though it's also frequently out of stock.
It doesn't have a digital display or any hallmarks of an expensive heater. But it does have three heat settings available via the manual control panel on its side, alongside its timer and thermostat.
- Buy it now from Currys, Amazon or Robert Dyas (limited availability).
- Read our full Russell Hobbs RHCVH400 review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
DeLonghi HSX2320 Convector Heater, £77
This mid-range convector heater still has a simple design despite being more expensive than the cheapest heaters, but that simplicity will appeal to some.
It has three power settings to choose from, a frost protection setting, and a basic thermostat.
We found it stable when it had the feet attached, but it can be wall-mounted if you want to secure it in one place. It's also quiet as a mouse when it's running.
- Buy it now from Argos, Amazon, or Appliances Direct (limited availability).
- Read our full Delonghi HSX2320 Convector Heater review to find out how well it heats and how much it costs to run.
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Are cheap electric heaters less effective than expensive ones?
Not necessarily. Heaters are highly efficient at turning electricity into heat regardless of their price. You don't necessarily need an expensive heater to get 'more' out of the electricity you draw.
That said, plenty of cheap electric heaters are quite poor at doing the basic job of keeping you warm. If you want a heater that's good value (rather than just cheap), check our electric heater reviews first. You're much more likely to buy a poor quality heater if you buy a cheap model without doing your research.
Paying more doesn't guarantee good quality either, though.
Choose the right heater for your needs, regardless of price
Regardless of price or type, portable electric heaters aren't designed to be used to heat your entire home. Trying to do so will be an exercise in frustration and high costs. Use an electric heater selectively, as a top-up or a fallback option. Here are some things to consider.
- Is a portable heater the right heating solution? They will rarely be as cost-effective in the long run as, for example, a storage heater that uses off-peak electricity rates, or a gas boiler that's connected to a central heating system and costs a fraction of the price per hour.
- Do you want short bursts of heat, or something to keep you warm over several hours? Some of the cheapest fan heaters run at 3kW, so are good for short, intense bursts. More expensive and much slower convectors won't get the heat going as fast, but they'll be better over long periods.
If you're relying on your portable heater because your boiler isn't doing its job, find out how to go about buying a new boiler or whether you're eligible for a free boiler or a boiler grant.
You can also read our guide to the best heating for your home to find a whole-home solution for your heating needs.
Save money on your central heating
If you have a combi boiler, you can make money savings right now by running it more efficiently. Boilers are able to run as low temperature systems, but many are set up to run at full tilt, costing you extra money.
Read our guide on the one simple way to adjust your boiler to lower your heating bill to see how you can save money by lowering the temperature of the water supplying your radiators.
A central heating system running efficiently and proportionate to your heating need is the best way to heat your home and keep your bills down.
Prices and product availability correct as of 16 December 2022. This story was first published on 7 October 2021 and is updated regularly to reflect new heaters we've tested as well as changing prices and availability of heaters.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/cheap-electric-heaters-for-2022-apTMt6P91fwW