Best electric heaters UK 2023 – Expert tested for all budgets

When the winter chill hits, it can feel like some rooms simply won’t warm up. Enter electric heaters. Ideal for spaces where you don’t have traditional heating like attic or shed conversions, these portable radiators or fans can provide targeted warmth whenever needed – whether that’s warming your feet in a home study or giving your bedroom a pre-sleep blast.

However, they have a reputation for energy guzzling, so it’s important to know that you’re buying the most efficient electric heater possible. That’s why the GHI set out to discover the truth behind their energy consumption, and to find the best electric heaters for warming small spaces quickly:

Are electric heaters cheaper than central heating?

As everyone’s homes and electricity usage are different, this is a hard question to answer definitively. So, we turned to Joanna O’Loan, the Energy Saving Trust’s Knowledge Manager, for more information.

Joanna says: “Gas is a cheaper fuel than standard rate electricity, so if you have gas central heating it will generally be cheaper to use than an electric heater. If you don’t want to heat the whole home, turn your radiator valves to a lower number in the rooms you’re not heating and higher in the rooms you are.

“If you need to use an electric heater, place the heater in the part of the room you need warm, a safe distance from you and any furniture. Use the heater’s thermostat and timer to avoid using more energy than you need.”

We’ve measured the energy consumption of each electric heater featured when used on both its lowest and highest settings for an hour. You’ll find the prices in the specifications, so you can assess its overall affordability for you and how you’re likely to use it. All prices are based on the £0.34/kWh price of electricity set out by the Energy Price Guarantee, which was correct at the time of writing.

Are electric heaters safe?

Safety is paramount when it comes to using heated products. All the heaters we’ve featured have either timers or auto cut-off features that will turn them off if they get too hot. We’ve also highlighted whether they have handles, as this impacts their portability – many don’t, meaning you must wait until they’ve cooled down before you can safely move them.

How the electric heaters are used can also impact their safety, explains Giuseppe Capanna, Product Safety Engineer at the charity Electrical Safety First. He says: “Some simple steps people can take to use their heaters safely are to avoid powering from an extension lead, as this can overload and cause fires, and to ensure they are at least a metre away from combustible materials such as clothes.

“We would advise people to only use these devices when they are in attendance and awake. It’s important that you never leave them on unattended or overnight in case something happens. Alternatively, people could warm the room before going to bed.”

What type of heater is best?

We’ve tested three different types of heaters, and here are the pros and cons of each:

Radiators

Similar in appearance to the radiators you’ll find in your home, these portable versions generally heat and circulate oil instead of water to generate their warmth.

They are also Giuseppe’s top pick for safety and efficiency. He says: “Unlike fan heaters, halogen heaters and convection heaters, oil filled radiators don’t have exposed heating elements and the heat from them is less intense than the others, so they are less likely to ignite any items near-by.

“They take longer to warm up, but they also continue to give out heat after they have been switched off. They are generally more economical to run than a fan heater or a convection heater. However, the fins still get quite hot so keep children from touching the radiators while they are hot.”

Convection heaters

These heaters circulate air throughout the unit and into the surrounding space, meaning they are generally quiet and better at evenly warming an entire room. Like radiators, they can take a while to warm up.

Fan heaters

Ideal for quick, targeted warmth, fan heaters work by blowing air over a heated element as it passes into the room – this means they can be noisy. They’re best used for short blasts, rather than extended periods of time, as the elements don’t always retain heat well (meaning they must keep reheating, using more electricity). Fans with ceramic elements are generally more efficient.

What to look for in an electric heater

Once you’ve settled on the best type of heater for your room and needs, there are a few extra things to consider:

Size: As heaters are best used to warm smaller spaces, check the dimensions to ensure that you have room to position it safely and to store it away when it’s no longer needed.

Portability features: If the heater will remain in the same spot, you won’t need these, but if you’re likely to move it around your home, then wheels and handles can prove helpful.

Timers and thermostats: These give you more control over how long your heater is on for and the warmth it’s emitting. Setting a timer and thermostat also means you can use your fan more efficiently, as it will turn off once it has been on for a set period of time or when the room reaches your desired temperature – much better than guessing or leaving it on for longer than necessary!

Wattage: We’ve highlighted the energy consumption for the products on this list, but where you’re not sure about a heater’s efficiency, check its wattage. Broadly speaking, the higher the wattage, the more energy it’s going to use.

Smart connectivity: Falling firmly in the nice-to-have category, you can connect to some heaters on this list via apps. This means you can control it remotely – perfect if your home office starts getting toasty mid-Zoom.

How we test electric heaters

To find the best electric heater, our experts start by measuring their power consumption. They run each heater for an hour on its highest and lowest setting and calculate how much it costs for that period.

They also carry out two tests to discover how effective each heater is at warming a small room. Firstly, they measure the temperature at a series of set distances away from the heater. This helps them ascertain whether it needs to be placed near you or if it can heat the whole space from afar.

Then they assess how comfortable it is to sit in a room with the heater. Our experts ensure the room is cold beforehand, then use the heater on max to see what difference it makes.

For fan heaters, our experts also measure its air strength using a device called an anemometer; the more powerful it is, the more likely you are to feel its effects quickly.

Finally, they measure how loud each heater is, to ensure that it won’t prove too disruptive if it’s running in the background.

Throughout testing, they assess the heater’s overall design and ease of use, awarding it a final score that takes all the tests into account. These are their best buys: