What is the cheapest electric heater to run? Experts reveal

Finding the cheapest electric heater to run is key to keeping your home toasty during the winter months, without breaking the bank. In the midst of the current cold snap, opting for a cost-efficient electric heater will help you stay warm without worrying about high energy bills.

As much as enlisting the help of the best electric heater will benefit you, there are many different types on the market, all with varying running costs, and knowing which is the cheapest can save you a lot of money. Based off current energy prices, we can confirm that halogen heaters are officially the cheapest type of electric heater to run.

But if you want to know more about how much it costs to run an electric heater, we’ve done the research and gathered expert advice so you can understand the running cost of each type. Here’s to keeping your house warm this winter, in a cost-efficient way.

How to calculate cost to run

We’ve calculated these costs based on the energy price cap as of January 2025, which is currently set at 24.86p per kWh. For the sake of ease, we’ve rounded up this figure to 25p, so you have an idea of the highest amount each respective electric heater could cost to run.

If you wish to calculate the cost of running a specific electric heater you either already own or have your eye on, you can do so by following these simple steps:

• Find the power of the heater in kilowatts (kW). You can do this by dividing the wattage by 1000 e.g. 1200W is 1.2kW.
• Multiply the kW by the number of hours you’re using the appliance. E.g. using a 1.2kW appliance for 1 hour is 1.2kWh.
• Multiply the kWh by the energy price cap (currently 25p to the nearest penny as of 1st January 2025). E.g. 1.2kWh multiplied by 25 equals a running cost of roughly 30p per hour.

‘The cost of running an electric heater depends on a few factors such as the type of heater from oil-filled to infrared heaters, its energy efficiency, electricity rates and how often you like to have your heating on,’ starts Jess Steele, heating and technology expert at BestHeating.

‘The cheapest electric heaters are those that are most energy efficient, can retain the most heat and can effectively heat a room without using up loads of electricity.’

As such, here are different types of electric heaters you can expect to see on the market, and their cost to run.

Fan heaters

Fan heaters are probably one of the most common choices for an electric heater, with wattages ranging from 1000W to 2000W. However, most of the time 2kW is the most common you’ll see, especially in more budget models. Per hour, a 2kW fan heater will cost roughly 50p when running on full power.

‘So if you left this on for 4 hours, it would cost roughly £1.99, which equates to about £13.93 per week, if you’re running it for 4 hours every day,’ Nicholas Auckland, heating and energy expert at Trade Radiators explains.

Fan heaters are typically a lot lighter and easily portable. The oscillation angle and automatic tilting fan head are designed to spread warmth across a 90-degree angle in each direction for an efficient distribution of heat around the room.

Convection heaters

Typically, convector heaters have a wattage of around 2000W across the board. There are some low wattage models available, but a majority out there sport the 2kW power output with pride. In line with current energy prices, most convector heaters therefore cost around 50p per hour to run.

‘Radiators, electric panel heaters and convector heaters work by creating a convection current in a room. As the hot air rises, it circles to the other side of the room, cools and sinks and travels back along the floor to the heater to be reheated again,’ explains Jonny Samuel, buying manager at Ryman. ‘They take some time to heat a room, but once turned off the heat lingers.’

So, while the base cost to run a convector heater isn’t the cheapest, there’s a possibility you get some bang out of your buck as the heat remains for a little bit after the fact.

Halogen heaters

As a general rule of thumb, halogen heaters have a wattage of around 1200W. However, some models offer adjustable heat settings of 400, 800, and 1200W. Each setting uses around 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2kW per hour respectively. Therefore, you can expect running costs of between 10p to 30p per hour depending on your desired setting.

‘Halogen heaters prove the cheapest option and one of the best products when it comes to heating a room quickly,’ explains James Longley, managing director at Utility Bidder. This is because halogen heaters are directional, allowing you to feel the heat instantly.

Martin Lewis has also agreed that halogen heaters are a recommended source of warming your home this winter, as they are the cheapest to run. The cost to run is also dependent on the size and power you purchase. Amazon’s best seller, the Bellaco portable heater has over 1,900 positive reviews.

However, Jonny Samuel at Ryman does note that the biggest draw of a halogen heater – its directional heat – is also one of its downfalls. ‘As soon as you turn them off, the heat quickly dissipates.’

Oil-filled heaters

The wattage of the best oil-filled heaters can range anywhere between 500W to 2500W, with its kWh ranging between 0.5 to 2.5kW per hour. This means that the cost of running an oil-filled heater can fall between 12p and can reach as high as 62p per hour, depending on the specific model and setting you use.

Oil-filled heaters have been proven to be very energy-efficient, quiet, and safe for households with children and pets. ‘Oil-filled heaters are one of the cheapest options as they are great at retaining heat even after being turned off, meaning you spend less heating up the room. They provide a slow and steady heat that can be cost-effective,’ assures Jess at BestHeating.

Although prices can go up to 60p per hour, this still works out cheaper than the cost of running central heating for an hour.

Infrared heaters

‘Infrared heaters produce heat that is a product of invisible light. This is done by converting electricity into radiant heat,’ explains James Longley at Utility Bidder. ‘This heat is effectively the same heat feeling we would get from the winter sun, and an infrared heating panel would commonly be visualised as being a long panel with radiant orange light.’

Generally speaking, infrared heaters are considered cheap(ish) to run. They hold a wattage of anywhere between 900W to 2000W, depending on whether you opt for infrared heating panels or something more akin to an infrared patio heater. Therefore, the cost to run can range from 22p to 50p per hour.

James continues, ‘With this in mind, infrared heaters can be used as heating solutions for the whole home, or simply as a conventional heater to keep an immediate space warm alongside your home’s central heating system.’

If you want to implement infrared heating in your home as a regular system, infrared heaters panels are easy to install and commonly appear in size and shape like a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. These panels are available in lower wattages but will ultimately work for longer in the day.

Radiator bar-style heaters

Radiator bar-style heaters vary greatly, with some being very small with wattages of only around 300W whilst some can go as big as 2500W. Therefore, the cost of running this heating starts at 7p and can go up to 62p per hour.

However, despite some of the smallest radiator bar-style heaters starting at just 3kWh, they won’t necessarily heat the room up as quickly, meaning you could need them on for longer and still end up using more electricity overall than with a fan or convection heater.

However, Stephen Hankinson, an energy-efficiency expert at Electric Radiators Direct does note that ‘compared to convection (or fan), radiant heat lasts longer and isn’t affected by air movement, so it does a great job at keeping us cosy.’

‘For maximum efficiency, look out for ceramic radiators which are able to produce much more radiant heat. As ceramic has excellent thermal properties, these radiators offer up to 50% of their warmth as infrared heat,’ he adds. ‘If you need fast-acting warmth, its convection abilities are still there to deliver, but with a much slower cooldown time to keep running costs low.’

The verdict: what is the cheapest electric heater to run?

The verdict is in and we can say that in considering both the cost to run per hour as well as how quickly you can expect to actually feel warm, a halogen heater is the cheapest electric heater to run. Not only are halogen heaters cheap to run, but they are effective at getting the job done, so we think that investing in this type of electric heater this winter will ensure you the best value for money.

However, it is worth noting that even the electric heater with the lowest running costs will eventually rack up your bills with prolonged use.

If we take the potential highest cost of running a halogen heater of 30p per hour and you use it for around 8 hours everyday, this comes out to a daily cost of £2.40 and around £72 over a 30-day period.

If you’re looking for extra ways to save energy this winter, it’s worth looking at how much you pay for your gas and electricity. You might be able to save money by switching to a cheaper tariff or supplier.

Use a price comparison website like Go.Compare to see whether you can save money by switching.

FAQs

What is the cheapest way to heat a room using electricity?

While halogen heaters are the cheapest electric heaters to run, the cheapest form of heating ultimately comes down to your home’s heating needs. ‘The consensus is that the most effective product for you all depends on factors such as electricity rates, efficiency, and your overall usage,’ James from Utility Bidder summarises.

The different types of electric heaters work differently, so some of them are better at heating up entire rooms, while others are more efficient for heating up specific areas.

‘Halogen heaters are the cheapest, as long as you opt for a model that has the low, 400W heating setting,’ Nicholas from Trade Radiators says. ‘They’re great for heating small, targeted areas such as one room, although you’ll need more to heat a whole home.’

If you are wanting to heat the whole house with electricity, Nicholas recommends convection heaters. ‘They’re great for prolonged use, and will keep heat in the room for a short while after they’re turned off, in comparison to fan heaters which generally stop showing any signs of heat as soon as they’re turned off.’

Can outdoor halogen heaters be used indoors?

Heaters designed for outdoor-use should never be used indoors, and outdoor halogen heaters are not designed for installation or use in bedrooms, living rooms or any other space, since they are not suitable for being used all day long.

There are plenty of indoor halogen heater options available now, and some of them are really budget-friendly. The Warmlite 3 Bar Halogen Heater is £24.99 on Amazon, and has a 4.1 star rating out of over 1,600 reviews.

Are halogen heaters cheaper to run than fan heaters?

The answer is, yes, halogen heaters are cheaper to run than fan heaters, as they give off less heat, therefore using less power. This is because there are low-wattage models available in halogen heaters, with some devices using as little as 400W. Fan heaters on the other hand tend to be around 2000W (though, if you’re opting for a higher-wattage halogen heater, there will be little difference).

If you’re also wondering how much it costs to run an oil-filled radiator, we have a separate guide, but be sure to look at any heater with a thermostat that allows you to control the temperature.