Plugging in a portable electric heater is a quick and easy way to take the chill out of a cold room, or 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. You might find it hard to track down a particular heater if you wait until the coldest spell to buy.
We've noticed that prices tend to edge up the closer to colder weather we get. So if you want to get a cheap electric heater, our advice would be not to hang around.
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 or more.
Some are more expensive because they have extra features, such as programmable timers, 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 £40 to buy.
Electric heater running costs
- Under the current Energy Price Guarantee, electricity costs 24.5p per kilowatt hour for domestic customers on a standard variable tariff.
- 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 around 49p. For just half an hour, it'll cost you around 24.5p.
- 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 18-59p an hour.
Several of the cheapest electric heaters we've tested have thermostats that detect the ambient temperature and adjust the heater's output according to your preferred setting.
Not many of them have specific temperatures in degrees °C, so rather than programming temperatures on the thermostat you'll need to experiment with your heater's settings and find the coolest one that still gives you the warmth you're looking for.
Once that desired temperature is reached, the heater won't run constantly. It will toggle on and off to maintain that temperature.
Cheap heaters usually have fewer features
Cheaper electric heaters tend to have fewer features than more expensive ones.
How important these features are is down to personal preference. But compared with more expensive ones, a cheap heater is less likely to have:
- Smart functionality. If you prefer manual controls, then this is no loss.
- A fashionable design, such as a tower shape, bold colours or a glass panel.
- A wide range of heat settings. Some only offer a couple of heat settings and basic thermostatic control for hot or cold rather than letting you choose specific temperatures in degrees °C.
- Dehumidification or claimed air purification functions. The best heaters we've tested 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.
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 need 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 what that extra outlay gets you in return
Cheap fan heaters
Fan heaters generate heat and blow it around the room. They get going much more quickly than other types of heater, so if you want instant results a good fan heater may be the right type for you.
Be wary of fan heaters if you need something quiet though – their internal fans can be noisy.
See all our reviews of the best fan heaters.
Beldray EH0569SSTK Portable Fan Heater
You won't find many electric heaters cheaper than this Beldray fan heater and it's highly portable, weighing 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 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.
Challenge 2kW Flat Fan Heater
Available from Argos (£25)
This is a simple fan heater with two dials: one for choosing the power level and one for adjusting the thermostat.
It also has a 170cm-long cable – which is a bit longer than most we've seen.
Though it's small, it has the same power output as some larger fan heaters – read our full review to see how it compares on the best fan heaters page.
De'Longhi Capsule Hobby 2.4kW Fan Heater
This 2.4kW fan heater stands stationary on an elevated surface and blows hot air in whichever direction it faces.
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.
Logik L20CTH23 Portable Hot and Cool Ceramic Fan Heater
Available from Currys (£39.99) (out of stock for delivery)
This heater can also act just like a fan, making it useful all year round and not just for the winter months.
While it can rotate to spread the heat, we found the angle it moved though was smaller than many other fan heaters we've tested.
However, it has a useful carry handle to move it easily from room to room if multiple areas need it throughout the day.
Logik L20THW22 Portable Ceramic Fan Heater
Available from Currys (£52.99) (out of stock)
This small and cheap-to-buy tower heater has an oscillating setting, so you can set it to rotate and spread the heat more evenly around the room.
You can choose specific temperatures on the thermostat, but it only has two power settings – most heaters have three.
Fan heaters tend to be noisy but we were surprised to find this one was quieter than most we've tested.
Cheap convector heaters
Convector heaters have an exposed heating element that warms up cold air that passes through.
They're not quite as cheap, generally speaking, as fan heaters, and can be a little slower to get going.
However, they tend to be more thorough in terms of heating rooms evenly from corner to corner, floor to ceiling.
See which were the best convector heaters from our tests.
Beldray EH3334 Portable Convector Heater
This is one of the cheaper convector heaters we've tested, and it's very similar to the Challenge Diamond below.
It has the same three heat settings, but doesn't come with a 24-hour timer.
If you aren't bothered by the timer feature, then this one is usually cheaper to buy.
Challenge Diamond 2kW Convector Heater
Also available from Argos (£40)
Challenge is Argos's own brand, and this convector heater is cheap to buy and simple to use.
Its low price is reflected in its lack of features, but it does still have a manual 24-hour timer and three heat settings.
The handles at each end on the top also make it easy to move it around.
DeLonghi HSX2320 Convector Heater
This mid-range convector heater has a simple design despite being more expensive than the cheapest heaters, but that simplicity might appeal.
It has three power settings, a frost-protection setting, and a basic thermostat.
We found it stable when it had the feet attached, and it's quiet as a mouse when it's running.
Igenix IG5250 Portable Convector Heater
This 2kW Igenix convector heater has three power settings, a programmable timer and lip handles at each end to help you move it around your home.
In our tests we found it stable once assembled, but it was a little bit fiddly to attach feet to the base.
Russell Hobbs RHCVH4002 Convection Heater
This heater is in-demand and has frequently drifted in and out of stock over the past couple of years.
It's another no-frills convector with a mechanical timer and an adjustable thermostat that doesn't list specific temperatures in degrees °C.
It doesn't have full-size handles, but there are little handholds on the sides to help you grip while moving it.
Cheap electric oil heaters
These warm up oil inside the heater. This then acts as a heat reservoir that tends to warm rooms at a slower, but longer-lasting, rate.
They're usually on the larger side as far as portable heaters go, so they're rarely the cheapest.
We've found and tested ones for less than £100, though.
See what our expert tests revealed as the best oil filled radiators.
Daewoo Mini Oil Filled Radiator
This oil-filled radiator really is mini – it's not much bigger than some of the smallest heaters we've tested.
With that in mind, you won't be surprised to hear that you'll need to run it for a bit longer than other heaters to benefit from the heat it gives out.
It's as simple as can be, with a single dial to switch it on and another dial to turn the heat up or down.
John Lewis Digital Oil Radiator
John Lewis's own-brand oil-filled radiator is surprisingly cheap for a heater of this type.
It has plenty of features you normally find on more expensive heaters too, such as a programmable thermostat and timer, and integrated cable storage.
The wheels will help on flat surfaces but it's fairly bulky, so if you've got a lot of stairs in your home you might find it tricky to move around.
Russell Hobbs RHOFR5002B Portable Oil-Filled Radiator
The wheels do make this heater easier to push around, and it's also only 9.5kg, which is light compared to several other oil-filled radiators we've tested.
It's pretty basic in its controls. It has three power settings and a thermostat that ranges from non-specific cool to hot temperatures.
We found the handle on the side extra helpful when moving it around, especially when taking it up or down stairs.
Zanussi ZOFR5005 Portable Oil-Filled Radiator
This oil-filled radiator is at the pricier end of our selection of cheap heaters, but you do get more features for your money.
It has a digital display and 24-hour timer, a thermostat that lets you select specific temperatures between 5°C and 35°C, and it comes with a remote control.
The wheels also help make it easier to move around. It is quite heavy if you need to lift it, though.
Cheap halogen heaters
Portable halogen heaters are often cheap to buy – all of those we've tested cost less than £50.
They're also among the cheapest types to run, though they don't do much to warm up a room. You'll feel most heat if you're directly in front of one.
Find out which are the best halogen heaters and the cheapest to run.
Belaco Halogen Electric Heater BEL-HHC19S
This simple halogen heater lacks any digital features but does have three power settings. Pushing all three power buttons will give you maximum heat output.
As it's quite light at just 1.8kg, it can be easily pushed over if knocked. Make sure to set it up in a spot that's out of the way.
Beldray 1.2kW Halogen Heater EH0197
This halogen heater is simple and cheap, and has three power settings to choose from.
The lip handle on the back isn't especially useful for moving it around, but the heater is so light that it doesn't need too firm a grip to lift it anyway.
Daewoo Oscillating Halogen Heater HEA1416
This cheap halogen heater has an oscillate setting, so you can set it to rotate while it runs, spreading its heat over a wider area.
As is the case with the other halogen heaters we've tested, it doesn't have a thermostat for choosing specific temperatures.
Igenix IG9509 Portable Halogen Heater
This halogen heater doesn't oscillate, so you'll need to make sure it's angled the way you want as the heat will only go in one direction.
It's very simple to use and there are just two buttons that are the on/off switches for the two halogen lamps on the heater.
Supawarm Deluxe Halogen Heater
This halogen heater has three power levels, it oscillates and it even comes with a spare replacement bulb.
It wasn't completely silent in our tests – we noticed a faint low-level hum.
Warmlite WL42005 3 Bar Halogen Heater
There are three halogen lamps on this heater, so you can choose any combination of each to adjust how much heat you want it to pump out.
We like how quietly this halogen heater runs. It's pretty much silent, so you won't be disturbed if you're using it while watching TV.
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Are cheap electric heaters less effective than expensive ones?
Not necessarily. Heaters can be highly efficient at turning electricity into heat regardless of their price. You don't always need an expensive heater to get 'more' out of the electricity you use.
That said, there are plenty of cheap electric heaters that are quite poor at doing the basic job of keeping you warm.
However, paying more doesn't guarantee good quality either.
You're more likely to buy a poor-quality heater if you buy a cheap model without doing your research, so if you want a heater that's good value (rather than just cheap), check our electric heater reviews first.
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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 correct 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 longer periods.
If you're relying on your portable heater because your boiler isn't doing its job, find out how to buy the best 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.
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Will there be any electric heater deals in the sales this year?
Sam Morris, Which? senior researcher for electric heaters says:
'As you might expect, interest in electric heaters reaches its peak in the winter months. Over the past few years they've flown off the shelves as the nights have drawn in – even after having their prices hiked rather than cut.
'With demand so high, many electric heaters end up out of stock for weeks at a time, so there's no real incentive for retailers to drop their prices for the seasonal sales. Hence you're unlikely to find many among the winter deals.
'The heaters we've highlighted in this article are still at the cheaper end of the scale, even though they're mostly at full price. If you're determined to find cheap electric heater deals, the summer months are often when they have their prices slashed.'
Save money on your central heating
If you have a combi boiler, you can make 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: 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.
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. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available. Prices and availability last updated 2 October 2024.
