They are also designed with wheels to allow for easy portability, meaning you can easily move the radiator between rooms in your home or office. We assess how easily each electric heater can be set up and how easily understandable the controls and settings are. It’s important to be conscious about our energy usage – it helps us look after both the planet and our bills. Because of the nature of fan heaters, the warm air being blown out can reach a further distance more quickly than other heaters, meaning they can quickly heat a room up.

The rates for Economy 7 energy therefore may differ, but will hopefully still give you an idea of which types of room heaters have the cheapest running costs.The heater boasts variable power settings with a thermostat temperature dial so you can easily set the temperature you require, and thanks to its cool touch handle, can be moved around the house or office. Oil heaters are energy efficient as they maintain temperature, perfect to save money this winter by heating a room, rather than whole house. Convection heaters work by circulating air through the room by the process of convection – where warm air rises and cold air sinks. For purposes of assessing the cost of running an oil-filled radiator, we have assumed the average wattage is 1500W.

Fan heaters are generally available for about 2000W, and are often available with thermostatic control. The oil also makes the heater heavy and they can be difficult to lift or move around, although many are equipped with wheels to make them more portable. Where you only want to heat a single room, such as your home office, oil heaters will usually make more sense than turning on the central heating. They’re also safer than some portable heaters because there is no element that could be a fire hazard and are very quiet, so won’t disturb you while you try to meet deadlines or are just trying to relax in front of the telly. This can be handy for easy timer scheduling, thermostat adjustment or voice commands – but you'll need to ensure you keep on top of downloading the latest updates to avoid any privacy or security risks.They tend to be a little slower than fan heaters, but are quieter, and our tests found some are still pretty speedy. You will have to allow for enough time for the heater to warm up before the space reaches a comfortable temperature, maybe 20-30 minutes.

This means the electric heater will need to run at full blast for longer than your central heating, as it will have a tougher job keeping the room at the temperature you want. They get their name from the halogen element inside the bulb or lamp of the heater which, when combined with electricity, heats up and provides a radiant heat. Adjustable thermostat Using this function, a portable heater will heat the room and when the desired temperature is reached, it will try to maintain the room at that temperature. Need to know Three power settings, 150cm cable, lip handles on both sides, wall-mountable Dimplex 2.

The oil in the radiator acts as a heat reservoir, which stays hot for some time after the heater's switched off. If you have the thermostat of your heater set to a desired temperature, the heater will toggle on and off once it reaches that temperature – depending on what's needed to maintain it. Some modern options also have smart features so you can program them via companion apps and smart speakers.