With the temperature plummeting and energy prices rocketing, many of us are turning to electric heaters to stay warm this winter. To help you find the cheapest prices on the best electric heaters tested by our team of IndyBest experts, we’re tracking the best deals you can shop today.
While central heating is more energy efficient, using a portable electric heater to heat a small area of your home can help you cut down on your bills and avoid wasting energy. They’re also useful when other heating options just aren’t available to you.
While prices vary, you really don’t need to spend very much on an electric heater to stay warm. All electric heaters are essentially 100 per cent efficient, even the smallest and cheapest ones, meaning they convert all of the electricity they use into heat.
For example, at full power, a 2,400W electric heater will heat a given space twice as quickly as a 1,200W heater, but it will cost twich as much to run. The best saving you can make is by choosing the cheapest electric heater that still does everything you need it to.
That said, more expensive electric heaters can also come with features such as wireless controls, fan speed settings, timers and safety switches, which can be useful when trying to keep costs down.
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The best electric heater deals for December are:
- Beldray climate cube: Was £36.99, now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Russell Hobbs retro 1.8kW horizontal/vertical grey fan heater: Was £39, now £22, Very.com
- Warmlite WL44002 thermo fan heater: Was £19.99, now £19.02, Amazon.co.uk
- Draper Tools PTC electric space heater: Was £50.33, now £43.95, Amazon.co.uk
- Dimplex winterwarm 80W tube heater: Was £37, now £33, Argos.co.uk
- Vortex Air bladeless tower fan: Was £159.99, now £149.99, Hotsnap.co.uk
- Warmlite electric stove heater: Was £89, now £76, Very.co.uk
- Daewoo convector space heater 2,000W: Was £39.99, now £27, Amazon.co.uk
- Dyson hot+cool purifying fan heater: Was £649.99, now £599.99, Johnlewis.com
Beldray climate cube: Was £36.99, now £19.99, Amazon.co.uk
Here’s the cheapest electric heater we’ve tested and can recommend. The Beldray climate cube costs just £19.99 at Amazon and includes a tip-over safety switch and adjustable temperature settings. The 500W output is best suited to small spaces or heating your favourite spot in front of the telly. When the weather gets warm again, it will double as a fan and air cooler.
Russell Hobbs retro 1.8kW horizontal/vertical grey fan heater: Was £39, now £22, Very.co.uk
One of the best price-to-power-output ratios we’ve spotted is on this £22 Russell Hobbs heater at Very. The brand’s latest heater kicks out an impressive 1,800W, making it expensive to run at full blast, but quick to warm up a room, so you don’t have to leave it switched on for long. It can also be positioned vertically, to save space.
Warmlite WL44002 thermo fan heater: Was £19.99, now £19.02, Amazon.co.uk
There’s almost £10 off this portable little electric heater at Amazon, which runs at either 1,000W for gentle heating or 2,000W to quickly warm up a cold room. Pay no mind to this heater’s claims of being “ultra-efficient”, a particular bugbear of ours at IndyBest. One watt is one watt, and while the shape and material of the heater can have some effect on how quickly energy gets turned into heat and sent into the room, it will cost the same on your electricity bill no matter which way you slice it.
Draper Tools PTC electric space heater: Was £50.33, now £43.95, Amazon.co.uk
This powerful electric space heater outputs at 2,800W, making it ideally suited for keeping large rooms toasty or warming up small areas very quickly. Overheat protection prevents damaging the components and fine temperature controls allow you to dial back the heat to suit the space.
Dimplex winterwarm 80W tube heater: Was £37, now £33, Argos.co.uk
This specialist tube heater is designed for use in small and well-insulated spaces, such as airing cupboards and porches. It uses a low-energy 80W heater, so while it won’t pump out enough warmth for a bedroom it can help take the chill out of a front porch, or prevent frost in other spots where a regular electric heater isn’t suitable. It comes with the bits you need to mount it vertically or horizontally and plugs into any regular wall socket. It doesn’t have an on/off switch, but is thermostatically controlled to automatically cut out once the space gets up to temperature.
Vortex Air bladeless tower fan: Was £159.99, now £149.99, Hotsnap.co.uk
This Dyson dupe is 70 per cent cheaper than the leading brand and produces the same amount of heat at 1,800W. The bladess heating fan features touch screen controls, a wide angle oscillation, timer settings and a remote control, which is useful when you can’t face getting out from under your duvet to fire it up.
Warmlite electric stove heater: Was £89, now £76, Very.co.uk
Electric heaters generally aren’t pretty objects, but Warmlite’s range of fire-effect heaters combines instant heat with a design that resembles a classic, 54cm tall cast iron stove. Up to 2,000W of output means the heater can warm up a small room in just a few minutes, while the adjustable settings let you tweak the brightness of the fake LED fireplace as well as set the thermostat to your desired temperature.
Daewoo convector space heater 2,000W: Was £39.99, now £27, Amazon.co.uk
The functional design of this portable electric heater from Daewoo isn’t winning any beauty prizes, but it’s practical for home and office use and, with 32 per cent off, its a good deal at Amazon. A type of electric heater, convector heaters are especially reliant on the room not being too draughty, as the hot air they create quickly leaves the heater, so it’s especially suited to rooms where the door can be kept closed.
Dyson hot+cool purifying fan heater: Was £649.99, now £599.99, Johnlewis.com
At the opposite end of the spectrum to the rest of the heaters in our list is the luxurious Dyson hot+cool purifying fan, which filters out airborne particulates while warming up the air that passes through it. At £649.99 this heat fan is as much a statement piece of furniture as it is a means of keeping toasty on cold nights, but right now there’s £50 off at John Lewis.
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