WINTER is coming and millions of us are trying to find ways of keeping warm without breaking the bank.
One solution is an electric heater.
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While the energy is expensive, heaters are great if you are only looking to warm up one room or only need to heat an area in short, sharp bursts.
But which electric heater will give you the most warmth for your money?
The Sun’s Lynsey Hope tested some of the best-sellers, taking efficiency, style and, most importantly, value for money into consideration.
She rates them with a score out of ten.
MEACO HEAT MOTION EYE 1.8kW
ONE of the smallest units I tested, its 1.8kW output won’t get a large room toasty, but it’s small and easy to transport, making it perfect for small rooms.
It has a couple of extra features – a seven-hour timer and a motion sensor.
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The detection eye turns on and off when you are within one metre, helping you to control your bills.
It never heats an empty room and only turns on when you need it.
It’s stylish and compact, too.
Cost: £59.99.
Cost per hour: 61.2p (on 1.8kW setting).
Score: 10/10
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VONHAUS SMALL STOVE HEATER
GREAT value for money.
I’m not sure you’d mistake it for a real stove but the finish is good and the realistic log flame looks attractive when it’s turned on.
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There are two heat settings and it warmed up a medium-sized lounge quickly.
What I liked best about this is the look – if you don’t want a bulky, ugly heater clogging up your room, and you have space, this is lovely and does a great job.
Cost: £84.99, vonhaus.com.
Cost per hour: 31.4p (on lowest 0.925kW setting).
Score: 6
SMART AIR TOTAL ROOM 8in TURBO FAN
A FANCY bit of kit but an eyesore and not ideal if you have minimal space.
It’s pricey too, costing nearly £150.
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The upside is that it has different functions, 12 heat settings and can act as a fan in the summer.
The instructions look daunting, but it’s relatively easy to use.
You can connect it to Alexa and other devices, but you’ll need to be tech savvy to do this.
It’s one of the quietest I tried. It heated up a good-sized lounge well.
Cost: £149.99, currys.co.uk.
Cost per hour: 61.2p (on 1.8kW setting).
Score: 7/10
DeLONGHI CAPSULE CERAMIC HEATER
I LOVED this stylish heater and felt it punched above its weight, emitting just as much heat as some larger models.
Its compact size means you can carry it from room to room, and it has two power settings, depending on the size of the room.
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It also has a summer ventilation mode – that’s a fan to you and I.
It’s a little noisy so not ideal for the bedroom, but I have no complaints.
Cost: £45, delonghi.com.
Cost per hour: 61.2p (on 1.8kW setting).
Score: 8/10
WARMLITE 1kW CARBON INFRARED
THIS carbon infrared heater warms up faster and saves more energy than a traditional electric fan heater, so this could be a good option.
It’s tall but the base is quite small so it doesn’t need much floor space.
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It has two power settings and an oscillating function.
I was impressed with how quickly it warmed up a room, but I’d prefer something a bit more stylish that takes up less space.
Cost: £49.99, ryman.co.uk.
Cost per hour: 34p (on 1kW setting).
Score: 6/10
BELACO FAN HEATER
A PRETTY basic portable heater, but it gives off a very hot blast of air and it warmed up the room quite fast.
If anything, it was a bit too hot. Even though it’s a simple design, it does have a safety trip-over switch that cuts off the power if it’s knocked over.
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It’s lightweight and easy to carry around from room to room.
It has a useful red power light to indicate that it is in use.
It wasn’t my favourite heater, but for the price I could not complain.
Cost: £17.90, amazon.co.uk.
Cost per hour: 68p.
Score: 4/10
WILKO STATUS 1.2kW HALOGEN
A GREAT option if you only need to put this on for a quick blast.
Halogen heaters are one of the most energy efficient you can buy.
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This one costs around 18p an hour to run (on a higher setting).
It heats whatever you point it at so it’s great if you want to direct it at you or your guests to keep warm, but it’s not ideal for heating an entire room.
It worked quickly but only in small areas. It’s a great price.
Cost: £23, wilko.com.
Cost per hour: 13.6p (on 0.4kW setting).
Score: 9/10
KIRKTON HOUSE ELECTRIC STOVE
THIS has the look of a wood-burning stove and two different heat settings.
It looks great – you’d never it guess it cost less than £45 from Aldi – and the visual flame is really nice.
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The heat it kicks out is good for a small room.
The downside is that it can be quite noisy.
But once the room is warm enough, you can switch off the fan and keep the flame effect, which looks good.
Cost: £44.99, aldi.com.
Cost per hour: 34p (on 1kW setting).
Score: 7/10
THEY’RE CHEAPER THAN PUTTING ON RADIATOR
A PLUG-IN electric heater uses around three kilowatt hours of energy (kWh) per hour, according to the price comparison site Uswitch.
A “kilowatt hour of energy” is a unit of measurement referring to one kilowatt of power for one hour.
The current energy price cap sets a limit of 34p per kWh, so when working out how much each heater will cost you, multiply 34p by the number of “kW hours” each uses.
This means an average heater would cost you £1.02 to run per hour.
If you leave it on for three hours, it would cost you £3.06. That is £21.42 a week if you use it for the same period of time each day.
This may sound expensive, but portable heaters allow you to heat only the space you need to be warm, instead of the entire home.
This means it can work out cheaper than putting on the central heating, especially if you don’t have individual room control.
