They tend to be cheap to run, but some can be really slow to heat up. Most oil-filled heaters are also fairly heavy and cumbersome, so look out for models that come with wheels. Fan heaters can be moved between rooms and some are so small they can be placed on a desktop. They can also be installed in the wall or ceiling of a room. How much does it cost to run a fan heater per hour? Portable electric heaters use electricity, which costs 27.35p/kWh under the current energy price cap. Depending on how effective the heater is, they can take anything from 30 minutes to an hour to notably raise the temperature of a medium-sized room, so if you're only planning on using it until the room gets up to temperature, it will likely cost you between 28 and 55p.

Central heating costs per hour are estimated at 12p per hour for gas central heating and 13p an hour for a heat pump, according to heating expert Martyn Bridges, who is director of technical services at Worcester Bosch. This estimate is based on a three-bedroom house with two to three people living in it. Meanwhile a typical 2000W fan heater would cost 68p per hour per fan heater. Whatever you buy, when it comes to buying online, there are a number of things that you should always consider. That pretty much goes for any product, but we want to highlight these as they are particularly important when it comes to shopping for products in the Heaters and radiators category. Follow these tips and you’re sure to find the best product for your needs, whether that may be Challenge 2kW Ceramic Fan Heater or perhaps an alternative. Price and budget 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. Most of the cheaper, simpler heaters we tested have a dial thermostat that doesn't let you choose specific temperatures in °C. You'll likely need to buy a more expensive model for that. Our tests also found that they're rarely 100% accurate and will probably think the room is a couple of °C warmer or cooler than it is.If you were to try replacing the use of your central heating by putting an electric heater in each room, it will definitely end up costing much more. The next step for us was to look at all of the products that fall within the Heaters and radiators category, of which we found 55 products at Argos. So we pulled together all of the prices of these products to analyse the average prices as well as finding the cheapest and most expensive options. Cold air setting Some fan heaters can help cool you down too. They're not nearly as effective as a dedicated air conditioner, but a light breeze of cold air is better than nothing. The actual price of the product that you choose is of course one of the most vital aspects of choosing the right product, we will go into that in more detail in just a moment. Some modern options also have smart features so you can program them via companion apps and smart speakers.

Fan heaters can consume a lot of electricity in a short space of time, and are therefore best used in smaller and well insulated rooms. The oil in the radiator acts as a heat reservoir, which stays hot for some time after the heater's switched off. Some are called 'oil-free' and function in a comparable way, just with an internal heating element instead of any oil. The first is brand. Looking at the brand of the product is often a really good indicator for judging product quality. For example you’d expect a much higher quality product from a brand known for providing excellent quality than you would from an unknown or even a budget brand. It's worth also bearing in mind that calculating the cheapest way to heat a room again depends on a number of variables, such as the size of your home and how energy-efficient it is, your heating requirements, and your energy provider. What are the disadvantages of a fan heater? Frost protection The heater can be set to heat automatically when the temperature drops below 5°C, but you'll need to have it on standby for it to run, so this can limit its usefulness.If you do then find that Challenge 2kW Ceramic Fan Heater isn’t exactly as you thought it would be, you can easily return it.