Is it cheaper to use a radiator or electric heater? (2023)

FAQs

Is radiator heat cheaper than electric? ›

The verdict. It all comes down to whether you're heating a single room or an entire house. If you're just using one room – for example working from home – and need a quick burst of heat, using an electric heater can be a money saver compared with firing up the central radiator heating system.

Electric Radiators are much more efficient than electric heaters, as they provide a uniform heat and are less noisy. They are also better for large rooms, as they provide a more even temperature.

So, after looking at the different types of electric heaters available, due to its lower power-output, halogen heaters are the cheapest electric heaters to run.

The cheapest way to heat your home is by using an efficient gas central heating system, thermostatic radiator valves, a room thermostat and a timer.

Overall, for heating the same space, an electric heater costs more than twice as much as using central heating. However, electric radiators can be more cost effective if you're just heating a small room.

Radiators are inefficient

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. The time to heat up the water, and cool down when you no longer need the heating, make radiators less efficient compared with surface heating.

There is only one way to get more heat using electricity than using electric resistance heat and that is a heat pump. A heat pump is about one-third the cost of running one of these electric heaters. They operate on a similar principle as an air conditioner or refrigerator.

Infrared panels

These heaters provide all of their heat output through infrared warmth, making them super-efficient for homes and businesses. None of their heat is lost to air movement, allowing them to boast a very impressive 100% efficiency, as they convert every watt of energy taken from the wall into usable heat.

Electric radiators are more efficient than electric panel heaters because 1/3 of their warmth is produced through radiation which bypasses the air to warm people, objects and surfaces directly.

Although prices have risen, natural gas is the least costly form of space heating. This is followed by electricity, propane, and heating oil, from the next cheapest to the most expensive. It also pays to consider eco-friendly home improvements that make home eco-heating more efficient, too.

How much does it cost to run a 1500 watt heater for 8 hours? ›

For example, running a 1,500-watt heater for 8 hours a day can cost an average of $1.92 each day. That means it will cost many users just under $60 to operate the space heater for 8 hours every day for an entire month.

Switching off the radiators in empty spaces is definitely the cheapest way to heat your home this winter. And you might even find that an oil-filled electric radiator is cheaper to run than your boiler.

If you use a space heater in your home, please be aware that using a space heater can cause a significant increase in your monthly bill. A 1,000-watt space heater operating 12 hours a day will add about $40 to your monthly bill.

We've used this figure in the calculations below to illustrate the highest amount it could cost to run an electric heater from October 2022. Electric heaters show how much energy they use as their heat output. For example, a 2kW fan heater would cost 68p an hour to run on full power (34p x 2kW).

Energy Saving

All the electricity used by an oil filled radiator is used to generate heat; namely by warming the oil inside. There is no electricity wasted. This makes the oil filled radiator one of the most energy efficient ways of heating any room. It is also surprisingly cheap to run!

The following disadvantages of Radiator are: Heat loss takes place if not used and maintained properly. Noisy operation. It needs an adequate amount of airflow in the room in order for a radiator to properly work.

They can be noisy, they always clutter up the room, they often cause draughts, and many are expensive to run. There is a portable heater that doesn't suffer any of these drawbacks.

However, modern electric radiators are now efficient enough to be a completely cost-effective alternative to other central heating sources, including oil and gas. And, when combined with solar and wind power, electric heating can absolutely be considered the energy of the future.

What is the cheapest way to heat a house without electricity? ›

Gas boiler

It's not as cost-effective without solar panels, but a gas boiler is still the cheapest way to heat your home – though that's set to change soon, with the cost of gas rising more than twice as quickly as electricity.

The ideal thermostat temperature in the winter is 68 degrees Fahrenheit when you're at home. Energy.gov suggests that 68 degrees is a good room temperature while you're awake at home but recommends lowering it while you're asleep or away.

Heat pumps are some of the most efficient units for heating an old home for their energy-saving properties. Heat pumps transfer existing heat instead of creating it. While they are a costly investment upfront, you'll save money that more than makes up for the installation costs.

If you're looking for a heater that won't use much power and helps cut costs on energy bills, your best bet is a halogen heater, a convection heater or an oil-filled radiator, particularly if they have effective thermostat controls.

What are the pros of electric radiators? Electric radiators are 100% efficient at point of use. This means that every Joule of energy you pay for is converted to heat which helps to save energy and reduce running costs.

Yeah, Oil Filled Radiators are cheaper to run. Usually, Oil Filled Radiators are energy efficient and the biggest advantage of an oil-filled panel heater is their portability, it heats those parts or areas of your house, where another conventional heater can't heat.

The difference between electric radiators and electric panel heaters is this: Electric Radiators store heat and are ideal for prolonged everyday use. Electric Panel Heaters don't store heat and are ideal for occasional use.

“Although gas is less expensive to use daily, installation, maintenance, and operating costs frequently make electricity the more affordable alternative for effectively heating your home.

"Buying a space heater for every room would increase the electricity bill more than if you had just bumped up the thermostat," Mikelann Scerbo, research manager for the Alliance to Save Energy, told Save on Energy.

How big of a room will 1500 watts heat? ›

As a rule of thumb, you will need 10 watts of heating power for every square foot of floor area in a room. This means that a 1,500-watt heater can be the primary heat source for an area measuring up to 150 square feet.

Using a space heater to target rooms you're using instead of heating the entire house is a surefire way to trim money off of your monthly energy spend. Space heaters cost about 20 cents per hour to operate, give or take, which is a whole lot cheaper than central heat for a home of almost any size.

Electric radiators are ultra-efficient because they convert 100% of the energy they use into heat. Their efficiency is also largely due to the amount of radiant heat they produce, as well as their in-built energy-saving features.

Comparing the Energy Savings

Radiators and other space heaters approach 100 percent efficiency in their use of electricity, but you can achieve greater functional efficiency based on your heating needs.

Radiators can be an efficient, cost-saving way of heating your house. Their delivery pipes are a heat source, spreading the warmth out over a long, narrow area. The benefit of any radiator, whether it uses hot water or steam, is its efficiency.

It depends largely on the type of house, size of room and quality of insulation. However the maximum the heater will cost will per 1unit of electricity per hour, per kilowatt of heat. For example, if you have a1500 W heater the maximum it will use is 1.5 energy units per hour.

How much does it cost to run a 1500 watt heater for 30 days? ›

Using a space heater to target rooms you're using instead of heating the entire house is a surefire way to trim money off of your monthly energy spend. Space heaters cost about 20 cents per hour to operate, give or take, which is a whole lot cheaper than central heat for a home of almost any size.

electric heating cost is much cheaper. A single kilowatt-hour (kWh) unit of gas costs around 4.65p, whereas the average price for a kWh of electricity is more than 20p.

This means that you'll need to use more power to heat your room with panel heaters than you would with energy efficient electric radiators. This in turn makes the heaters more expensive to run than radiators.

The formula is as follows:

For example, if you use an electric radiator with an output of 900W for 10 hours every day, multiply 0.9kW by 10 to get a cost of 9kW/h. If the tariff is charged at 14p per kW/h, you then multiply 9 by 14 to get a daily running cost of 126p.

As a general rule, heating your home with a natural gas furnace is the cheapest way to keep warm through the winter months.

Gas and Oil. Electric heaters that are powered by the main electricity supply are very efficient in terms of how they convert energy into heat. In fact, electric heaters are 100% efficient. Gas central heating system are less efficient than this, with most operating in and around 90% efficiency which is pretty good.

With radiator heat, you will feel warmer at a lower temperature because there's no breeze. Quieter operation. Furnaces can make quite a bit of noise as they blow warm air throughout the home. Since there's no forced-air component to hot water heating, these systems work much more quietly.