Budget Electric Heaters

This winter is going to be a nightmare.

The cost of living crisis means many of us are facing some difficult choices, the Home Heating Shop is about saving you money on heating, take a look at our selection of budget portable electric heaters to help you keep heating costs down.

Home Heating Shop Budget Best Buys.

Cheap Electric Heaters Under £20

We recommend these as stop-gap solutions for one season and not for long-term use.

Cheap Electric Heaters Under £50

These are what we recommend for 'backup' heating.

 Budget Best Buy Fan Heaters under £20

Safety tip: Do not leave fan heaters running for long periods, do not cover them or leave them running unattended (in an empty room). If the fan fails, turn them off immediately or they will catch fire.

Lloytron Staywarm 2kW Upright / Flatbed Fan Heater

Customer satisfaction rating 86%
This is our No. 1 selling low budget  2 Kw flat fan heater with over 3000 units sold up to Jan 2021.

The Staywarm has a very high user satisfaction rate with 86% of users giving it 3 to 5 stars and 62 % of all users giving it the top 5-star rating.

The Heater is BEAB approved, but as to be expected from a generic Chinese-made heater at a throwaway price the build quality is low and they tend to break down on average after 2-3 seasons, but if it does it come with a 3-year guarantee, so ask for a replacement.

It has a short (1-metre lead) but it does have an integrated carry handle. We recommend this as a spot heater to be used to heat up cold spots and not for use for extended periods of time.

NB:  We have had a few reports of the supplied plug overheating and we recommend fitting a new one as a precaution, costing under £2 from most shops,or use an RCD adaptor as we recommend for all heating appliances of 2kW or above. See our article Using portable heaters with extension leads and RCDs

The Staywarm has two heat settings 1 kW & 2 kW: Fan only setting: Variable Thermostatic control and a safety cut-out to prevent overheating. It also has what they call frost watch protection, if left plugged in with the thermostat turned right down the heater will switch on if the temperature falls below 5°C

BEAB approved ; 3 year guarenteee

Dimensions (approx): Height  30 cm; Width 12 cm; depth 22 cm. Weight 1.1 kg.

 

WARMLITE 2kW FAN HEATER

Customer satisfaction rating 90%

On sale Jan 2023 £17.49 normally priced at £24.99.

We like Warmlite, even though they import Chinese cheapies they pick the best and guarantee them for two years ( register your purchase on their website to get the free extended guarantee).

This heater is virtually identical to the Staywarm, with two power settings, 1 kW or 2 kW, and a fan-only setting. It has overheat protection, a frost watch and no anti-tilt switch.

Dimensions (approx): Height  30 cm; Width 12 cm; depth 22 cm. Weight 1.1 kg.

Note: This does not have a tilt switch off so if you knock it over it will stay turned on

Best Buy Fan Heaters under £50

*BEST BUY*

The Dimplex flat fan Heaters -  Customer satisfaction rating 82%.

The Dimplex 'Letterbox' heaters have been best sellers for decades and have a high user satisfaction rate with 82% giving it 3 to 5 stars and 59% of all users giving it the top 5-star rating.

Since outsourcing building to China quality is not as it was 15 years ago, but as Dimplex heaters come with a free 3-year manufacturers repair or replace guarantee, they still top our recommended value list.

The design is basic but this is still one of the most reliable fan heaters on the market, some of our customers have had these for over 10 years. They also have an integrated carry handle and 1.5 M lead.

There are 2 models the 2kW and 3kW both have 2 heat settings and a cool-air (fan only) setting

  • 2 kW 1 and 2 kW heat settings
  • 3 kW: 1.5  and 3kW heat settings
  • Antifreeze function
  • Fan only setting
  • Variable Thermostatic control
  • Safety cut out
  • Neon power light
  • 3 Year Dimplex guarantee

NB : Glen is a brand name of Dimplex, the products may be slightly cheaper and  vary cosmetically but still have the Dimplex 3-year guarantee

 See our full review here

Honeywell Heavy Duty Fan Heater

83% Customer satisfaction rating

Honeywell makes really good heaters, this is no exception.   This is a super tough all-metal cased fan heater suitable for the workshop, garage or basements.

It's also ideal for in the house, especially if you plan to move it around a lot and worried about it taking a few knocks.

Suitable for spaces up to 30 m2

It has 2 heat settings (1.25 & 2.5 kW) and a fan-only function, adjustable thermostat, anti-frost function, overheat protection, onboard cord storage, splashproof rated (though not for bathroom use).

It also has child proof push and turn ,a tilt protection switch, knock it over and it switches off, anda frost watch function which will turn it on automatically if the temperature falls below 5ºC ( the heater has to be on wuth the therosata turned right down for this to work)

For added protection the heater is covered by Honeywell's 3 year manufactures guarantee.

Dimensions : 21.2 x 29.2 x 47.6 cm. Weight 4.1 Kg

Honeywell Heavy Duty Fan Heater

83% Customer satisfaction rating

Honeywell makes really good heaters, this is no exception.   This is a super tough all-metal cased fan heater suitable for the workshop, garage or basements.

It's also ideal for in the house, especially if you plan to move it around a lot and worried about it taking a few knocks.

Suitable for spaces up to 30 m2

It has 2 heat settings (1.25 & 2.5 kW) and a fan-only function, adjustable thermostat, anti-frost function, overheat protection, onboard cord storage, splashproof rated (though not for bathroom use).

It also has child proof push and turn ,a tilt protection switch, knock it over and it switches off, anda frost watch function which will turn it on automatically if the temperature falls below 5ºC ( the heater has to be on wuth the therosata turned right down for this to work)

For added protection the heater is covered by Honeywell's 3 year manufactures guarantee.

Dimensions : 21.2 x 29.2 x 47.6 cm. Weight 4.1 Kg

Best Budget Buy Radiant Heater Under £20

Cheap Halogen Heaters:

Shops are flooded with very cheap Halogen tube heaters, these are Chinese imports and can be bought by wholesalers for as little as $1 US each.

The tubes often break during normal use and the heating elements burn out.

Making a decent Halogen tube heater is expensive. It costs over £100 for a good one (see our radiant heater review page).

For this reason, the Home Heating Shop does not recommend buying any of the under £20 models on sale.

Best Buy Radiant Heater under £50

Warmlite 1.2kW halogen heater

Register this halogen heater online and Warmlite will give you a free 1-year extension to your standard guarantee giving you a full 2-year guarantee, however, at only 1.2kW it may not be warm enough for your needs. 

Warmlite Traditional 2kW Radiant Wire Bar Heater, in White

Scoring: Value for money 10: Safety 6: Build quality 5: Ease of use 8: Noise 2: Styling 6. Customer Satisfaction rating 84.4%

If you must have a radiant heater then spend a little more and buy this old-style wire-wound ceramic bar radiant heater from Warmlite. It is much more reliable and will last a lot longer than a similarly priced Halogen Heater, and you get the Warmlite free extended 2-year guarantee.

This is the standard old school 2 bar fire,  for added safety, an anti-tilt switch turns it off if knocked over.

We've had our test one since 2015 and it's still working as of Jan 2023.

Best Budget Convector Heater Under £20

Due to price rises, we can no longer recommend any convector heaters under £20

Best Buy Convector Heater under £50

Basic 2 kW Convector Heater - Wall Mounted Or Free Standing

Customer satisfaction rating 82%.

This is still our No. 1 selling budget 2 kW convector heater (See our review). It comes in slightly different casings but the workings are the same, and they used to hover around the £20 mark, now they are   This one has a good satisfaction rate with 82% of users giving it 3 to 5 stars and 57 % of all users giving it the top 5-star rating.

Design and controls are basic, this is a strictly functional heater that does the job, and it comes with a 1.4 M lead. Our test one was bought in late winter 2012 and has been used every winter since and have just tested it for use this winter of 2022/23 and it's working perfectly.

  • 3 heat settings 750w, 1250 kW & 2kW
  • Anti-freeze function
  • Variable Thermostatic control
  • Safety cut out
  • Freestanding or wall mounted
  • 'Cool touch' carry handles

Oil Radiators / Panel Heaters Under £20

Safety tip: With any oil filled radiator or panel heaters do not cover them or hang wet washing on them to dry. Make sure they are placed where they cannot be knocked over.

We cannot recommend any oil-filled radiator or infra-red panel at under £20, as those we have examined do not meet our test standards.

  • Cheap oil-filled radiators:  Likely to leak and damage your floor coverings.
  • Cheap infra-red panels: We have concerns about electrical safety.

If your budget is under £20 for an oil-filled radiator or infrared panel try your local British Heart Foundation shop. They sell quality, branded second-hand electric heaters tested for electrical safety.

If there is a problem with your appliance they will take it back and refund your money. You will also be helping a very worthwhile charity.

You can find details of their shops here British Heart Foundation charity shops.

Oil Filled Radiators / Panel Heaters Under £50

With an oil filled radiator, the greater the wattage the more versatile it will be. A low-powered radiator in a large space will stay on permanently, using energy and costing money without warming up your room properly, a higher-powered one can be turned down to suit the space.

Unless you need one specifically for a small space we recommenced buying one with a minimum  2kW rating.

As oil-filled radiators can leak you need to have the assurance of a well-made guaranteed product, we prefer Dimplex (a UK manufacturer) with their standard 3-year guarantee or De'Longhi who guarantees theirs between 5 and 10 years, and they are expensive

For a cheaper oil-filled radiator we suggest looking at  VonHaus, who have regular offers and give free 2-year+ extended guarantees on their rebranded Chinese-sourced appliances if you register your purchase online with them.

B&Q: have decent 2kWone but it is currently £68 ( Jan 2023)

Model HD907. 2Kw Oil filled radiator: With a thermostat, anti-tilt switch, overheat protection, 3 heat settings, onboard cord storage and a free 2-year guarantee. The advantage of buying from B&Q is if you find it is not right for your needs, take it back for a no-quibble refund.

Dimensions: 43 cm wide, 64 cm high, 14.5 cm deep.

Buy the B&Q 2KW Oil Filled Radiator Here

Cheap Electric Heaters B&Q 2kw oil filled radiator, under £50 with a 2 year guarantee

B&Q 2KW budget oil filled radiator

Cheap Electric Heaters B&Q 2kw oil filled radiator, under £50 with a 2 year guarantee

B&Q 2KW oil filled radiator, controls

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