Budget Electric Heaters

We've had the 1st October 2021 hike in fuel prices and the end of some Covid related financial support, which means most of us will be looking for more ways to save on energy costs this winter. Now with the new deadly Omicron Covid variant in the country, we could be facing another winter lockdown, can it get any worse? Don't ask

Make sure you're fully prepared. Surviving the Winter Guide advises on preparing for bad winter weather and dealing with power cuts.

Get ready for breakdowns with   Boiler, heating and home care cover and cover all your home's essential systems all year round.

For added safety, we recommend using an RCD adaptor with all portable heating and cooling appliances see this post.

 *Top Tip*

If there are power cuts, or if your main heating system fails over the winter months, you will need a backup heater. The best option is a Calor gas heater because:

• They have an independent self-contained  fuel supply (Bottled Gas)
• They will work during power cuts as they don't need electricity or mains gas
• They are portable, use them anywhere as long as you have ventilation.

  Visit our Calor Gas Heater Reviews to see our recommended best buy Calor Gas heaters.

Our Best Buy Budget  Model is under £70 and has a 100% customer satisfaction rating.

HHS Winter Budget Buys.

Cheap Electric Heaters Under £20 best  buys:

These electric heaters are utility design with basic controls, they get the job done with no frills.

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

Do not leave them running for long periods.

Cheap Electric Heaters Under £50 best buys :

These do not have all the features or design of more expensive models but are well-built, do the job and are expected to last several years.

These are what we recommend for 'back up' heating.

Best Budget 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.

Staywarm 2000W 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.

For a short-term budget buy  It has a very high 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.

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, cost under £2 from most shops or Amazon or use an RCD apaptor as we recommend for all heating appliances. See our article Using portable heaters with extension leads and RCDs

2 heat settings 1kW & 2 kW: Anti-freeze function: Fan only setting: Variable Thermostatic control:  Safety cut out

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2KW ELECTRIC PORTABLE FAN HEATER

Customer satisfaction rating 73% 
This is a robust little Chinese made stand up 2kW heater with 2 heat settings, adjustable thermostat and a safety cut out to prevent overheating.

It has a reasonable customer satisfaction rate with 77% of users giving it 3 to 5 stars and 51% of all users giving it the top 5-star rating.

Our test one has been in use as an occasional heater in my tool shed since Autumn 2010. I use it as a fan there in summer and am using it again this winter (2020/21).

Not recommended for use as your main space heater or for prolonged times.

A dinky little heater at a throwaway price, ideal for getting you out of trouble until you can get something more permanent!

Look around before buying as you may get the same heater for less under a different brand.

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

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Bionaire 1800W Upright  Ceramic  Fan Heater

Customer satisfaction rating 88% 

This year on year favourite low budget ceramic heater provides the latest PTC heating technology at a very affordable cost.

It has 2 power settings 1.2Kw & 1.8Kw, (low is advertised at 900w but the instruction manual says 1.2Kw)  a fan only setting, adjustable thermostat, frost guard  (automatically turns on if the temperature drops below 5°C) and an automatic safety cut out if it overheats.

The controls are mounted on the top for ease of use and it has a cool touch integrated carrying handle.

Available in Black or Grey / White,  The black is currently on offer at £18.49 (Jan 2019)

 Dimensions: Height 20cm, Length 16cm, Width 16.4cm. Weight 1.38Kg

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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 satisfaction rate with 82% of users giving it 3 to 5 stars and 59% of all users giving it the top 5-star rating.

We note that since outsourcing building to China quality is not as it was 15 years ago, but as these 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. it also has 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

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Honeywell Heavy Duty Fan Heater

83% Customer satisfaction rating

Honeywell makes really good heaters, this is no exception.  Coming in at around the £50 mark this is a super tough all-metal cased fan heater suitable for the workshop, garage or basements.

It's also ideal for your space especially if you plan to move it around a bit 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).

This heater has a frost watch function which will turn it on automatically if the temperature falls below 5ºC

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

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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.

With these cheap models, the tubes often break during normal use and the heating elements burn out. For this reason, the Home Heating Shop does not endorse them.

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

However, Warmlite has a small range on which they give a free extended 2-year guarantee (you must register online).

If you want a cheap halogen heater than we recommend a guaranteed product from Warmlite.

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Best Buy Radiant Heater under £50

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%

Warmlite is a UK company that pride themselves on sourcing good value, well-made products, they are offering this old-style wire wound ceramic bar radiant heater. It is much more reliable and will last a lot longer than a similarly priced Halogen Heater.

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

Register this heater online and Warmlite will give you a free 2-year extension to your standard guarantee giving you a full 3-year guarantee.

We've had our test one since 2015 and it's still working as of Jan 2021.

See larger image Warmlite WL42008N Radiant 2 Bar Heater with Carry Handle, Safety Tip-Over Switch, 1200W, White New From: £44.44 In Stock

Best Budget Convector Heater Under £20

Safety tip: Do not block or cover the vents in convector heaters or dry clothes above them, make sure to place them where they will not be knocked over.

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 all hover around the £20 mark. 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, 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 2020 /21 and its 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

See larger image Oypla Electrical 2KW Free Standing Convector Heater New From: £27.99 In Stock

Best Buy Convector Heater under £50

Oypla 2kW Convector Heater with Turbo Fan

A decent heater, nicely styled with features you'd expect on more expensive heaters. We were recommending a Daewoo branded one in this category but on comparing them side by side we found the Oypla to be better valued. It has the same spec' same standard 1-year guarantee and is cheaper.

• 3 heat settings 1 kW, 2 kW & 3kW
• Anti-freeze function
• Fan only setting
• Variable Thermostatic control
• Safety cut out
• Neon power light
• 'Cool touch' carry handles
• Timer
• Overheat cut out

See larger image Oypla 2kW Convector Heater - 3 Heat Settings, Turbo and Timer New From: Out of Stock

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.

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

Most of the 2kW - 2.5kW radiators at under £50 all look the same, that is because they are sourced from the same manufacturers in China, re-branded and sold here.

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 guarantee theirs between 5 and 10 years.

 However (outside of occasional special offers) you will not get a 2kW+ appliance for under £50 from these companies.

For a sub  £50  oil filled radiator we suggest looking at suppliers, such as Warmlite and 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.

Currently, the best offer is from B&Q:

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