Ceramic, halogen, fan heater

What is the recommended portable heater , cheap to run
For first thing in the morning whilst having my breakfast or maybe out in the garage .So many to choose from

Oil filled radiator with a built in timer? No idea what it costs to run but mine kicks in before I get to work and makes my seat and desk toasty.

All heaters cost the same to run (apart from dehumidifiers).

The difference is an oil filled rad will keep a room at an even temp with no noise, whereas anything driven by a fan will blast the room upto temp quickly, then switch off, then kick back on again, then switch off, etc. The upside if it’s only for a short time is they’ll make a room feel warm in minutes as they’re only warming up the air. Wheras an oil rad will need to be on (at a lower power) for a while to warm the room up, and some of that warmth has time to soak into the fabric of the building.

So it’s more to do with how long you need it warm for.

What are you heating ? If it’s just you, an IR panel heater might be an option – it warm’s you not the air around you ! Not great for heating a room, but if you are in a particular position, you can set the temp and you’ll be warm. We’ve got one where my wife sits when WFH.

Oil rads are pretty good for warming rooms quietly. Get one with a timer and thermostat

All heaters cost the same to run

Hmmmmm yes and no.

Some kinds of heaters distribute the heat differently so they get the heat to you more effectively and you might end up needing less. The obvious difference between a fan heater and an oil rad would be the noise, but you might be able to for example put a rad under your desk which would make you really warm for not much energy. I’ve tried doing that with a fan heater and they get too hot and cut out.

You also missed off IR panels which cost peanuts to run as they only heat you, not the room.

As above depends entirely on what you want to do. In the garage/shed I always use halogen, because I’m heating me not the space and it’s incredibly directional, like being kebab meat though. At this desk here, I have a tiny fan, which is expensive to run but which can do a huge amount with little running, for much the same reason. But these’d both be crap in a bedroom or similar.

(honestly being in a cool-ish room but with warm fan-toasted feet and legs is one of the great pleasures of Scotland. It’s the lazy person equivalent of bivvying)

molgrips
Full Member

Hmmmmm yes and no.

This is a definitions thing really- all heaters cost the same to run, but some heaters can do the job you want with less running/lower settings. So it’s still costing the same to run, watt for watt but it’s costing less to operate. Gets tangly

I use a ‘pro breeze’ 2kw ceramic fan heater for occasional use.
Has an adjustable thermostat, safety cut off if tilted, and the fan can be ambient or 3 heat settings.
It was £40 off amazon.
I’m going to buy another.

I use a ‘pro breeze’ 2kw ceramic fan heater for occasional use.
Has an adjustable thermostat, safety cut off if tilted, and the fan can be ambient or 3 heat settings.
It was £40 off amazon.
I’m going to buy another.

I’ve got one of these for winter use in my mancave I set the thermostat to go off at approx 10 degrees and it works fine. I also have an oil filled rad in there but it takes 3hrs+ to warm up, and the mancave is too leaky to justify having it on all the time at even a low level which is what I’d have liked to do.