---
title: "Oil radiator vs fan heater vs halogen heater: running costs | Home Comfort Lab"
description: "Which electric heater is cheapest to run, how thermostats change the answer, and which suits which room."
url: https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/oil-radiator-vs-fan-heater-vs-halogen/
---

# Oil radiator vs fan heater vs halogen heater: running costs

Which electric heater is cheapest to run, how thermostats change the answer, and which suits which room.

By [Pete Harvey](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/about/), editor. Updated 14 October 2026.

This page links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [More about how this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/).

> **The short answer**
>
> Every plug-in electric heater turns all the electricity it uses into heat, so a kilowatt costs the same whichever type you buy: 26p an hour. What changes the bill is the heater's power, and whether a thermostat switches it off once the room is warm.

Costs use **26.32p per kWh**, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own tariff may differ. [How we calculate](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/how-we-calculate/).

Electric heater running costs at full power

| Model | Type | Power | Per hour | Per month at 4h a day | Thermostat | Link |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Belaco 3 Bar Halogen Heater | Halogen heater | 1.2kW | 32p | £38.41 | No | [Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/hr-hal-a/) |
| Warmlite 7 Fin Oil Filled Radiator with Timer | Oil-filled radiator | 1.5kW | 39p | £48.01 | Yes | [Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/hr-oil-15a/) |
| Dreo Heater 316 Ceramic Heater | Ceramic heater | 1.5kW | 39p | £48.01 | Yes | [Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/hr-cer-a/) |
| Warmlite 2kW Thermo Fan Heater | Fan heater | 2kW | 53p | £64.01 | Yes | [Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/hr-fan-2a/) |
| VonHaus 11 Fin 2500W Oil Filled Radiator | Oil-filled radiator | 2.5kW | 66p | £80.01 | Yes | [Amazon](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/go/hr-oil-25a/) |

## Which suits which room

- **Oil-filled radiators** warm up slowly and give off gentle heat for a long time. With a thermostat they suit a bedroom or a room you sit in all evening.
- **Fan and ceramic heaters** warm a room fast and are good for short bursts, like a home office first thing or a spare room you use for an hour. Their manuals warn against using them near a bath or shower.
- **Halogen heaters** heat whatever is in front of them rather than the air. They are cheap to buy, but most have no thermostat, so they run at full power for as long as they're on.

## How a thermostat changes the cost

Once a room reaches the set temperature, a thermostat switches the heating element off until it cools again. In a reasonably insulated room the element may only be on for part of each hour, so a more powerful oil radiator with a thermostat can cost less over an evening than a smaller halogen heater that never stops.

[Heating cost per hour](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/heating-cost-per-hour/): Compare the hourly cost of a heated throw, electric blanket, plug-in heaters, and gas, oil, heat pump and electric central heating.

## Read next

- [Heating cost per hour: throw, heaters, gas, oil and heat pump compared](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/heating-cost-per-hour/) (Calculator)
  Compare the hourly cost of a heated throw, electric blanket, plug-in heaters, and gas, oil, heat pump and electric central heating.
- [Appliance running cost calculator](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/tools/running-cost-calculator/) (Calculator)
  Find out what any electric appliance costs per hour, day, month and winter at the current UK price cap.
- [Heated airer running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/heated-airer-running-costs/) (Running costs)
  What heated clothes airers cost per hour and per load at the current price cap, and how that compares with a tumble dryer.
- [Electric blanket and heated throw running costs](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/heating/electric-blanket-running-costs/) (Running costs)
  What electric blankets and heated throws cost per hour, per month and per winter at the current price cap.

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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to shops are marked, and earning from them never decides what we recommend. [How this site is paid for](https://homecomfortlab.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/).

Running costs use 26.32p per kWh for electricity and 7.97p per kWh for gas, the [Ofgem price cap, Direct Debit average for England, Scotland and Wales](https://ofgem.gov.uk/news/changes-energy-price-cap-between-1-october-and-31-december-2026) for 1 October to 31 December 2026.