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15 kW electric or gas heater

Updated: October 2026

The till price makes the gas heater look like the same 15 kW for about £100 less. A 15 kW electric or gas heater in this set is two fuels and two supplies. The electric listings are 400 V coil blowers at £186.15. The gas listings are £84.15 and £75.99, and the fan on both still needs a mains socket. The [15 kW fan heater comparison](/hub/portable-heaters/15kw-fan-heater) names the four ASINs. This page is the fuel choice and the hourly arithmetic. Garages sit on the [workshop page](/hub/portable-heaters/15kw-fan-heater/sub/15kw-fan-heater-workshop-garage). Figures are from the listings, Ofgem and Calor, on 15 October 2026.

The till price makes the gas heater look like the same 15 kW for about £100 less. A 15 kW electric or gas heater in this set is two fuels and two supplies. The electric listings are 400 V coil blowers at £186.15.

Our top picks

DAHTEC DAHTEC IFHO3-150G black

Best overall

DAHTEC DAHTEC IFHO3-150G black
5.2/10about £186.15
View offer
DAHTEC DAHTEC BGA1401-15-18 gas

Alternative

DAHTEC DAHTEC BGA1401-15-18 gas
4.4/10about £84.15
View offer
ALINI ALINI ALINI15GH propane

Best value

ALINI ALINI ALINI15GH propane
4.9/10about £75.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What you are comparing
  2. 2.Electricity at the steps on the listing
  3. 3.Propane at 1.09 kg/h
  4. 4.When to choose which

What you are comparing

The electric side is one model in two colours, DAHTEC IFHO3-150G, black ASIN B0FFYMDQZ5 and silver ASIN B0FFY14ZKQ, both £186.15. Both require 380–400 V three-phase and forbid a 220–240 V household socket. The heat is dry. There is no bottle, and no named plug on the 1.60 m lead. The gas side is two blowers at about 1.09 kg/h. DAHTEC BGA1401-15-18, ASIN B0FG2F1SF8, is £84.15, with 700 mbar and an empty fuel field. ALINI ALINI15GH, ASIN B0FRZCCX6S, is £75.99 and names propane, a regulator, a 1.5 m hose and a 230 V UK 3-pin plug for the fan.

Electricity at the steps on the listing

Ofgem’s cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026 puts average Direct Debit electricity at 26.32 p/kWh in England, Scotland and Wales. At that rate, 15 kW is about £3.95 an hour, 10 kW about £2.63, and 5 kW about £1.32, assuming that step runs for the whole hour. A business tariff is a different price, and Northern Ireland is outside this cap. The 5 kW step is still beyond a household plug. Electrical Safety First’s 13 A ceiling is about 3 kW, and the bullets forbid 220–240 V for the whole heater.
DAHTEC DAHTEC IFHO3-150G black

Testsieger

DAHTEC DAHTEC IFHO3-150G black
5.2/10about £186.15
View offer

Propane at 1.09 kg/h

Calor’s suggested price for a 13 kg propane refill is £45.50. Divide by 13 kg and multiply by 1.09 kg/h and you get about £3.82 an hour. Full electric output is about £3.95 an hour at 26.32 p/kWh. On these two public prices the gap is a few pence an hour, not the £100 saved at the till. Calor’s suggested 6 kg refill is £32 and lasts about 5.5 hours at 1.09 kg/h. The fan still needs mains. Only the ALINI states a UK 3-pin plug.

When to choose which

Choose the IFHO3-150G when 400 V three-phase is already confirmed and the room must stay free of combustion products. You get dry heat and steps down to 5 kW, at £186.15. Wanting dry heat is not enough on a 13 A socket, because the heater will not run. The buying guide is that supply test. Choose propane when a flueless heater is allowed, you will keep vents clear, and you accept about 1.09 kg/h. The ALINI names the fuel, the regulator, the hose and the UK plug. The DAHTEC gas row costs £8 more. After you choose, start-up is on the how to use page.

Common questions

Which is cheaper to buy, and which is cheaper to run?
Cheaper to buy is the gas pair: £75.99 and £84.15, against £186.15. Cheaper to run is not that gap. At 26.32 p/kWh, full electric output is about £3.95 an hour, and Calor’s suggested £45.50 for 13 kg of propane is about £3.82 an hour at 1.09 kg/h. At the 5 kW electric step the hour is about £1.32.
Does the gas heater avoid electricity?
It avoids the 400 V elements. The fan still needs a socket. The ALINI states 230 V and a UK 3-pin plug. The DAHTEC gas page says AC and leaves the voltage unstated, while reviews describe a mains cable. You also need a bottle at about 1.09 kg/h. A 110 V tool supply needs its own check, because neither gas page specifies 110 V.
Is 15 kW on the gas title the same heat as 15 kW electric?
Both titles say 15 kW, and the likeness stops there. The electric pages list 5 kW, 10 kW and 15 kW as steps, plus 95 W for the fan. The gas pages list 1.09 kg/h and, on the DAHTEC, an adjustable flame reviews often could not find. The DAHTEC gas title says 51,180 BTU/hr and the ALINI bullets say 51,000 BTU.
What airflow do the listings actually print?
The electric pages print up to 2,246 m³/h. The DAHTEC gas bullets print 20,485 ft³/h. The ALINI bullets print 320 m³ and do not say per hour. Those are listing claims, not one test repeated here.
Can I use a patio-heater regulator?
Only if it is the regulator the instructions specify. These listings do not show a patio-heater part. The DAHTEC gas bullets state 700 mbar. The ALINI includes its own propane regulator and a 1.5 m hose. One DAHTEC gas buyer returned a regulator with a faulty outlet thread, which is a reason to stop.
When is electric the wrong buy even if I want dry heat?
When you do not have 400 V three-phase. Dry heat is the advantage of the IFHO3-150G, and the bullets still forbid a household socket on every step, including 5 kW. A 1.60 m lead with no plug named will not create that supply. In a house in England a new circuit is notifiable under Approved Document P.

Related pages

Plug-in fan heater

15 kW fan heater

Best 15 kW fan heater UK: which listing should you buy

15 kW fan heater buying guide: socket before colour

How to use a 15 kW fan heater before you switch on

15 kW heater for a garage: petrol vapour and supply

Sources

Public UK sources for supply, gas safety, and the hourly arithmetic. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are from amazon.co.uk on 15 October 2026.

  1. HSE — Electrical equipment at work (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. HSE HSR25 — Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. HSE — Carbon monoxide in construction (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Approved Document P — Electrical safety in dwellings (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Ofgem — Energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First — Plugs and fuses (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Calor — LPG bottle prices (retrieved 15 October 2026)