500W fan heater running cost
Updated: 21 October 2026
You are about to leave a small heater on while you work, and you want the hour in pence before you do it. The 500W fan heater running cost on the current price cap is a short sum: watts, divided by 1,000, times the unit rate, for each hour the element is fully on. It does not pick a brand. The listings themselves are on the [500W fan heater comparison](/hub/portable-heaters/500w-fan-heater). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The rate below is Ofgem’s Direct Debit average for 1 October to 31 December 2026, for electricity in England, Scotland and Wales.
You are about to leave a small heater on while you work, and you want the hour in pence before you do it.
You are about to leave a small heater on while you work, and you want the hour in pence before you do it. The 500W fan heater running cost on the current price cap is a short sum: watts, divided by 1,000, times the unit rate, for each hour the element is fully on. It does not pick a brand. The listings themselves are on the 500W fan heater comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The rate below is Ofgem’s Direct Debit average for 1 October to 31 December 2026, for electricity in England, Scotland and Wales.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Heat output | Thermostat | Timer | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Tiazhan Tiazhan WD-228 500/1000 W (White) | 500 W or 1000 W | Adjustable, no degree range | not stated | 5.6 | about £19.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Ventox Ventox PHI-328 500 W (White) | 500 W | 15–32 °C | 1–12 hours | 7.4 | about £15.01 | View offer |
 Russell Hobbs Russell Hobbs RHPH2001B 500 W (Black) | 500 W | 15–30 °C in the bullets | 12 hours | 7.8 | about £20.51 | View offer |
On this page
The rate to use
Ofgem’s average unit rate for Direct Debit default tariffs in that quarter is 26.32 pence per kilowatt-hour. VAT is not charged on electricity in that quarter, so you do not add 20 per cent on top of the 26.32p. The standing charge is 54.83 pence a day. You pay that whether the heater runs or not, so it does not belong in the hourly figure. Northern Ireland is outside this average. If your tariff is not the default Direct Debit cap, use the unit rate on your own bill. The sum for a full hour is watts ÷ 1,000 × 26.32. At 500 W that is 0.5 × 26.32, which is 13.16 pence, about 13.2p. Which heater is worth buying is a separate decision on the buying guide.
Pence at 500 W and at the high gears
Ventox and both Russell Hobbs colours are 500 W at the maximum, so about 13.2p is the ceiling on those listings while they are heating. At 800 W, the Jorxentia high setting, 0.8 × 26.32 is about 21.1p. At 900 W, the DDHTSAL high setting, 0.9 × 26.32 is about 23.7p. At 1,000 W, the Tiazhan high setting, a full hour is about 26.3p. A 2,000 W heater, outside this set, would be about 52.6p for the same hour. A title that says 500 W can still be a 1,000 W heater with a low setting, as on the Tiazhan bullets. DDHTSAL’s 16 A field conflicts with 900 W and should not be used in the sum.
What a thermostat changes
The 13.2p figure assumes the element stays fully on for the whole hour. A thermostat lowers the bill only when the room reaches the set point and the element cycles off for part of the time. Centre for Sustainable Energy makes the same point for room heaters: cost follows the kilowatts and the hours, and a thermostat saves money only with the room, the insulation and the set point. If the room never gets there, because the door is open or 500 W is too small, you pay the full hour.
Russell Hobbs prints 15–30 °C in the bullets, and Ventox prints 15–32 °C. The Russell Hobbs maximum-temperature field repeats 15 °C, so treat 15–30 °C as the claim in the bullets. Jorxentia, DDHTSAL and Laeomeo do not state a degree thermostat you can assume will cycle. Tiazhan says the temperature is adjustable and gives no range. On those heaters, plan for the full pence of whichever gear is selected.
At the same watts, fully on, a ceramic fan heater and an oil-filled radiator cost the same per hour. Look Into’s comparison uses this 26.32p rate for that point. Ceramic on a bullet is not a lower unit rate.
What this does not decide
Brand, colour and a remote do not change the multiplication. A heater at about £15 and a heater at about £58 draw the same units if both are a 500 W element fully on. The Jorxentia high gear, at 800 W, costs more per hour than a 500 W maximum. A 1p-an-hour advert does not survive 26.32p per kilowatt-hour. Use the pence to decide how long you leave the element on. Form is on the plug-in or desk page.
Common questions
How many pence is one hour at 500 W?
About 13.2p, if the element stays fully on. The sum is 0.5 kilowatt-hours times Ofgem’s 26.32 pence per kilowatt-hour for 1 October to 31 December 2026, which is 13.16p before rounding. Three full hours are about 39.5p. A thermostat can make a real hour cheaper only if the room reaches the set point.
Does the standing charge get added to that hour?
No. The 54.83 pence a day standing charge is paid whether the heater is on or off. Keep it out of the hourly sum. Your bill still includes it once a day, on top of whatever units the heater uses.
What does the 800 W, 900 W or 1,000 W setting cost?
About 21.1p an hour at 800 W, about 23.7p at 900 W, and about 26.3p at 1,000 W, at 26.32p per kilowatt-hour, for an hour with the element fully on. Those are the high gears on Jorxentia, DDHTSAL and Tiazhan. A 500 W maximum cannot be switched into that dearer hour.
Will a thermostat make 500 W cheaper than 13.2p?
Only after the room reaches the set point and the element switches off for part of the hour. If the space stays below the set point, you still pay about 13.2p for each hour it runs. Heaters with no stated degree range should be costed as fully on.
Is a ceramic fan heater cheaper to run than an oil-filled radiator at the same watts?
No. Electric heat costs the unit rate times the kilowatt-hours drawn. At 500 W, fully on, both types cost about 13.2p an hour on this rate. A fan heater stops throwing heat when the element stops. That does not make the on-time cheaper per watt.
Why do adverts say a plug-in heater costs 1p an hour?
That claim does not match 26.32p per kilowatt-hour. One penny at this rate buys about 38 watt-hours, which a 500 W element uses in a few minutes. Treat a 1p line as a different tariff, a hidden duty cycle, or advertising.
Does Northern Ireland use this 26.32p figure?
No. Ofgem’s 26.32p average and the 54.83p standing charge apply to England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own prices. Use the unit rate on a Northern Ireland bill, then multiply watts ÷ 1,000 by that rate for the hour.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for the unit rate, the plug, clearance and the room-heater standard. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 19 October 2026.
- Ofgem — Changes to the energy price cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First — Portable heaters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First — How safe is your home? 2025 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- OPSS — Product safety report: Alpha plug-in fan heater 2403-0079 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI — BS EN 60335-2-30:2009+A13:2022 room heaters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service — Heaters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Russell Hobbs RHPH2001 manual (retrieved 19 October 2026)