Electric heater buying guide: type, watts, controls
Updated: 21 October 2026
You have one cold room, a 13 A socket, and a row of plug-in heaters that all claim to be the warm one. This electric heater buying guide is the choice before the stars: fan, ceramic, convector, or panel, then the wattage and the controls that change how long the element stays on. The [electric heater comparison](/hub/portable-heaters/electric-heater) scores twelve amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and stars are the UK listing lines. There was no lab test.
You have one cold room, a 13 A socket, and a row of plug-in heaters that all claim to be the warm one.
You have one cold room, a 13 A socket, and a row of plug-in heaters that all claim to be the warm one. This electric heater buying guide is the choice before the stars: fan, ceramic, convector, or panel, then the wattage and the controls that change how long the element stays on. The electric heater comparison scores twelve amazon.co.uk listings from 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices and stars are the UK listing lines. There was no lab test.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Heat output | Thermostat | Tip-over cut-out | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Dreo Dreo Atom 316 1500 W (White) | 1500 W | 5–35 °C claimed | Claimed | 9.2 | about £42.49 | View offer |
| Best value |  CUQOO CUQOO DYN12000 2 kW | 1000 W and 2000 W claimed | Adjustable; 5 °C minimum listed | Claimed | 8.4 | about £11.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Devola Devola DVPW1500B 1500 W panel | 1500 W | 5–50 °C listed | n/a | 8.4 | about £119.95 | View offer |
On this page
What you are trying to heat
A plug-in electric heater is a top-up for one room, a desk, or a home office, not a stand-in for a whole-house boiler. Twenty minutes at a desk is a different buy from an evening in a bedroom you stay awake in.
Every heater here is resistive. Ceramic, wire, a convector case, or glass does not buy a cheaper unit of electricity. A fan in this set stores almost none. None of these twelve listings is an oil-filled radiator.
Fan, ceramic, convector, or panel
The entry fans are the Warmlite WL44001 at about £14.99, the WL44002 at about £9, and the CUQOO at about £11.99. They claim 1000 W and 2000 W. Reviews call the high setting loud. The WL44002 is 4.0 from 14,122 reviews, and a review says it has no tilt switch. The CUQOO claims oscillation, tip-over, and overheat protection, with no degree scale and no timer.
The white Dreo Atom 316 is about £42.49, 1500 W, with 5–35 °C claimed and 4.6 from 10,476 reviews. It is the top pick for a desk or a small bedroom you stay awake in. The glass panel at about £119.95 is the only listing that claims IP24, and it will not beat a fan for the first five minutes. Who each listing is for is on the best electric heater page.
Watts, thermostat, and timer
At 230 V, 2000 W is about 8.7 A, under a 13 A plug. That is not a reason to add an extension lead. Electrical Safety First says to plug a portable heater straight into a wall socket. Full output at the Ofgem direct-debit average for 1 October to 31 December 2026 is about 39p an hour at 1.5 kW and about 53p at 2 kW. Those figures are on the electric heater running cost page.
A degree thermostat cuts minutes at full power. Dreo models claim 5–35 °C. An unmarked Warmlite dial can still cycle, and you cannot see the target. ECO is a lower watt step, not a cheaper kilowatt-hour. A timer that only switches off will not warm the room before you walk in, and it is not a reason to leave the house.
Plug, tip-over, and bathrooms
A UK heater should arrive with a BS 1363 plug and a BS 1362 fuse, under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35. Keep about one metre from curtains, bedding, and furniture. Tip-over is claimed on the Dreo models, Russell Hobbs, the Devola convector, Philips, the Pro Breeze title, and the CUQOO. A review says the WL44002 has no tilt switch. Only the WL44001 item-type line mentions BEAB.
BS 7671 Section 701, as SELECT’s pocket guide sets it out, keeps 13 A sockets outside 2.5 m from the zone 1 boundary, on a 30 mA RCD. Only the Devola panel claims IP24 and use outside zone 2. A bathroom tag is not an IP rating. The 36% seasonal-efficiency floor is a market rule, not wasted electricity.
Common questions
Is a ceramic heater different from a fan heater?
A ceramic heater in this set is still a fan heater with a PTC element and, usually, a degree thermostat. The Warmlite and CUQOO models are wire-element fans at about £9 to £15. The Dreo and Russell Hobbs models are ceramic and sit nearer £40 to £75. Both push hot air and store very little once you switch them off. Ceramic does not mean a lower price per kilowatt-hour.
Do I need 1500 W or 2000 W for one room?
Use 1500 W when the room is small and you can leave the heater on a thermostat, as with the white Dreo Atom 316. Use a 2000 W title when the room is cold and you want a shorter blast, then turn it down. Seller room sizes are estimates, so judge the room you are standing in.
Can I put a plug-in heater in a bathroom?
Only if the listing states an IP rating and the position is outside the zones a 13 A socket is banned from. In this set, only the Devola DVPW1500B claims IP24 and use outside zone 2. It does not claim the space beside the bath. A bathroom tag on a Dreo recommended-use line is not an IP rating. If you are unsure of the zone, ask an electrician before you fix anything.
Does ECO mean the heater costs less per unit of electricity?
No. ECO on these listings is a lower power step. The Dreo DR-HSH003 bullet describes 900 W and 1100 W before a high setting. While the heater draws less, the hour costs less. The price of each kilowatt-hour stays the same. A Philips up-to-50% line is a footnote on the listing, not a test in this comparison.
Should I buy a timer?
Buy a timer if you want the heater to stop after a set period while you are still in the room. Check whether it also switches on. Devola convector reviews say the 24-hour timer only switches off. Russell Hobbs claims auto-on and auto-off. A timer is not a reason to leave a fan heater running while you sleep or go out.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources for the plug, clearance, the seasonal-efficiency rule, bathroom zones, and the unit rate. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in this set, checked on 19 October 2026.
- Electrical Safety First — Portable heaters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Placing energy-related products on the UK market (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Regulation (EU) 2015/1188 — local space heaters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 notes (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Intertek — BEAB product certification mark (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SELECT — BS 7671 Section 701 pocket guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)