Which Electric Heater Uses the Least Amount of Electricity?
With temperatures plummeting around the country, which heater uses the least amount of electricity to heat a home?
02/06/2022
When browsing through a weekly shopping specials leaflet, I noticed that there are plenty of models and heater types to choose from. Making the right decision when purchasing any heater should be based on how much it costs to run an electric heater, especially when electricity costs are already high and are only going to get higher. I did some research on the topic of 'which electric heater uses the least amount of electricity?' and the following conclusions were reached. Feel free to drop me a line if you disagree or have a better suggestion.
The last thing you want when heating the home is to receive an astronomical electricity bill. There are certain types of heaters on the market that eagerly consume electricity and give little in return. While we are talking about electric heaters in this article, there are just as many concerns with gas heaters, as some of these consume so much gas that they end up being more expensive than electric heaters.
So, let's look at a few electric heaters on the market and see how they compare as far as electricity consumption is concerned:
1. Best electric heaters overall
• Oil-filled radiator-style heater
While an oil-filled radiator-style heater is expensive to heat up, once it reaches the set temperature it becomes more cost-effective over the long term. A 7-fin radiator heater that uses 700W electricity will cost you around R150 per month.
• Wall-mounted panel heater
Panel heaters that can be mounted onto a wall are one of the most affordable options for heating a home. These are relatively affordable to purchase according to size and can be mounted securely on a wall in any room. As with an oil heater, as mentioned above, a panel heater uses around 400W for initial heat up and then regulates the temperature per the setting, becoming more cost-effective after the initial heat up. To run a panel heater for a month costs around R80.
• Fan heater
Very popular for small rooms and offices, a fan heater does put out warm air that heats up the room. However, these small heaters do consume 1000W up to 2000W during use and cost almost R200 per month to run.
• Infrared heater
This type of heater transfers energy through electromagnetic radiation. Not the most cost-effective heaters available, these heaters run at 1500W, much higher than other types of electric heaters. However, these heaters do not heat air but rather heat anything that surrounds the heater. The negative side of using an infrared heater is that the room does not warm up. This type of heater can cost up to R300 in monthly electricity costs, so a very expensive heating solution.
• Convection heater
Convection heaters come in all types, styles and sizes and are most often available at home decor stores. Priced at around R700, a convection heater is an affordable solution for heating a home. This type of heater relies on air movement that is warmed before being circulated, very similar to how a convection oven works. Model types vary from 500W upwards and while not the most expensive to run, also not the cheapest solution to heat the home.
• Bar heater
These heaters have bars that electric current flows through to heat up the surroundings. Not considered very safe, make sure that if you buy a heater of this type that it has built-in safety features such as a shut-off switch should the heater fall over. These heaters are generally inexpensive to purchase but costly to run.