I tested all the indoor heaters for under £40 and a surprise high street brand is the best around
WITH the arrival of winter just around the corner, the challenge is on to keep our rooms warm.
Enter electric heaters, which are perfect for making homes toasty without having radiators blasting out day and night.
Some do guzzle energy – so make sure the one you choose is efficient.
You do not need to spend a fortune on a new appliance.
Lynsey Hope tests electric heaters costing £40 or less and scores them out of five.
Swan vertical fan heater £24.99: 3/5
Cost per hour: 54p
WITH two heat settings, this is very powerful considering its sleek and stylish design.
It warms up quickly but does make a bit of a rattling sound, which I found somewhat irritating.
Overall, I loved its compact and retro look.
John Lewis square fan heater £30: 5/5
Cost per hour: 41p
ELEGANT looking, compact and heats a room very quickly.
It is a narrow design, which is great if you don’t have a lot of space, and it can be moved easily with the handle.
For the price, I thought this was very effective. It was also cheaper per hour to run than many others.
Challenge 2kW ceramic fan heater £32: 4/5
Cost per hour: 54p
I THOUGHT this was good value for money as it punches out some serious heat – yet is fairly compact to store.
However, it is quite noisy.
It has three heat settings and a cool air function, which is useful if you don’t want to pay for a fan.
Tower personal heater + timer £19.99: 4/5
Cost per hour: 14p
FOR such a small heater, this one gives off a surprising amount of heat.
It plugs directly into a socket so is handy if you don’t want your heater to take up too much space. It is not too unsightly, either.
I found it a tad noisy but not too distracting.
Fine Elements upright fan heater £16: 2/5
Cost per hour: 54p
LOOKS quite cheap but does give out quite a bit of heat and it warmed a medium-sized room quickly.
It has two heat settings and a safety function that automatically switches off the heater if it tips over.
Overall, it does a decent job but it is a bit of an eyesore.
De’Longhi desk electric heater £39.99: 4/5
Cost per hour: 10p
SUPER stylish. I loved the design of this appliance from De’Longhi.
It is small and only really suitable for popping on a desk.
It won’t give off enough heat for an entire room.
A lovely product though, and a good addition to any chilly home office.
Homcom oscillating heater £38.99: 5/5
Cost per hour: 54p
IT is tall but also narrow, so doesn’t take up much room.
Made from thick plastic which holds the heat well and won’t get too hot.
It gives off plenty of warmth and oscillates to a maximum 45 degrees, so it can heat up fairly large spaces. Impressive.
PureMate ceramic fan heater £22.94: 3/5
Cost per hour: 49p
VERY powerful and this one produced the most heat out of any of the heaters I tested.
It is quite compact, stylish enough and did a reasonable job, using self-regulating ceramic-plate as a heating element.
Not bad for the price.