Best Electric Radiators 2023

The most cost-efficient way to heat your home is with central heating, however, if you have, say, a conservatory with no heat, or a draughty study, then you need an electric radiator. Or let’s imagine it’s midnight Saturday, and your boiler packs up, it’s -10 outside and you have elderly relatives or very young children come to stay. The emergency plumber won’t come out until Monday, if you’re just relying on the central heating to heat your home and your guests, you’re in a spot of bother.

The solution, and a good idea to have as a backup plan just in case of emergency, is an electric radiator. You could go for a fan heater, but they’re noisy and only heat a relatively small area, no, you need an electric radiator.

There are many electric radiators to choose from, and in all honesty there’s not much difference between them. With such a simple design and the amount of years they’ve been producing electric radiators, it’s hard to find a bad one. However, some are more reliable, and have better efficiency, and there are those more suited for moving around the house. 

Where others are better for heating up a whole room, but whatever your needs we have the information you need to get the best electrical radiator for your home.

Best Selling Electric Radiators

How Do Electric Radiators Work

Unlike the radiators used in central heating systems that rely on hot water to provide the radiators heat, electric radiators use an electric element to heat up a fluid(usually oil) to store the heat and spread it through the radiator. Most manufacturers now make oil free radiators as well, that use dry thermal heating elements like aluminium or ceramic stone that transfer the heat using convection and radiation. More on this in the buyers guide below.

There is also a newcomer to the electrical radiator scene,they’re called Infrared radiator panels and they work by heat transfer from object to object, which in layman’s terms means they heat the person or object and not the whole room. It’s like a modern day open fire but without the fire.

Not technically a radiator in the traditional sense but they do radiate heat so they are worthy of inclusion here.

So without getting too technical or scientific, let’s explain the 3 most common ways of transferring heat.

Heat Conduction

Conduction is how heat passes through solids, for instance how the heat from hot water passes through the metal of a radiator to heat a room. So things like metal, ceramic, copper, are good conductors, whereas other things are much less conductive and make good insulators like wool, foam etc…

Convection

This is the passing of heat through a fluid like water or air. When a fluid becomes hot it becomes less dense, this is why hot air rises. As it cools down it gets denser and sinks again.

This creates circulation and the heat is moved by the moving fluid.

Radiation

Radiation uses electromagnetic waves to transmit the energy. It can pass through air, and vacuums and only heat objects that can absorb it.

So most electric radiators use a combination of conduction and convection to create heat. Whilst infrared radiators use radiation. This is a more energy efficient means of heat and is cheaper to run, but as it is a new technology it is more expensive to install.

What Are The Benefits Of Electric Radiators

Let’s look at the benefits shared by both types of electric radiator and then get into specifics later. 

Electric radiators provide fast, clean heat, many are portable, and lightweight allowing them to be easily moved from room to room wherever they’re needed. 

 Electric radiators can be programmed to specific temperatures, to the exact decimal point you require, unlike the central heating system where you turn the thermostat and it gets somewhere between 18-20 degrees.

An often overlooked benefit of an electric radiator is just how quiet it is, when compared with the gurgling and banging made by boilers and water filled radiators, electric radiators are virtually silent.

After the initial purchase price, there are no maintenance costs to worry about, no service costs, and as a rule, very few repairs either.

As they are run by electricity, have no exposed parts, and are a sealed unit, there is no chance of carbon monoxide poisoning using an electric radiator.

If environmental factors play a part in your decision making, electric radiators are a clean source of heat for your home. Compared with central heating which is often gas powered, electric radiators powered by wind turbines or solar panels are carbon neutral.

What Are The Disadvantages Of Electric Radiators

In certain situations, the electricity goes off, during a bad storm, for instance. Or high winds, or even a power cut. In these situations an electric radiator is useless, however so is a central heating system.

This is because central heating systems, even gas and oil based central heating systems, rely on electricity to pump the hot water to the radiators.

The average cost of a unit of electricity in the UK is 14.37p whereas the average cost of a unit of gas is 3.80p so it costs more to power electric radiators than to run a gas central heating system. However, when you factor in other running costs, like yearly boiler services, parts and labour costs, pipe work etc… that gas price is far higher than 3.80p per unit.

Another factor to be considered is, randomly plugging in electrical heating units like radiators can put a strain on your electrical system. So realistically you should have your wiring checked for safety before using an electric radiator for the first time. Most modern homes will already be up to standard but certainly with older properties it’s worth considering getting it checked professionally.

And generally speaking electric radiators have short power cords, this limits where they can be situated around the home.

Electric Radiators Buyers Guide

So we’ve covered the basics, now let’s look at what to consider before buying an electric radiator.

Size Is Everything

In general terms, the bigger the heater, the more power it requires, and the more it costs to run. That said, larger units tend to heat up more efficiently, converting that power to heat faster, and using less power than say, a smaller unit trying to heat a large space.

For instance, you’ll probably only need a small radiator in a bathroom, but in a large room a much larger radiator will be required to heat the room efficiently.

So the bottom line is always go for the correct size radiator for the size of space you want to heat.As a general guide, an outside office or small room will be fine with a 600-800 watt radiator. An average size room will probably be ok with a 1500-2000 watt radiator, and a large room or conservatory will need the higher wattage radiators.

That said, there are different designs that will throw out great heat, at lower wattage. Manufacturers have developed new ways to improve how the heat is distributed.

Oil Filled Radiators Or Oil Free

As stated above, the difference is oil filled radiators use the oil to store the heat and oil free radiators use either aluminium or ceramic stone to hold the heat. Oil filled radiators have been around for many years so it’s safe to say they are reliable, cost effective and heat up and maintain consistent temperatures.

Oil free radiators however, heat up faster, weigh less so are easier to move from room to room, cost effective and there’s no chance of oil leaking out as the unit ages.

Infrared Radiators

These are a relatively new innovation, and actually don’t look anything like a radiator. They are usually wall mounted, and can be disguised as mirrors, or pictures, but can be ceiling mounted too.

Controls

Electrical radiators all come with a thermostat to control temperature and output. Some have simple dials and/or switches, others will have digital display pads. You might even like one with an in built timer control.

Running Costs

The cost of running an electrical radiator is dependent on the size,and your hourly rate charge from your electrical supplier. But usually they range from 8.6- 36p per hour but bear in mind that the more efficient designs can cut running costs by as much as 30%.

Design

Not only are there various types of electrical radiators but within the types there are various designs. Some are thin, tall, small, bulky,portable, wall mounted and more besides. All of which will factor into your decision making process before buying an electrical radiator.

Where Can You Buy Electric Radiators

Most reputable electrical retailers sell electric radiators including:-

Appliance Direct, Agos, B&Q, screwfix, Amazon, and many more.

How Much Is An Electric Radiator

The price of an electric radiator is dependent on many different factors, the main 4 being, type, size, wattage,and design.

 Starting with oil filled radiators, the price range is somewhere between £21-£1360. Oil free electric radiators range between £20-£350. And Infrared electric radiators range from novelty patterned leg warmers at £42 up to full length mirrors around the £1200 mark

As with all things the choice is yours and it is very much dependent on your budget, taste and style.

Frequently Asked Questions