With energy bills soaring, it can be difficult to stay warm without breaking the bank. Fortunately, there are a number of cost-effective ways to heat your home without sacrificing comfort. In this article, we’ll explore the most affordable options for heating a room and offer some tips and tricks to help you stay warm and save money at the same time. Whether you’re looking for quick fixes or long-term solutions, we’ve got you covered.
The cheapest ways to heat a room
Infrared heater – best for smaller draughty rooms
In the fan heater vs oil heater debate, it’s the little known infrared heater that could actually be the winner.
Not nearly as common as either fan heaters or oil heaters, infrared heaters are the most efficient electric heaters, and one of the best ways to heat a small room.
You’ve probably seen infrared heaters in outdoor areas at pubs and bars. Rather than heat the air like fan or oil heaters, they heat objects in the room (including you), via infrared radiation. The objects then in turn heat the room by convection.
If you’ve ever basked in the sun on an otherwise cool day and felt its warm rays on your face, that was infrared radiation at work.
Since infrared heaters don’t heat the air directly, they are much more efficient than convection heaters, and more suitable in poorly insulated homes where warm air would otherwise escape.
The downside of infrared heaters is that they can cost more to buy than fan heaters, and aren’t great at heating larger rooms, as the heat can’t easily be felt at distance.
This Warmlite 1kW infrared heater from Amazon is perfect for heating a small room and at less than £40, won’t break the bank either.
Fan heater – best for small well insulated rooms
Fan heaters or space heaters to give them their proper name are a cost-effective option for heating small rooms.
The main benefit of fan heaters is that they are great at heating up rooms and people quickly as they provide a steady stream of warm air almost immediately.
A 2000W heater should cost around 68p an hour to run, but it’s worth pointing out that the heater will cycle on and off during that time, and so depending on your temperature setting, room size, and insulation, it might only be running 50-60% of the time.
This can actually be a drawback, as the way fan heaters work by forced convection, means you can start to feel cold when the warm air stops blowing. As such, it might be worth buying a lower powered heater, or turning off one of the heating elements. This means the heater would run for longer, but use less electricity while doing so.
Another important note is that space heaters are not suitable for large rooms or open-plan areas. Then there’s also the noise. On higher speeds some users might find the fan irritating, and it can be unwelcome background noise for those working from home.
The cost of space heaters can vary, with basic models starting at around £20 and more advanced models costing up to £100. This space heater from Amazon is BEAB approved and is perfect for small rooms and home offices.
Oil filled heaters – best for medium sized rooms
Oil heaters are more expensive than space heaters, but better at retaining heat. One of the problems with space heaters is that when they stop blowing warm air, you immediately begin to feel cold, and thus end up turning the heater up more.
Oil filled heaters retain their heat well, so even after they’ve stopped warming up, they still provide warmth. They are also better suited to medium and larger rooms, and are perfect for bedrooms where their near silent operation and safety is a huge boon.
They do take time to warm up though, and by their nature they are bulkier and heavier than fan heaters, making them a little less portable. Still, oil heaters are a great choice for heating a room, especially in homes that don’t have central heating.
This 2300W oil heater from Zanussi is perfect for medium sized rooms and comes in well below £100.
How much does an electric heater cost to run?
Infrared, fan and oil heaters are all considered near 100% efficient. What’s meant by that is that all of the electricity used goes in to providing heat.
Running a 2000w (2kW) heater costs around 68p an hour to run (depending on your electricity tarrif). Increase that to 2.5kW and the cost jumps to 86p an hour. This is true regardless of the type of heater, as for the same power they will all cost the same to run.
Over a four hour period it would cost £2.72, whilst an 8 hour work day (for those working from home) would be double that.
Efficiencies and savings come from the different ways the three heaters warm the room. A fan heater will heat a small room very quickly and effectively, but in a larger room, it will need to cycle on more, and thus use more electricity. You can use a fan heater to heat your body, but as soon as the fan stops you may begin to feel cold and be tempted to turn it up.
An oil heater will take longer to warm up, but once it’s warmed up, will keep giving off heat, even if turned off. As such, it won’t need to cycle on as much as a fan heater.
Infrared heaters heat people and objects rather than the air, making them the most efficient at keeping you warm. In draughty homes where warm air easily escapes, running an infrared heater would produce savings over the other two. Like fan heaters, they stop providing heat as soon as they are turned off, so need to run more often. However, to combat that, they usually come in smaller wattage than fan or oil heaters.
Gas Central Heating vs electric heaters
Gas central heating is the popular and cost-effective way of heating homes in the UK, but how good is it for heating a single room?
Heating expert John Lawless of BestHeating claims that every unit of heat output from an electric heater will cost three times as much as a unit from one of your radiators.
If, however, you only need to heat one room, such as your home office, then firing up the central heating could actually cost more than an equivalent electric heater.
That’s largely because some older central heating systems don’t have thermostatic valves (TRVs) on the radiators to enable you to turn them down, and so you end up paying to heat the whole house.
Modern systems allow you to control the temperature (really just the flow) of each individual radiator in your home, or even turn some off. Heating just a single room this way, while having the rest of the system on background heat, is usually the most efficient method of heating a room.
Other ways to save and keep warm
The type of heater you use is important, the differences in running costs between electric heaters or gas central heating can pale in comparison to the savings that can be had from insulating your home, or using the heat more efficiently. Below we take a look at cheap ways to save on energy and keep you warm.
Insulate your home – save £145-300 a year
Insulating a room can significantly reduce energy bills by trapping heat inside the home. According to the Energy Saving Trust, cavity wall insulation can save up to £145 a year, while loft insulation can save up to £215 a year.
The cost of insulation can vary, depending on the size of the room and the type of insulation required. For example, cavity wall insulation can cost between £330 to £720, while loft insulation can cost between £300 to £400.
Use Draught Excluders – save up to £25 a year
Draught excluders are a simple and cost-effective way to reduce heat loss in a room. Sold by most hardware, DIY and Homeware stores, they are used to block any gaps around doors and windows that let cold air into the room.
The cost of draught excluders can vary, with prices ranging from £2 to £20, but the most important thing is to ensure that all gaps around doors and windows are blocked, as even small gaps can cause a significant amount of heat loss.
If you live in a home where the curtains move when the wind blows, then you stand to save a packet with draught excluders.
Even if you don’t, there can often be small drafts that you aren’t aware of. According to the Energy Saving Trust, draught-proofing a room can save up to £25 a year.
Thermal curtains – save up to £300 a year
Thick full length curtains may have fallen out of fashion, but your granny was on to something.
Those thick brown or green velvety curtains that kids often mock in their grandparents for having, help to insulate windows and reduce heat loss. In fact, Eco Experts claim a good set of thermal curtains could save up to £300 a year. Kirsty Kenney of Kuppa agrees, stating that thermal curtains can reduce heat loss through your windows by 27%, saving up to £291.
The cost of curtains can vary, depending on the size and style of the curtains. Basic curtains can be purchased for as little as £30, while specific thermal curtains can cost up to £100.
Alternative – Use bubble wrap
In the depth of winter and especially if you won’t have double glazed windows, bubble wrap could be your best friend. Sounds silly, but thousands of liveaboard sailors, and van-life enthusiasts have been doing it for years.
Applying bubble wrap or other insulating materials to your windows helps to reduce condensation, and keep heat from escaping. It’s transparent too, so doesn’t rob you of what precious little light there is during the UK winter.
Improve your central heating
If you already have a central heating system, there are steps you can take to improve its efficiency and save money in the process.
Use Radiators Efficiently – save £75 a year
Radiators are a common way of heating a room, but they can be expensive to run if used inefficiently. Turning down your radiator thermostat by just 1°C can save up to £75 a year.
21°C is the UK government guideline for heating your main living area, while 19°C is recommended for other rooms.
It’s important to ensure that radiators are not obstructed by furniture or curtains, as this can reduce their efficiency. Additionally, installing reflective panels behind radiators on external walls, can help save as much as 40% of the radiator’s heat being lost into the wall.
While you’re at it, don’t forget that bleeding radiators regularly can improve their performance, leading to lower energy bills.
Install a Programmable Thermostat – save £75 a year
A programmable thermostat can help save money on energy bills by reducing the temperature when a room is not in use. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C can save up to £75 a year.
The cost of a programmable thermostat can range from £20 to £150, depending on the features and complexity of the device. There are plenty of good used ones, or left overs from newbuilds available on eBay. The installation of a thermostat is relatively straightforward, and many households can do it themselves, especially if just replacing an old non-programmable unit.
Use natural heat – Far infrared
Sunlight might be scarce during the UK winter especially for those without south facing windows, but even homes with windows facing east or west will likely get some sun during the daytime.
In such cases leaving the curtains open during the day can help to heat up the room naturally. Just remember to close the curtains as soon as you lose the sun, to help retain the heat.