Martin Lewis has weighed in on the debate over whether it is cheaper to use an electric heater or rely on radiators, offering guidance for households looking to stay warm while managing energy costs this winter.
The money-saving expert has previously urged homeowners to "heat the human, not the home," explaining that it is better to focus on keeping yourself warm rather than heating your entire property when only one or two rooms are in use.
Electric heaters vs central heating costs
For those who work from home or spend most of their free time in one room during the evening, Lewis suggests it could be cheaper to use an electric heater rather than switch on the central heating. Electric heaters can be a more economical option when you only need to warm a small area for a short period, rather than paying to heat several rooms you are not using.
A statement on MoneySavingExpert reads: "Electric heaters are efficient at converting energy into heat, and can be a cost-effective solution if you're heating just one room for a short period of time. They give off heat immediately, but equally, as soon as you switch them off, the heat disappears."
The statement adds: "If you're heating a larger space and want it to remain warm for longer, you'll likely be far better off using central heating. There are lots of different types of electric heater, including convector, halogen and fan heaters, but a typical one uses around 2,000 watts."
Cost comparison at October Price Cap rates
At October Price Cap rates, it would cost about 53p to run a typical electric heater for an hour. In comparison, a typical 24-kilowatt gas boiler and radiator system would cost about £1.91 an hour in gas if operating continuously at full output.
However, the size of the room can have a significant impact on which option is best, as electric heaters may struggle to warm larger spaces effectively. If you are trying to heat several rooms, or want to keep a larger area warm for an extended period, central heating is likely to be the more cost-effective choice.
Insulation and public opinion
Lewis added: "Yet while electric heaters are cheaper, they don't tend to heat the space inside your home as efficiently. So if you're just heating yourself for an hour or two, an electric heater can be a more cost-effective way to warm up, compared with firing up your whole central heating system. But if you want to heat multiple rooms, or one room for longer periods of time, your central heating is likely to be more efficient."
He also noted: "You also need to factor in how well insulated your home is. One that's poorly insulated will let heat escape easily, so you'll be throwing money out the window. Turn draught detective and add extra insulation in your loft to prevent heat loss."
Discussing the topic on social media, one Reddit user said: "Trouble with not putting heating on is humidity levels and condensation. Much worse if you are at home all day. Did a heating challenge once when lost my job/sick no heating till mid December.... waking up with curtains stuck to windows not nice. High humidity in low temp environment is a very dank environment to reside in."
Another user added: "Upfront costs aside, the efficiencies of new heat pumps are comparable/better compared to gas on a kWh of heating basis."
A third user said: "It's quite expensive to run electric heaters. A 2kw heater will cost 68p per hour to run. If your just sitting in the room maybe having your central heating on low maybe say 16 degrees set your thermostat to then whilst watching TV just use an electric blanket which is around 6p max per hour to run."
This way you will probably save overall compared to using an electric heater. I personally use electric blankets a lot now to save money.
