What does an electric heater cost to run?
Short answer
A 2 kW heater costs about 52.6p an hour on full power at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Fan, convector and oil-filled heaters of the same wattage cost the same per hour. A kWh of heat from gas central heating costs about 8.86p.
Updated
52.6p
An hour for a 2 kW heater on full power
1 October to 31 December 2026
39.5p
An hour for a 1.5 kW panel heater
8.86p
A kWh of heat from gas central heating, with a 90% efficient boiler
The heaters in this guide draw 1.5 kW to 2 kW on full power, so the cost of an hour follows the price of a kWh. This guide prices each type at Ofgem's cap rates, compares them with gas central heating, and covers heating one room in a rented home or a house share.
Work out what an appliance costs to run
Enter the appliance's power and how long it runs. The cost uses Ofgem's cap rate for your region and the way you pay, with the standing charge shown on its own.
On the rating plate or in the manual. 1 kW is 1,000 W.
How long it runs on a day you use it. Half an hour is 0.5.
Leave this at 1 if nobody shares the bill with you.
Your region follows the local electricity network, not your supplier. Ofgem's postcode lookup names it.
Running cost
- an hour
- 52.6p
- a day of use
- £1.58
- a week
- £11.05
- a month
- £48.03
At 26.32p per kWh, the Great Britain average cap rate (Direct Debit).
Standing charge: 54.83p a day, about £16.68 a month. You pay it whether or not this appliance runs, so it is not in the figures above.
This assumes the appliance draws its full rated power for every hour it runs. A thermostat or a lower setting uses less.
Cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026, from Ofgem's regional tables. New cap rates apply from 1 January 2027. Ofgem's cap covers England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland.
How to split bills with housematesElectric heater running costs at a glance
| Heater | Full power and cost an hour | 3 hours at 26.32p per kWh, 1 October to 31 December 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Fan heater | 2.0 kW: 52.6p an hour | £1.58 for 3 hours |
| Convector heater | 2.0 kW: 52.6p an hour | £1.58 for 3 hours |
| Oil-filled radiator | 2.0 kW: 52.6p an hour | £1.58 for 3 hours |
| Panel heater | 1.5 kW: 39.5p an hour | £1.18 for 3 hours |
How much does each type of electric heater cost per hour?
Priced at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. The table above sets them side by side.
- Fan heater: Dimplex rates its DXUC2BS upright ceramic fan heater at 2,000 W, about 52.6p an hour on full power.
- Convector heater: Dimplex's HeatLite convector heater is 2 kW, also about 52.6p an hour.
- Oil-filled radiator: De'Longhi's Radia S tops out at 2,000 W, about 52.6p an hour, with a lowest setting of 900 W, about 23.7p.
- Panel heater: the Devola-M 1500W is 1.5 kW, about 39.5p an hour, and Devola says it can run at half its full output, about 19.7p.
- Lower settings cost less in proportion: Dimplex's ECR20 oil free radiator has settings of 600 W, 1.4 kW and 2 kW, about 15.8p, 36.8p and 52.6p an hour.
- With a thermostat, a heater switches off once the room reaches the temperature you set, so over an evening it uses less than its full-power figure.
- By region, the Direct Debit cap rate runs from 25.36p in the East Midlands to 27.86p in Merseyside and North Wales, so a 2 kW heater costs about 50.7p to 55.7p an hour. Choose your region in the calculator above for its figure.
- These costs use the cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026. New cap rates apply from 1 January 2027, and a fixed tariff keeps the rates in its contract.
- Ofgem's cap covers default tariffs in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, use the unit rate on your own bill.
Sources: Dimplex: DXUC2BS upright ceramic fan heater, 2kW (read 15 October 2026); Dimplex: HeatLite convector heater, 2kW (read 15 October 2026); De'Longhi: Radia S oil-filled radiator (TRRS0920C) (read 15 October 2026); Devola: Devola-M 1500W panel heater (read 15 October 2026); Dimplex: ECR20 oil free column radiator, 2kW (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
Is an electric heater cheaper than gas central heating?
Per kWh of heat, gas is cheaper. Heating one room can still cost less overall in some homes.
- An electric heater turns each kWh of electricity it uses into heat in the room, so a kWh of heat costs 26.32p at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate.
- Gas costs 7.97p per kWh on the same basis, including 5% VAT. A boiler does not turn all of its gas into heat: assuming 90%, a kWh of heat from gas costs about 8.86p (Taupia arithmetic).
- BEIS set a minimum efficiency of 92% ErP for gas boilers installed in English homes from April 2018. At 92%, a kWh of heat from gas costs about 8.66p.
- On those figures, a kWh of heat from an electric heater costs about 3 times as much as a kWh from gas central heating.
- So a heater in one room saves money only when the central heating would have produced about 3 times as much heat or more to keep the home warm. Heating the whole home with plug-in heaters instead would cost about 3 times as much for the same warmth.
- The gas standing charge, 29.68p a day on average by Direct Debit, stays the same however little gas you burn while the supply is connected.
Sources: Ofgem: changes to the energy price cap between 1 October and 31 December 2026 (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026); BEIS: Boiler Plus frequently asked questions (January 2018) (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap and standing charges explained (read 15 October 2026)
What does it cost to heat one room with an electric heater?
- A 2 kW heater on full power for 3 hours an evening uses 6 kWh: about £1.58 a night at 26.32p per kWh.
- Every evening for a month, that comes to about £48.03 (Taupia arithmetic, over an average month of 30.4 days).
- The same 6 kWh of heat from gas central heating, with a 90% efficient boiler, would cost about 53.1p.
- A 1.5 kW panel heater for the same 3 hours costs about £1.18, and an oil-filled radiator on its 900 W setting about 71.1p.
- If you rent and the central heating has broken down, GOV.UK's guidance for private renters says your landlord is always responsible for repairs to heating and hot water. If repairs are not done, it says to contact the environmental health department at your local council. This is the guidance for England.
Sources: Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026); GOV.UK: private renting, repairs (read 15 October 2026)
Who pays for a heater in a shared house?
- Shelter's guidance for England says the person or people named on a bill are usually responsible for paying it, so any split is agreed with the account holder.
- A 2 kW heater run for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, costs about £68.62 a month at 26.32p per kWh. Shared equally between 4, that is about £17.16 each.
- The house can share it equally, or agree that the housemate who runs it covers it. Either way, everyone pays the standing charge whether or not the heater runs.
Sources: Shelter England: bills in a shared house (read 15 October 2026); Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026)
How do I compare my heater with my central heating?
Four steps, using the rates on your own bill.
- 1
Find your heater's power
Check the rating plate or the manual for the watts, and divide by 1,000 for kilowatts.
- 2
Work out its cost per hour
Multiply the kilowatts by the unit rate on your bill, or by the cap rate for your region and way of paying.
- 3
Work out what a kWh of gas heat costs
Divide your gas unit rate by your boiler's efficiency: 0.9 for a boiler that turns 90% of its gas into heat.
- 4
Compare the cost per kWh of heat
Divide the electricity rate by the gas heat figure to see how many times dearer each kWh of heat from the heater is.
Sources: Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (read 15 October 2026); BEIS: Boiler Plus frequently asked questions (January 2018) (read 15 October 2026)
How can Taupia help with heating costs?
- Upload a bill in the Taupia app and it reads the unit rates and standing charges you actually pay, so the sums on this page can use your own figures.
- Your household sets the split rule: each person gets a percentage of a bill, so a housemate who runs a heater all day can carry a bigger share of the energy bill.
- Taupia tracks who has paid their share. It never moves money between housemates.
- It compares energy deals from 19 suppliers covering around 90% of the GB market, and switches only once your household approves.
- Taupia is free.
Questions about electric heater running costs
How much does an oil-filled radiator cost to run per hour?
About 52.6p an hour on full power for a 2,000 W model such as De'Longhi's Radia S, at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. On its 900 W setting it is about 23.7p. Oil-filled and fan heaters of the same wattage cost the same per hour.
Is it cheaper to use an electric heater or gas central heating?
Gas, per unit of heat. At the cap's average Direct Debit rates, a kWh of electricity costs 26.32p and a kWh of heat from a 90% efficient boiler about 8.86p, so the heater's heat costs about 3 times as much. A heater in one room wins only if the central heating would have used that much more heat.
Which type of electric heater is cheapest to run?
On full power, none: a 2 kW fan, convector or oil-filled heater all use 2 kWh an hour, about 52.6p at the cap's Great Britain average Direct Debit rate of 26.32p per kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Costs differ through wattage, settings and the thermostat. A 1.5 kW panel heater costs about 39.5p an hour.
My rented home's central heating is broken. Who fixes it?
GOV.UK's guidance for private renters in England says your landlord is always responsible for repairs to heating and hot water. Report the fault to your landlord, and if it is not fixed, contact the environmental health department at your local council. Any electricity a temporary heater uses still goes on your bill.
Will electric heater running costs change on 1 January 2027?
They follow the unit rate. These figures use Ofgem's cap rates for 1 October to 31 December 2026, and new cap rates apply from 1 January 2027. Ofgem publishes each cap before it applies, and the energy price cap guide on this site shows the latest confirmed figures.
More on running costs and shared bills
The calculator, the other appliance guides and the cap rates behind every figure.
Start here
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Energy price cap rates by region
The unit rate and standing charge in your own region, for each way of paying.
How to split bills with housemates
Fair ways to divide a shared bill, with a calculator for the even split.
Cite this page
Taupia. "What does an electric heater cost to run?". Last updated 15 October 2026. https://taupia.com/compare-energy-prices/appliance-running-costs/electric-heaters
Heating a shared house this winter?
Taupia splits each bill between housemates by the percentages your household sets and tracks who has paid, without moving any money. It compares energy deals from 19 suppliers covering around 90% of the GB market. It is free, and nothing changes without your approval.