enter value/s in increments of 1 between 30 and 899
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Running costs / winter
Based on 500 hours of use during a winter (6hrs/day during 3 months). Peak pricing at 30c/kWh.
enter value/s in increments of i between 141 and 368
Running costs / 2 hours
How much does the heater cost to run over 2 hours. This will give you a base to calculate how much running it for longer will cost. This is run at max temperature.
enter value/s in increments of i between 0 and 1
Heater type
Radiant heaters are personal heaters. They radiate heat from a red-hot heating element.
Convection and panel heaters draw cold air over an electric heating element. The warmed air then leaves the heater and rises towards the ceiling, while cooler air moves in to replace it. This includes oil filled column heaters.
Fan heaters are specifically designed to blow hot air; the fan is a key part of the heater design, rather than a booster as on other heater types. Their fans are usually more powerful and can project the hot air a reasonable distance into the room.
Design type
Heaters come in all shapes and sizes, but generally conform to type. If you see elements like 'ceramic' or 'micathermic' we've found these aren't guaranteed to give better results than other formats, so tend to fall into the marketing spin category. We list the common forms seen here, such as oil columns, towers, panel heaters, fan heaters and radiant heaters.
Cord storage
Fan-only option
Heating score
Based on heating speed, heat distribution and thermostat performance.
enter value/s in increments of i between 38 and 85
Safety tests
Our testers check electrical safety, measure surface temperatures, and carry out a tilt test. They also check which heaters continue heating when on their sides, as if they'd been knocked over. They also perform a towel drape test. See our article on how we test electric heaters for details.
Cord length (m)
enter value/s in increments of i between 0 and 2
Weight (kg)
enter value/s in increments of i between 1 and 19
Thermostat
Maintains a pre-set temperature.
Timer
May be digital or mechanical. A timer allows you to set the heater to run at set times or periods – useful to heat up the room before you get back from work, for example.
Availability
A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.
A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.
These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A.
An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.
These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.
Included in this review
- Overall score
- Running costs / 2 hours ($)
- Running costs / winter ($)
- CHOICE buy
- Heating score
- Ease of use score
- kWh at maximum over 120 min
- Comparative energy efficiency
- Noise with fan on in dBA
- Good points
- Bad points
- Brand
- Model
- Availability
- Price
- Safety tests
- Fan
- Fan settings
- Heater type
- Design type
- Claimed maximum wattage
- Frost watch
- Timer
- Thermal cut-out
- Thermostat
- Tilt switch
- Fan-only option
- Cord storage
- Dimensions (cm, H x W x D)
- Warranty in years
- Weight in kg
- Cord length (m)
- Heat settings
- Country of origin
- Contact