With personal finances at the forefront of the national agenda, you may be looking for cheaper ways to stay warm that don’t include running costly central heating.
The good news is that there are plenty of alternative ways to cosy up your nest, from increasing your duvet’s tog rating to keep you toasty in bed through the night, draught-proofing the home to stop cold breezes from infiltrating and using hot water bottles before you even think about twiddling the thermostat.
But there comes a point when there are only so many jumpers one can pull on. Before the final resort of CE, there’s one more ace to pull from your sleeve: a portable heater.
Perfect for focused, localised warmth where you need it, a portable heater is ideal for keeping you warm when you’re working from home or relaxing in front of the telly, as well as in places where there’s no mains plug; a garden shed perhaps.
They’re usually rather compact, and lightweight and have a carry handle to move with you from A to B.
Best portable electric heaters at a glance
- Best for personalised heat: De’Longhi Capsule Desk fan heater - £36, DeLonghi
- Best for warming up a small space quickly: John Lewis Square Fan Heater, White - £30, John Lewis
- Best for: budget conscious: Currys ESSENTIALS C20FHW20 Fan Heater - £16.99, Currys
- Best for year-round climate control: High Street TV EP1165 Personal Heat & Cool Mist Humidifier - £28, Amazon
- Best for quiet operation: Pro Breeze Mini Heater - £24.99, Amazon
- Best for retro Scandi vibes: Russell Hobbs Scandi Fan Heater - £25.99, Amazon
- Best for old school appeal: Russell Hobbs RHRETPTC2001 Retro Fan Heater - £33.99, Currys
- Best for chilly living rooms: De’Longhi 1.8kW Ceramic Capsule Fan Heater - £39.99, De Longhi
- Best for portability: De’Longhi Capsule Fit heater in grey - £53.99, DeLonghi
- Best for WFH desk buddy: Challenge 1.8kW Oscillating Fan Heater - £45, Argos
- Best for hi-tech heating without breaking the bank: Dreo Electric Heater - £42.49, Amazon
We’ve found the nicest and most powerful options on which to spend your money. Invest in one this winter to keep you warm throughout the season.
Shop our favourites below
De'Longhi Capsule Desk fan heater
Best for: personalised heat
Create your own micro-climate while working from home or relaxing in bed with a De’Longhi Capsule Desk fan heater. The 360W machine uses 5.5 times less energy and operates quietly in the background at 39dBs so you won't even notice it's on.
The compact design comes with a carry handle, so you can move it around easily, keeping your personal cloud of heat exactly where you want it.
Buy now £36.00, De'Longhi
John Lewis Square Fan Heater, White
Best for: warming up a small space quickly
Small but mighty, John Lewis’s compact mini heater is the perfect winter warmer to have around the home. The fan heater uses a multi-stage pressurised centrifugal air duct to propel heated air into the room and bring the temperature back up to a comfortable degree.
Choose between high and low wind speeds and feel reassured by the overheating protection and safety mechanism which switches the machine off in both instances.
Buy now £30.00, John Lewis
Currys ESSENTIALS C20FHW20 Fan Heater - Black & White
Best for: budget-conscious
This budget 2000W heater is the perfect addition to any household and is useful throughout the year as it works as a cooling fan as well as a heater. All bases of temperatures are covered and complimented with two-speed settings.
Move it to any spot in the house to shield yourself against the cold with ease thanks to the attached carry handle.
Buy now £16.99, Currys
High Street TV EP1165 Personal Heat & Cool Mist Humidifier
Best for: year-round climate control
Offering bags of appeal, this small personal heater does double duty as a cooling fan, earning its keep year-round. The dinky design is one of the best-looking options we’ve seen but it’s not all surface level. The device comes with a magentised hand warmer which you can attach to the front of the heater to warm up and then detach into your pocket to keep your hands warm on cold winter walks.
For safety, it will automatically switch off after a four-hour period. It’s not going to warm the entire room, but then, it’s not designed to. This is a personal heater that you can enjoy all for yourself.
Buy now £28.00, Amazon
Pro Breeze Mini Heater
Best for: quiet operation
As far as personal fan heaters go, this triangular design ticks all the boxes. It uses ceramics to push out heat efficiently enough to keep your immediate area warm, it’s not powerful enough to heat an entire room but, if you forever have cold feet or want to make a small space like a camper van cost, this compact fan is ideal.
It has the safety tip-over switch, temperature control and portability of the other heater fans on our list, but at a snip of the cost. Operating noise is as quiet as a mouse too. A brilliant bargain buy.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Russell Hobbs Scandi Fan Heater
Best for: retro Nordic vibes
Are you particularly style-savvy? Then you may appreciate this Scandi-style heater, which is one of the most chic ones out there.
With its wood-like appearance, it fits right in with traditional design styles. But, going beyond the charming design, it is highly affordable, and ultra-portable too. It has a cool outer touch, so you need not worry when moving it from room to room. Despite its small size, it can heat a room of up to 15 meters.
The thermostat is adjustable from a mid-level heat of 750 watts to an extra-warm setting of 1500 watts. You can also fix it to the wall if you prefer.
Buy now £25.99, Amazon
Russell Hobbs RHRETPTC2001 Retro Fan Heater - Black
Best for: old-school appeal
Vintage vibes reign supreme with Russell Hobbs’ cute little heater, which offers two heat settings so you can use it as a fan in the summer too.
Set on short legs, this fan heater operates at a powerful 1500W output and has an adjustable thermostat. There is a safety overheat and a tip-over switch that will cut the power if the heater gets knocked over or too hot - handy if you have curious pets or toddlers around. It’s perfect for providing localised heat, like your WFH desk or positioned by your feet when you’re watching telly.
Works most effectively on spaces measuring 15 m².
Buy now £24.99, Currys
De'Longhi 1.8kW Ceramic Capsule Fan Heater
Best for: chilly living rooms
A stylish option for those looking for a quick fix. Weighing just 1.3kg and standing at roughly 27cm, this ceramic fan heater comes complete with a safety cut-out switch to prevent overheating.
The compact shape and gently rounded edges are a welcome departure from the standard rectangle while the contrasting loop handle makes it very easy to move from one room to another. A good job, because this little heater is destined to be your cold-weather BFF.
Buy now £39.99, De'Longhi
De'Longhi Capsule Fit heater in grey
Best for: portability
Make room for this unique-looking heater from De’Longhi, which can be positioned both vertically or horizontally allowing you to heat your space more efficiently. The 2400W device fan heater works quickly to bring temperatures up to a comfortable level, helped along by three fan settings.
There's also a small carry loop at the back to help you move it around your home with ease.
Buy now £53.99, De'Longhi
Challenge 1.8kW Oscillating Fan Heater
Best for: WFH desk buddy
This ceramic space heater from Challenge measures just 22.8 x 17.5cm and weighs a cool 1.2kg. Though it only has two heat settings, it’s equipped with tilt and oscillation features which ensures the entirety of your space will be warmed up at a moment’s notice.
Buy now £45.00, Argos
Dreo Electric Heater
Best for: hi-tech heating without breaking the bank
Designed to deliver maximum heat within seconds thanks to the Hyperamics 1500W advanced PTC system, the Dreo Electric Heater has up to 200 per cent more reach than traditional space heaters.
Enjoy a range from between 5-35ºC with the option to adjust settings in one degree increments. We’re big fans of the sleek and minimalistic digital display.
Buy now £42.49, Amazon
