Best heaters for 2025

Your first port of call should be making sure it’ll cover the size of the room you want to put it in.  If it’s a big space, you’ll need a powerful model and convection heaters tend to cover more  ground. But if you want low and slow, oil-filled heaters are great at maintaining a steady  temperature over a long time. And if you need fast heat in a small area, a fan heater will do the  trick. Another thing to think about is if you want a portable heater that can be moved from  room to room or a large, permanent option that stays where it is. After getting the essentials  covered, it’s worth comparing running costs and safety features to make sure it does exactly  what you need it to.

It depends which heater you look at and what you want it to do. Electric heaters convert 100%  of the energy they use into heat, so you’re not paying for any waste. Plus, they’re an efficient  option if you’ve got a well-insulated home or solar panels, and they’re fantastic at heating  specific areas – like the rooms you’re using. If you’re heating the whole house, oil-filled  radiators might be a better choice, since they release a slow and steady heat, maintaining the  temperature for longer periods of time.

Most heaters have lots of safety features like auto shut off or thermostats that monitor the room  temperature and adjust to suit. Oil-filled, ceramic, and infrared heaters are the safest options to  use overnight since they’re designed to be used over long periods of time. Fan heaters and some  portable models should always be used with supervision. And for all heaters, follow the  manufacturer’s instructions for safe use, make sure they’re not close to soft furnishings, and  keep them clean and in good working order

You can use a heater in a bathroom as long as it’s designed for that environment. Look out for IP  ratings as they tell you how water resistant each model – you’ll want a higher rating if you want  to use it in the bathroom. Most plug-in heaters aren’t ideal for use in wet areas, so always check  the manufacturer’s advice before using.

Heating up your home will always make the air dryer than when it’s cold since warm air  absorbs more moisture than cool air. Heaters don’t dry out the air more than central heating or  wood burning stoves.

It depends on what you’re after. If you want to heat a room for a long period of time, an oil-filled  heater’s the one. But if you need to warm up a small room quickly, a fan heater will get that  sorted right away