Halogen heaters are a popular form of an electric heater. They heat up quickly, provide plenty of direct heat, are easily adjustable, and are as safe as any other electric heater.
Halogen heaters are pretty efficient in terms of power consumption, which we’ll cover in detail here. These heaters heat rooms via direct radiation – they transfer heat to a room effectively compared to other types of heaters.
As soon as you switch a halogen heater on, you can be assured that your electrical energy is converted directly into heat with minimal inefficiency. This gives them an edge over other types of electrical heaters.
Here, we’ll be assessing the costs of running halogen heaters and other common questions about using them.
Average Cost of Running a Halogen Heater in 2022
The cost of running a halogen heater in the UK depends on the price of energy.
Electricity costs vary throughout the UK, but in 2022 and the future, you can probably expect to pay 28p/kWh.
In 2021, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) found that the average costs of energy in the UK are:
- The UK average is 18.9p/kWh.
- In Merseyside and North Wales, the average is higher at 20.2p/kWh.
- Yorkshire pays less, around 18.2p/kWh.
In 2022, OfGem announced a price cap increase, pushing energy prices to a potential 28p/kWh. Therefore, we’ll be calculating the cost of running a halogen heater using the figure 28p/kWh.
By calculating the UK average price of electricity/kWh (28p as of mid-2022). We calculated the following average for running a halogen heater for different periods.
| Usage | 500w Halogen Heater | 1000w Halogen Heater | 1500w Halogen Heater |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-hour Usage | 14p | 28p | 42p |
| 5-hour Usage | 70p | £1.40 | £2.10 |
| 1-Week Usage, 4-Hours/Day | £3.92 | £7.84 | £11.76 |
| 1-Month Usage, 4-hours/Day | £15.68 | £31.36 | £47.04 |
Running a 1000w halogen heater in one room for winter (approx. four months) might cost around £150. Of course, that’s in addition to any other heating you’re paying for in a house.
Compared to convection and oil-filled heaters, halogen heaters are probably marginally more efficient for heating a single room.
If you need to heat a small space quickly, halogen heaters are tough to beat. You might be better off looking at a convection heater for larger rooms, hallways, etc.
Are Halogen Heaters Any Good?
Halogen heaters use a halogen-filled bulb to create heat energy from electricity. This energy is radiated into the room, which heats the air directly in front of it. This differs from convection fires, which gradually carry the heated air away from the fire.
You could broadly say that convection fires are better for heating a larger space over a longer period of time, e.g. hours, whereas radiant fires are better for heating a smaller space directly in just minutes.
Halogen heaters provide instant results – you switch them on and feel heat in just seconds!
Advantages of Halogen Heaters
Instant Heat
Halogen heaters provide near-enough instant heat. After you switch them on, you’ll feel the heat within just seconds.
Halogen heaters heat small spaces very quickly, so if you need direct heat to where you’re seated in your room, or your bed, etc, then halogen heaters are a great choice.
Safety
Halogen heaters are as safe as most electric heaters. The bulbs themselves do heat up, but with protective grills in place, the risk of burning oneself is low.
Of course, caution should be exercised when placing the fire around children. Overall, the fire risk of halogen heaters is low.
Efficiency
Halogen heaters make electricity count. More electricity is successfully converted into heat with a halogen heater than practically any other electric heater.
The energy a halogen heater consumes is well-spent, as it’s readily converted into heat.
Adjustable
If you don’t want to run your halogen heater on full max, it’s easy to adjust the settings.
Changing the settings won’t affect how long it takes to heat up either. Halogen heaters are very easy to adjust and control.
Portable
Halogen heaters pack a serious punch for their footprint. They’re also light and are easily transported from A to B.
Disadvantages of Halogen Heaters
Not Kid Friendly
Like most electric heaters, you’ve got to be careful with halogen heaters when kids are around. Protective grills and casings reduce the risk, but still, you want to avoid touching a halogen heater while in use.
Direct Heat
For heating large spaces over long periods of time, convection heaters are a better choice. Halogen heaters provide direct, intense heat.
Of course, this is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
Costs
Halogen heaters are amongst the most efficient electric heaters, if not the most efficient for direct heat.
However, electric heaters, in general, can be costly. They’re not ideal for long-term heating.
How Much Do Halogen Heaters Cost to Run?
Electricity is typically priced by kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour is used to describe one hour’s energy usage.
An average house in the UK draws around 8 to 10kWh per day in electricity (not including gas).
Electrical appliances are marketed with their power consumption in watts.
For example, a microwave typically draws 800w to 1000w. Using a microwave for 1-hour will use 0.8kWh to 1kWh. All electrical appliances carry a wattage rating. All household electrical appliances follow the same principle – a 1000w halogen heater will use 1kWh of electricity.
Halogen heaters are typically rated between 400w and 2000w, but more powerful models are available. Some patio heaters consume over 4000w!
Recommended Halogen Heaters
Best Quality – Beldray 1.2kW Halogen Heater
This halogen heater is built by Beldray, another British brand for housewares. They have been in business since 1872 and are a reliable brand.
This halogen heater is on the expensive side, but also comes with 400+ 5* reviews on Amazon 600+ 5* reviews on Argos, many of which point out the low running costs of using it.
It is also the halogen heater that has been bought by many since Martin Lewis recommended buying a halogen heater.
It comes with 3 heat settings (400W, 800W, and 1200W) to give a considerable amount of control over how much you can heat a room. It’s easy to use, lightweight, and compact, so you can easily place it in whatever room you need to.
It also comes with all the usual safety features so that it doesn’t turn into a fire hazard if it tops if a fault occurs.
If you want a high-quality build and are happy to pay a little extra, this is the halogen heater to go for. Since the Martin Lewis recommendation, they are often out of stock on Argos, so check back on the Argos website regularly. They are also available on Amazon.
Best Value – StayWarm 1200W Halogen Heater
We highly recommend this halogen heater as StayWarm is a British brand and the product itself has received over 3,000+ 5* reviews on Amazon.
It’s also at a great price point, coming in under £24. It has a total of 1200W of output made of 3 halogen bars, but you can remove some of the halogen bars to leave 400W or 800W of power as well.
You’ll see many halogen heaters start at 1000W and go up in 500W increments, meaning you get far more control with the power output and therefore, how much it will cost.
It is also very light with an adjustable stand as well as a compact size at just 46cm tall. This makes it ideal for moving into a room such as the living room and allowing you to turn off the central heating.
It is a good build with in-built safety features. For example, if it tips or tilts too far, the heater automatically shuts off, thus preventing fire hazards.
It also has a 90-degree oscillation so that the heat isn’t just pushed towards one area of the room.
If you’re looking for a good quality, competitively priced halogen heater from a reputable company, then this is a great choice.
To Sum Up
Halogen heaters are reasonably efficient, direct electrical heaters. They’re tough to beat when you need a dose of instant heat distributed across a small space.