How much does a fan heater cost to run?
At the current price cap, a fan heater costs about 52.6p per hour, or around £384.27 a year with typical use.
Fan heater
- An hour
- 52.6p
- A day used
- £1.05
- A week
- £7.37
- A month
- £32.02
- Energy a year
- 1,460 kWh
2,000 W for 2 hours a day, every day, at 26.32p per kWh.
Excludes the daily standing charge, which you pay whatever you use.
How it compares
Yearly cost with typical use, at your unit rate.
Fan heater running costs
At 26.32p per kWh, with typical use of 2 hours a day, every day.
| Period | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | 2 kWh | 52.6p |
| Per week | 28 kWh | £7.37 |
| Per month | 122 kWh | £32.02 |
| Per year | 1,460 kWh | £384.27 |
How the cost varies
1,000 W to 3,000 W fan heaters on full power, for an hour.
| Energy use | Per hour | Per year (typical use) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 26.3p | £192.14 |
| Typical | 52.6p | £384.27 |
| Higher | 79p | £576.41 |
Heating appliances compared
Yearly cost with typical use, at 26.32p per kWh.
| Appliance | Per hour | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Oil-filled radiator | 26.3p | £384.27 |
| Fan heater (this page) | 52.6p | £384.27 |
| Electric blanket | 1.6p | £5.76 |
Ways to spend less
- Fan heaters warm a room quickly, so they suit short bursts rather than all-day heating.
- Use a lower setting if it has one, and a thermostat model if you can.
- Point it at where you’re sitting, not at a window or door.
How we calculate this
We take a typical fan heater at 2,000 watts, used 2 hours a day, every day, and multiply the energy it uses by the Ofgem price cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh.
One hour uses about 2 kWh. Use the calculator above with your own appliance’s power and how you use it for a closer figure.
Questions people ask
How much does a fan heater cost to run a year?
With typical use (2 hours a day, every day), about £384.27 a year at the current price cap, or £32.02 a month.
How much does a fan heater cost per hour?
A 2 kW fan heater on full power uses 2 kWh an hour. Lower settings and a thermostat reduce that.
Are fan heaters cheaper than oil-filled radiators?
Not per kWh, as all electric heaters cost the same per unit of heat. Fan heaters warm up faster, which can save money for short use.
Does this include the standing charge?
No. The standing charge (54.83p a day under the current cap, about £200.13 a year) is a fixed daily cost for being connected. It does not change with how much you use any appliance.