If you were to try replacing the use of your central heating by putting an electric heater in each room, it will definitely end up costing much more. As we explored above, we managed to identify 66 products in the Heating and cooling category at Currys PC World.

The oil in the radiator acts as a heat reservoir, which stays hot for some time after the heater's switched off. Some are called 'oil-free' and function in a comparable way, just with an internal heating element instead of any oil.Adjustable thermostat Using this function, a portable heater will heat the room and when the desired temperature is reached, it will try to maintain the room at that temperature. Most of the cheaper, simpler heaters we tested have a dial thermostat that doesn't let you choose specific temperatures in °C. You'll likely need to buy a more expensive model for that. Our tests also found that they're rarely 100% accurate and will probably think the room is a couple of °C warmer or cooler than it is. So the final step for us was to look specifically at products that are made by Dimplex but are also only fitting in the Heating and cooling category. Dimplex branded Heating and cooling It doesn’t matter if it’s a microwave or measuring scales, researching the right electronic device for your needs will save you a lot of headache down the line.

Programmable timer Useful for setting a heater to turn on just before you get home or wake up, so there's no waiting around for the heater to warm up. We’re really pleased overall with DIMPLEX DXUC2B Tusk Ceramic Fan Heater, enough to score it 8.5/10. These can still be bought, but they aren't as popular or widely available as fan or convector heaters. Some brands are synonymous with quality. If quality is your focus, avoid budget brands that don’t specialise in good products. The more deluxe ranges offered by household brands are usually a reliable place to put your money, but results can vary from model to model.Pinning down an exact comparison of how much central heating and electric heaters cost to run is nigh-on impossible, as the factors below are just some of the variables that play a part: But for other PC uses, such as gaming or video editing, you will need better graphics cards, RAM and GPUs. We’re delighted that two of our most popular portable heaters, and one of our dehumidifiers, have been recognised for their outstanding performance with Which? Best Buy Awards in the latest electric heater and dehumidifier review guides. Central heating is much more effective at maintaining a stable temperature over a longer period, whereas the heat from an electric heater will soon dissipate if the rest of your home is cold.