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The short version
Small electric heaters use power in almost the same way. A 1,000 watt heater uses 1 unit of electricity each hour, whatever the design. What changes is how the heat reaches you.
| Plug-in ceramic heater | Oil-filled radiator | |
|---|---|---|
| Warms up | In minutes | Slowly |
| Stays warm after off | No | Yes, for a while |
| Noise | Fan noise | Almost silent |
| Space needed | Fits on a socket | Sits on the floor |
| Best for | Short bursts | Long, steady heat |
| Typical power | Lower | Often higher |
Do you need a heater at all?
India's winters vary a lot. In the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, a heater can run for months. Across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the need is often sharp but short, with the coldest weeks around December and January. Across most of the south and the coast, few homes need one.
Indian homes also hold cold in their own way. Most have concrete walls and stone or tile floors, and they are built to lose heat in summer. There is no central heating to help. So a heater has a harder job here than its size suggests, and a warm rug and a closed door can make a real difference.
When a plug-in ceramic heater makes sense
This type suits a small room that you use for a short time. It takes up no floor space, which helps in a tight study or a small office. It is good for warming your legs at a desk, or taking the chill off a room while you dress.
The limits are the socket and the fan. A heater that hangs on a socket strains it, and the fan makes a steady noise. Low power also means it will struggle in a large or draughty room.
Do not use a plug-in heater in a bathroom. Indian bathrooms stay wet, and water and mains power do not mix. Keep it out of the reach of splashes in any room.
When an oil-filled radiator makes sense
An oil-filled radiator heats oil inside fins, and those fins release heat slowly. It suits a bedroom or a living room where you stay for hours. It is quiet and keeps the room at a steady warmth, and it stays warm for a while after you switch it off. It does take up floor space and it is slow to start.
It is also heavy, so check that it has wheels if you plan to move it between rooms. The fins get hot, so think about small children and pets. Store it upright in a dry place through the summer.
Matching the heater to your room
These are rough starting points, not fixed rules. A draughty room, a top floor or a colder town needs more.
| Room | Rough choice |
|---|---|
| Tight study or desk corner | Compact ceramic heater, used for short spells |
| Bedroom, about 100 to 150 sq ft | Radiator of about 1,500 watts with a thermostat |
| Larger living room | Radiator of about 2,000 watts, and expect it to warm one area best |
What each one costs to run
Work out the cost from the watts. Divide the watts by 1,000, multiply by the hours, then by your electricity price. The result in kilowatt-hours is the same as the units on your bill.
This table is an example only. It uses ₹8 per unit, 4 hours a day on full power and a 30 day month. Your rate depends on your state and how much you use, so check your bill.
| Example heater | Units a day | Cost a day | Cost a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 watts | 3.2 | ₹25.60 | ₹768 |
| 1,500 watts | 6 | ₹48 | ₹1,440 |
| 2,000 watts | 8 | ₹64 | ₹1,920 |
A thermostat can lower the real cost, because the heater switches off once the room is warm. Many electricity boards also charge more per unit as your use rises, so a heavy winter month can cost more than this sum shows. No small heater is magic: a claim of heating a room for a few rupees a day should make you look more closely.
Safety for both types
- Keep heaters about 1 metre from anything that can burn, including curtains, bedding and clothes put out to dry
- Plug into a wall socket, not an extension board or a multi-plug adapter
- Use a 16 amp power socket for a high wattage heater, as a small socket is not made for that load
- If a plug or socket feels hot, switch off and have an electrician check it
- Turn off before you sleep or go out
- Look for tip-over and overheat protection
- Look for the ISI mark
Our suggestion
For a short burst of heat in a small space, a compact ceramic heater is fine. For long periods in a bedroom or living room, a radiator with a thermostat is usually more comfortable. Before you buy either, fix the draughts, because you will keep paying to heat a room that leaks warm air. Check the gap under the door, loose window frames and any open vents.
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Common questions
Which electric heater is the cheapest to run?
Most electric heaters turn electricity into heat at about the same rate. A lower wattage costs less per hour, and a thermostat helps stop waste.
Are plug-in heaters safe?
They can be, if you choose a model with a safety mark, use a firm wall socket, keep it clear of anything that burns, and turn it off when you leave or sleep.
Which socket should I use for a room heater?
Use a firm wall socket that is rated for the load. For a high wattage heater, that means the larger 16 amp power socket, not the small socket used for a phone charger or a lamp.
Can a room heater run on a home inverter?
Usually not. Heaters draw much more power than the fans and lights a home inverter is meant for, and they can drain the battery fast. Check your inverter's limit before you try.