Electric Heater Running Cost UK: What the July 2026 Price Cap Means for You

That's a national average, not your bill. Your actual rate depends on your supplier, region and payment method, so the fastest way to get a real number is our free electric heater cost calculator — enter your heater's wattage and your own unit rate, and it does the maths for you.

For an electric heater, the kW rating is usually printed on the heater itself or in its manual (commonly 1kW, 2kW or 3kW for portable fan, oil-filled or convector heaters). Multiply that by how many hours it runs, then by your unit rate. A heater left on for a whole evening adds up fast compared with, say, a kettle that's only drawing power for a couple of minutes at a time.

Run that most evenings over a cold month and it becomes a meaningful chunk of your bill. These figures don't include the standing charge, which you pay daily regardless of usage. Your supplier's actual unit rate may be higher or lower than the national average — always check your latest bill or use the calculator with your own tariff for an exact figure.

• 1kW heater, 3 hours: 1 × 3 × 26.11p ≈ 78p
• 2kW heater, 3 hours: 2 × 3 × 26.11p ≈ £1.57
• 3kW heater, 3 hours: 3 × 3 × 26.11p ≈ £2.35

• Heat the room you're in, not the whole house — a single plug-in heater is usually cheaper than central heating for rooms you're not using.
• Use a thermostat or timer, rather than leaving it on continuously at full power.
• Check the wattage before you buy — a lower-wattage heater in a small, well-insulated room can match a higher-wattage one working harder in a draughty space.
• Draught-proof the room first. Excluders and closed curtains cut how long the heater needs to run to feel warm.
• Compare against your central heating cost per hour — for heating just one room, the heater sometimes wins.

Q: How much does a 2kW electric heater cost per hour in the UK? A: At the national average rate of 26.11p per kWh, a 2kW heater costs roughly 52p an hour on full power. Your own cost depends on your supplier's actual unit rate, so check your bill or use the calculator for a precise figure.

Q: Are electric heaters cheaper to run than central heating? A: It depends on how much of your home you're actually trying to heat. For warming a single room for a short period, a plug-in heater can be cheaper than running whole-house central heating. For heating multiple rooms over long periods, central heating is often more efficient.

Q: Is a lower-wattage heater always cheaper to run? A: Usually per hour, yes — a 1kW heater costs less per hour than a 3kW one at the same unit rate. But a lower-wattage heater may need to run longer to make a room feel warm, so the total cost can end up similar.

Q: Where do the unit rate figures in this article come from? A: The 26.11p per kWh and 57.19p per day figures are national averages taken from Ofgem's price cap for 1 July to 30 September 2026, announced 27 May 2026. Regional and supplier variation means your own rate may differ.