You might need a little extra assistance during the colder months to heat your house, and it can be difficult to decide between an oil-filled heater and an electric heater.
The best portable heater for your home will depend on a variety of things, including the size of the area that needs heating, how versatile you want it to be, and how much storage space you have.
Knowing which portable heater is best for your home can be challenging because there are so many on the market. How will you know which heater, between an oil heater and an electric heater, will be the best option for you?
Your purchase decision will be made much easier if you weigh the benefits and drawbacks of both electric (fan or radiant) heaters and oil-fired heaters.
Superb Energy Efficient Oil-Filled Heater: R.W.Flame U5327
| Wattage Levels: | 1500W / 900W / 600W |
| Heating Output: | 5118 BTU / 3071 BTU / 2047 BTU |
| Coverage: | Up To 170 Sq Ft |
| Energy Efficiency: | Smart Thermostat |
| Running Cost: | $0.08/h, $0.12/h, $0.20/h |
| Dimensions (W×D×H): | 13.9×9.4×24.6 Inches |
| Price: | $$$$ |
| Rating: |
R. W. Flame U5327 employs the same fundamental ideas that all oil-filled heaters do to achieve their high energy efficiency. We have a smart thermostat in addition to the three heating modes. One of the safest oil-filled space heaters on the market, it has wide wheels that make it very difficult to flip (even if a cat or a child hits it).
With a top wattage of 1500 watts (12. 5 amps on a 120V circuit), the R. W. Flame U5327 has a maximum heating output of 5118 BTU. According to the heating ’30 BTU per sq ft’ rule of thumb for sizing heaters, this is sufficient to adequately heat up to 170 sq ft of living space with an 8 ft ceiling height.
With the three heating modes and the smart thermostat, energy efficiency is provided. This thermostat will only burn electricity when heating is needed. That means that the R. W. Unlike most electric space heaters, Flame U5327 will never waste electricity inadvertently.
In terms of safety, you receive the overheat protection, a power indicator (to determine whether the heater is properly plugged in), and the ETL certificate. The advantage R. W. Flame U5327’s advantage over other oil-filled heaters is its positioning on wide wheels. The wheel’s positioning is shown in the image above, and it also has a built-in tip-over switch that will turn off the heater if sensors detect that it is tilted.
Similarly to TaoTronics, the R. W. Although Flame is not as well-known a brand as DeLonghi, it is significantly less expensive (less than $100) because you are not paying for the brand.
All in all, R. W. Another excellent, safe, and energy-efficient oil-filler heater is the Flame U5327, which uses a lot less power than the typical 1500-watt heaters.
How Much Does It Cost To Run An Oil-Filled Radiator Per Hour, Day, Week, Month?
Do oil heaters consume a lot of electricity or are they expensive to operate?
Well, oil-filled heaters are the least expensive to operate when compared to standard heaters. They use comparatively less electricity.
Using this fundamental electric power equation, we can quickly calculate the cost of electricity and operating a vehicle:
Average Wattage x Electricity Price (per kWh) x Running Hours = Heater Running Cost / 1000
As you can see, all heaters have the same cost of electricity. Additionally, we have the choice of running a heater for one hour, eight hours, or even twenty-four hours per day.
The “Average Wattage” is the main factor that reduced energy consumption.
A standard 1500-watt heater will run at 100% output all the time Therefore it will have an average wattage of 1500 watts. The price per hour to run a typical heater is as follows:
Standard 1500W Heater Running Cost = (1500W × $0. 1319/kWh × 1h) / 1000 = $0. 20/h.
This costs $1 if you use it for 8 hours each day. 60 per day running cost. That’s $11. 20 per week and $48 per month.
In contrast, a thermostat-controlled, energy-efficient oil-filled radiator can alternate between 1500W, 900W, 600W, and 0W (shut off) modes. That means that the average wattage will be much lower. A realistic number would be 800 watts, for example. Based on this reduced wattage caused by smart thermostats and indirect heating (using heated oil), the operating costs for an oil-filled heater are as follows:
Oil-Filled Heater Running Cost = (800W × $0. 1319/kWh × 1h) / 1000 = $0. 11/h.
Such an oil-filled heater cut the running costs compared to a 1500W heater by 45% It will cost:
In summary, running an oil-filled heater will save you more than $20 per month ($21) when compared to the parameters of this standard heater. 60/month, to be exact).
Of course, oil-filled heaters with higher efficiency are more expensive than regular heaters. These oil-filled heaters can cost up to $200, while a typical heater can cost as little as $50.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that even though an oil-filled radiator may cost more up front, its ongoing costs are significantly lower. In other words, during some months (typically one or two winters), the price difference will be offset by the electricity cost savings. From that point forward, compared to a standard heater, you are actually increasing the overall savings.
Keeping this in mind, let’s examine the top oil-filled heaters with thermostats available right now:
| Oil-Filled Heater: | 1. DeLonghi TRD40615 | 2. R.W.Flame U5327 | 1. TaoTronics TT-HE005 | 4. Pelonis PH-14A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo: | ||||
| Wattage Levels: | Up To 1500 Watts | 1500W / 900W / 600W | 1500W / 900W / 600W | 1500W / 900W / 600W |
| Heating Output: | Up To 5118 BTU | 5118 BTU / 3071 BTU / 2047 BTU | 5118 BTU / 3071 BTU / 2047 BTU | 5118 BTU / 3071 BTU / 2047 BTU |
| Coverage: | Up To 170 Sq Ft | Up To 170 Sq Ft | Up To 170 Sq Ft | Up To 170 Sq Ft |
| Energy Efficiency: | ECO Function | Smart ECO Mode | Smart Thermostat | ECO Thermostat |
| Running Cost: | Up To $0.20/Hour | $0.08/h, $0.12/h, $0.20/h | $0.08/h, $0.12/h, $0.20/h | $0.08/h, $0.12/h, $0.20/h |
| Dimensions (W×D×H): | 18.5×7.1×27.6 Inches | 14.9×9.1×23.3 Inches | 13.9×9.4×24.6 Inches | 15.2×6.4×26.1 Inches |
| Price: | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Average Rating: | ||||
| Availability: | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Oil-Filled Radiator Wattage And Heating Output (Important: Partial Loads)
The ones with only 1 watt of power are the worst space heaters. There are only two settings on that common 1500-watt heater:
The oil-filled heaters have a big advantage here. In many cases, they have 3 heating modes, namely:
In short, the oil-filled heater can switch between $0. 20/h, $0. 12/h, and $0. 08/h modes, depending on how much heating is needed.
This means that the oil-filled heater will switch from being on at $0 to being on at, say, 72°F. 20/h mode to lower $0. 12/h or $0. 08/h mode, or completely turn off.
The primary advantage of oil-filled radiators is that they can be switched off while still providing heat. This is so because the heater’s oil is still hot and will transfer that heat indoors.
It is crucial that the oil-filled radiator has a thermostat, of course. A smart ECO thermostat will automatically switch between the 1500-watt, 900-watt, and 600-watt modes for you, so you don’t have to.
This is exactly where the most energy is saved because the oil heater will only give away enough heat to maintain the 72%C2%B0F temperature whereas standard heaters would just blast at 100% heating output, unnecessarily increasing the electricity costs
Let’s examine the energy-saving thermostats that are utilized by the top oil-filled space heaters:
The thermostats on various oil-filled heaters have various names, as you can see by checking them. ‘Smart ECO thermostat,’ ‘ECO thermostat,’ ‘Smart thermostat,’ and similar terms are included.
Regardless of the name, you need the following features from any of these thermostats:
A good oil-filled heater with a built-in thermostat can reduce the energy consumption of an oil-filled heater by as much as 70% compared to a standard 1500-watt space heater without a thermostat
Let’s examine the actual operating costs of an oil-filled heater: