A 2kW heater is one of the most common UK portable heater sizes, so it is the fastest way to understand how direct electric room heat affects a bill.
At the current 24.67p/kWh benchmark, a 2kW heater costs about 49p for one hour at full power.
This page is best for the exact hourly answer. Use the main calculator when you want to adjust duty cycle, days per week or your own tariff.
Current rate used: 24.67p/kWh electricity, 5.74p/kWh gas, based on Ofgem price cap, 1 April to 30 June 2026 for Direct Debit customers. Your actual tariff can differ by supplier, region, payment method and meter type.
The full-power column is the clean benchmark. The 65% column is a more realistic starting point for a thermostat-controlled heater in a warmed-up room.
| Heater size | Cost per hour | 4 hours | 7 days at 4h/day | 30 days at 4h/day | 30 days at 65% average output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500W | £0.12 | £0.49 | £3.45 | £14.80 | £9.62 |
| 1kW | £0.25 | £0.99 | £6.91 | £29.60 | £19.24 |
| 1.5kW | £0.37 | £1.48 | £10.36 | £44.41 | £28.86 |
| 2kW | £0.49 | £1.97 | £13.82 | £59.21 | £38.49 |
| 2.5kW | £0.62 | £2.47 | £17.27 | £74.01 | £48.11 |
(watts / 1000) x hours x electricity price per kWh
For this page's 2kW example, 4 hours at full output costs £1.97. Used the same way for 30 days, it costs £59.21; at 65% average output it is closer to £38.49.
Short answers to the questions this page is built to solve.
It can be. One hour is about 49p at 24.67p/kWh, but four hours every day is about GBP 59 over a 30-day month at full power.
Not at full power. Both use 2kWh per hour at full output. The real difference is how they heat the room and how often their thermostat cycles.