Fan heaters warm a person or small room quickly, but common 2kW models can become expensive if they run for long sessions.
A 2kW fan heater costs about 49p per hour at full power using 24.67p/kWh electricity.
Best for quick bursts and short warm-up periods; less attractive for long steady heating in a poor-fit room.
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 | 3 hours | 7 days at 3h/day | 30 days at 3h/day | 30 days at 65% average output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500W | £0.12 | £0.37 | £2.59 | £11.10 | £7.22 |
| 1kW | £0.25 | £0.74 | £5.18 | £22.20 | £14.43 |
| 1.5kW | £0.37 | £1.11 | £7.77 | £33.30 | £21.65 |
| 2kW | £0.49 | £1.48 | £10.36 | £44.41 | £28.86 |
| 2.5kW | £0.62 | £1.85 | £12.95 | £55.51 | £36.08 |
(watts / 1000) x hours x electricity price per kWh
For this page's 2kW example, 3 hours at full output costs £1.48. Used the same way for 30 days, it costs £44.41; at 65% average output it is closer to £28.86.
Short answers to the questions this page is built to solve.
They can be cheap for short bursts, but a common 2kW fan heater costs about 49p per hour at full power.
It often heats quickly but loses comfort quickly after switching off, so people may run it for longer or more often than expected.