July mornings in Canberra start below zero, Melbourne hovers around six degrees, and even Sydney gets cold enough to make leaving bed a negotiation. A portable electric heater is the fastest fix, but the gap between a well-chosen heater and a lucky guess shows up twice: once in how warm the room actually gets, and again on your next electricity bill.
This guide covers the five main heater types, how to size wattage to your room, what a winter of heating really costs at around 33c/kWh, and the safety features worth insisting on. Then we get into the picks currently in stock.
How to choose a heater
Match the type to the job
Each heater type moves heat differently, and picking the wrong one is the most common mistake people make.
- Ceramic (PTC): a self-regulating ceramic element with a fan behind it. Heats up in seconds, compact, and the element runs cooler than old-style coils. Best all-rounder for living rooms and medium spaces.
- Oil column: heats oil sealed inside metal fins, which then warm the air slowly and silently. Takes 15 to 20 minutes to get going but holds heat well after switching off. The bedroom and overnight specialist.
- Radiant: glows and heats people and objects directly rather than the air. Instant warmth the moment it switches on, which is why bathroom heat lamps use it. Poor at warming a whole room.
- Fan: the cheapest to buy and the quickest to blow warm air at you. Fine for short bursts in small rooms, but noisier and usually the first to feel inadequate in a big space.
- Panel: slim convection heaters, often wall-mountable, that produce gentle even heat. Suit well-insulated rooms where you want set-and-forget background warmth rather than a fast blast.
Size the wattage to the room
The working rule for Australian homes is about 100 watts per square metre for a reasonably insulated room with a standard 2.4-metre ceiling. A 10 m² study needs roughly 1000W, a 15 m² bedroom around 1500W, and a 20 to 24 m² living area wants 2000W to 2400W. If the room has high ceilings, big single-glazed windows or poor insulation, budget 120 to 150 watts per square metre instead.
Undersizing is the expensive mistake: a heater that is too small runs flat out all evening and never gets the room comfortable. A correctly sized heater reaches temperature, then its thermostat cycles the element on and off, which is where the running-cost savings actually come from.
Know the running costs before you buy
At a typical Australian rate of about 33c/kWh, here is what different wattages cost when running at full power.
| Heater wattage | Cost per hour | Cost per winter* |
|---|---|---|
| 800W | $0.26 | $95 |
| 1000W | $0.33 | $119 |
| 1500W | $0.50 | $178 |
| 2000W | $0.66 | $238 |
| 2400W | $0.79 | $285 |
*Estimate based on four hours a night for 90 nights at full power. In practice a heater with a decent thermostat cycles on and off once the room is warm, so real-world usage often lands at 60 to 80 per cent of these figures. Worth knowing: every plug-in electric heater converts electricity to heat at essentially the same efficiency, so a 2000W ceramic and a 2000W oil column cost the same per hour. The differences are in speed, noise and how the heat is delivered — not the bill.
Safety features that are non-negotiable
- Tip-over switch: cuts power instantly if the heater is knocked over. Essential around kids and pets.
- Overheat cut-out: shuts the element down if airflow is blocked or internals get too hot.
- Compliance: electric room heaters sold in Australia should meet AS/NZS 60335.2.30 and carry the RCM mark. Reputable brands do; anonymous marketplace imports sometimes don't.
- Placement: keep a metre of clearance on all sides, never drape clothes over any heater, and plug 2000W-plus heaters straight into a wall socket — not a powerboard or extension lead.
- Fuel heaters: kerosene and other unflued fuel heaters belong in well-ventilated sheds and workshops only. Some states restrict their indoor use entirely, so check your local rules.
The picks: what's in stock this winter
Living areas
The 2000W 3D Fire PTC Electric Portable Room Heater ($245.98) pairs a fast-heating ceramic PTC element with a 3D flame effect, so it delivers the look of a fireplace from a standard power point. At 2000W it will hold a well-insulated living space of around 15 to 20 m². It suits renters and apartment dwellers who want a focal point in the lounge without a flue, gas line or installation.
Bedrooms and overnight heating
The De'Longhi 2400W Dragon 4 Oil Column Heater TRD42400MT is $350.99, down from $491.38 — a saving of just over $140. Oil columns are silent, have no exposed glowing element, and keep radiating warmth after the thermostat cycles off, which makes this the pick for bedrooms and all-night use. At 2400W it covers rooms up to about 24 m², and the anti-frost setting will hold a room above freezing — genuinely useful in Canberra, Tasmania and regional Victoria.
Small rooms, offices and year-round use
The Kogan SmarterHome Bladeless Fan and Heater ($209.76, was $272.69) earns its spot by working twelve months of the year: heater through winter, cooling fan through summer. The bladeless design has no exposed spinning parts, which makes it a sensible choice for desks, kids' rooms and small bedrooms. Pair it with the SmarterHome HEPA Filter ($52.50) and it pulls air-purifying duty as well — handy when windows stay shut all winter.
Bathrooms
Radiant heat is the right tool in a bathroom because it warms skin the instant it switches on — no waiting for cold air to come up to temperature. The HPM 2 x 275W LED 3-in-1 Bathroom Heater (currently out of stock) ($433.35, down from $650.03) combines two radiant heat lamps, LED lighting and an exhaust fan in a single ceiling unit. It's the one for renovators or anyone replacing a tired old unit, keeping in mind it needs a licensed electrician to install.
For the finishing touch, the 8L White Electric Towel Warmer ($206.98, was $240.00) heats and sanitises towels in a benchtop cabinet — there's a pink version at the same price. It suits ensuites and anyone who has decided that a cold towel in July is a solvable problem.
Sheds, garages and workshops
Electric heaters struggle in big, draughty spaces, which is where kerosene heaters still earn their keep. Diggers Kerosene 20L Low Odour ($237.74, down from $356.60) is the refined, low-odour fuel to run them on through a winter of weekend projects. Strictly for well-ventilated sheds, garages and workshops — never in bedrooms or sealed living areas.
Quick comparison
| Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2000W 3D Fire PTC Portable Room Heater | Living areas up to ~20 m², fireplace look | $245.98 |
| De'Longhi 2400W Dragon 4 Oil Column Heater | Bedrooms and overnight heating | $350.99 |
| Kogan SmarterHome Bladeless Fan and Heater | Small rooms, offices, year-round use | $150.48 |
| HPM 3-in-1 Bathroom Heater | Bathroom renovations, instant radiant heat | $433.35 |
| 8L White Electric Towel Warmer | Warm, sanitised towels in the ensuite | $206.98 |
| Diggers Kerosene 20L Low Odour | Kerosene heaters in ventilated sheds | $237.74 |
Common questions
What is the cheapest type of electric heater to run?
They all cost the same per watt — a 2000W fan heater and a 2000W oil column draw identical power. The savings come from sizing correctly, using the thermostat and timer, and only heating the room you're in. If you need many hours of heating in a large space every day, a reverse-cycle air conditioner delivers more heat per dollar, but for single rooms a portable heater wins on purchase price and flexibility.
Can I leave an oil column heater on overnight?
Oil columns are the type best suited to it: no exposed element, silent operation, and a thermostat that cycles power once the room is warm. Keep a metre of clearance, never dry clothes on the fins, plug it directly into a wall socket and check the manufacturer's instructions before making it a nightly habit.
What size heater do I need for a bedroom?
Most Australian bedrooms run 10 to 14 m², which at 100 watts per square metre means 1000W to 1500W. Go up to 120 to 150 watts per square metre if the room has large windows, high ceilings or poor insulation. A 2400W unit with a thermostat also works — it simply reaches temperature faster, then cycles down.
Are kerosene heaters legal to use indoors?
Rules vary by state, and some jurisdictions prohibit unflued kerosene heaters inside homes altogether. Even where permitted, they produce combustion gases and need constant fresh airflow, so treat them as shed and workshop equipment and check your state's regulations before buying fuel.
Before the next cold snap
Most of winter is still ahead of us in July. Pick the heater type for the job first, size the wattage to the room second, and only then compare prices — a cheap heater that's wrong for the space costs more by August than a right-sized one does all season.
Everything above is in stock and dispatched from Sydney, so east-coast orders typically land within a few days. If none of these quite fits your room, browse the full range for more heating options.
Prices correct at publication and may change. Stock levels update daily.