Adjustable thermostat Using this function, a portable heater will heat the room and when the desired temperature is reached, it will try to maintain the room at that temperature. Most of the cheaper, simpler heaters we tested have a dial thermostat that doesn't let you choose specific temperatures in °C. You'll likely need to buy a more expensive model for that. Our tests also found that they're rarely 100% accurate and will probably think the room is a couple of °C warmer or cooler than it is.

Some modern options also have smart features so you can program them via companion apps and smart speakers. We assess how easily each electric heater can be set up and how easily understandable the controls and settings are. We used any handles to lift the heater and move it around. While some heaters can be used straight out of the box, others have complicated program and timer settings.This funky looking skirting heater is made by Glen Dimplex or just ‘Dimplex’ as the brand is better known. Central heating is much more effective at maintaining a stable temperature over a longer period, whereas the heat from an electric heater will soon dissipate if the rest of your home is cold.

The oil in the radiator acts as a heat reservoir, which stays hot for some time after the heater's switched off. Some are called 'oil-free' and function in a comparable way, just with an internal heating element instead of any oil. Although the comparison might make your electric heater look cheaper to run, bear in mind that it will only be heating a much smaller area, whereas your central heating will be aiming to heat your whole home. The Glen 500 W Skirting Heater features BEAB approval from the British Electrotechnical Approvals Board as it contains some great safety features.Frost protection The heater can be set to heat automatically when the temperature drops below 5°C, but you'll need to have it on standby for it to run, so this can limit its usefulness. Also the front of the unit features a neon light that tells the operator whether or not the machine is working or not. The next step was to try and narrow down our search even more. So we’ve already looked the prices of products in the Heaters and radiators category. Then we’ve also looked at the prices of products from Glen. So this step combines the two and looks specifically at the price you’d expect to pay for Glen branded products in the Heaters and radiators category. If the brand you buy is important to you, our best advice is to spend some time writing up your own list of ideal brands. That way when you come to the point where you’re comparing product options you can filter to only show the products from brands in your list.

Bear in mind that Dimplex recommend a clearance space of 23cm on each side of the heater, and 60cm at the top, so ideally your wall, if fitting it to a wall and not leaving it free-standing, would be greater than 128cm long. The next step after looking at products in the same category, was to look at products from the same brand, Glen. In our tests, we set every heater to run at full blast so you can see the maximum amount it cost to heat our medium-sized test room. If you have the thermostat of your heater set to a desired temperature, the heater will toggle on and off once it reaches that temperature – depending on what's needed to maintain it. The heater won't operate continuously, so won't cost you as much to run. Are electric heaters cheaper to use than central heating?Keen to optimise home heating? See our advice on boiler controls and thermostats , smart meters , and loft insulation Dimplex is a leader in the small appliance market so you know that by purchasing this product you are buying a great brand name with great customer service. BEAB Approval Price is another really important factor for analysing the quality of Glen 500W Wall Mounted or Freestanding Skirt Heater vs other products in the Heaters and radiators category. It’s obvious, but you will need to set your expectations of quality based on your budget and the price of the product you’re looking at, against the price of alternatives. These have exposed heating elements, which heat up cold air as it passes. This often leads to slower, but more even, heating. They tend to be a little slower than fan heaters, but are quieter, and our tests found some are still pretty speedy.

Just before we get into the detail of analysing the price of this product, we want to briefly highlight the importance of setting yourself a budget before you spend too much time shopping around for a suitable product. It’s all too often that we get carried away when shopping and find ourselves buying a fantastic product, but probably actually overdelivers on what we need and therefore costs a lot more than we should have spent. So spend a bit of time looking around at the sort of price you can expect to pay for products in the Heaters and radiators category and use that alongside your own financial situation to set yourself a budget.On the downside, this type can be quite noisy and they don't have some of the more advanced features you can get with convector heaters. We buy all the electric heaters we test. We put the bestselling heaters from popular UK retailers through these tests: Heating speed, evenness, and accuracy The skirting heater is suitable for living rooms, kitchens, conservatories and bedrooms. Anywhere, except bathrooms, where you want to add a touch of class.