Electric Radiators vs Panel Heaters

As you search the electric heating market for new heaters for your home, you’ll probably encounter something puzzling when you compare different websites. Whilst sites like ours are selling energy efficient electric radiators in the £199.99 – £699.99 bracket, competitors are advertising products which look very similar for as little as £89.99. Smart, slimline white heaters advertised as “panel heaters” or “convection heaters” look just like our Haverland designer electric radiators – but they seem to be available for almost half the price.

So why wouldn’t you choose panel heaters? Time to bust some industry jargon. What are panel heaters? Are they radiators? What makes them different from our energy efficient electric radiators? Let’s find out…

Whilst energy-efficient electric radiators are a more economical choice for principal home heating, we believe there’s still a place for panel heaters - and this is in less-visited areas that would benefit from a quick burst of heat. The warmth they provide is rapid, with heat-up times of only a few minutes. It’s not the most long-lasting, though, as it’s easily lost to draughts. That being said, rooms that do not require heating every day of the year, like home offices or spare bedrooms, may really benefit from the supplementary heat provided by electric panel heating. Used infrequently, these heaters will not wear out quickly and the running costs will not make a significant impact on your monthly bills.

Unlike electric panel heaters, electric radiators heat up all over - it’s not only their elements that get hot. They are generally more expensive than panel heaters, but provide more robust warmth due to the way they heat.

Due to the way they heat, electric radiators are a better fit for a primary heating source than electric panel heaters. So, if you’re looking to replace the gas central heating in your home for something more energy-efficient, then electric radiators would be the perfect choice. They can be fitted throughout a property, from your bedroom to your kitchen, and are easy to install - requiring absolutely no pipework extension.

Due to the way they heat, electric radiators are a better fit for a primary heating source than electric panel heaters. So, if you’re looking to replace the gas central heating in your home for something more energy-efficient, then electric radiators would be the perfect choice. They can be fitted throughout a property, from your bedroom to your kitchen, and are easy to install - requiring absolutely no pipework extension.

Convected heat is inherently less efficient than radiated heat. Radiation heats people directly, transferring energy in one straight-forward transaction. Convection heat is more convoluted. Panel heaters transfer heat to the air which in turn transfers heat to the people in the room. This is much less efficient. Heating by radiation effectively cuts out the middle man in the convection heating process, allowing less scope for energy loss. This means that you’ll need to use more power to heat your room with panel heaters than you would with energy efficient electric radiators. This in turn makes the heaters more expensive to run than radiators. If you use a panel heater frequently, any initial savings you made by choosing it over an electric radiator would quickly be outweighed by the greater running costs.

The unenclosed elements which make panel heaters cheap to produce have some unfortunate disadvantages. Because the hot elements come into direct contact with the air, any dust circulating around the room can burn and leave sooty deposits on the wall. Over time this can cause wall blackening and damage to paintwork. Circulating dust particles can also agitate allergies. This means that panel heaters should not be used as your primary home heating source. The good news is that wall-blackening only becomes a problem for panel heaters if they're used every day; if you have a panel heater for portable use, or for heating a secondary space like a spare room, wall blackening won't be a problem. Wall-blackening is an issue common to all convection heaters – no matter what the brand, price or style.

Despite their differences, electric panel heaters and electric radiators do have some crossovers - namely when it comes to installation and maintenance.

Both electric radiators and electric panel heaters offer quick, easy and versatile installation options, meaning getting your heating set up in a jiffy is easy. As both units heat via electricity, there’s no need to extend or create new gas networks in your home for them to work - eliminating any costly fitting fees.

As electric heaters like panel heaters and electric radiators are not connected to a combustible fuel source, like gas systems are, they do not require any annual maintenance. Wave goodbye to those yearly services - panel heaters and electric radiators merely require a quick dust and clean every now and then to ensure the unit remains debris-free.

Controllable via WiFi, the iQ Ceramic simply needs to be connected up to either the Ecostrad Ecosystem or Smartlife app - accessible on a smart device. Making adjustments to your heating from anywhere in the world when connected to WiFi is made totally straightforward - ensuring energy is only ever used when needed. The iQ Ceramic even has a clever motion sensor mode, detecting when a room is occupied all of its own accord - programming your radiator all with zero effort on your part. 

Making the choice between an electric radiator and an electric panel heater mainly depends on intention for use. Panel heating offers quick, responsive heat, providing top-up heat to chillier spots in your home. For a totally universal heating method, designed for use throughout the day, electric radiators are the ideal choice. For more information about our products, advice on which heaters would be best for your property, and a free quote, give our expert sales advisors a call on 0330 300 4444.