Best Electric Radiators – Reviews of the Bestsellers

If you’re looking to purchase an electric radiator, reviews can be an invaluable resource – which is why we’ve gotten one of our resident product experts, Dawn Williams, to review four of our most popular heaters. Read on to find out more, or if you want to jump ahead, click on the icon that best describes the product you need:

 

The Haverland RC Wave

The Haverland RC Wave

I could heap praises upon the RC Wave myself but I don’t really need to when it receives so many positive Feefo reviews. The RC Wave is the happy medium in our collection, offering customers all the perks of a designer electric radiator but at a price that will suit even those on a fairly tight budget. What differentiates the Wave from most other electric radiators is that it uses dry thermal elements to produce warmth. These elements make the Wave very responsive to any changes you make – it’s quick to warm up if you’re chilly and quick to cool if you decide you’re too hot. We recently installed one of our 800w RC Waves in the corridor outside of the marketing department and it’s made a world of difference when entering the building in the morning. You can feel it take the chill off in around 10 minutes – an impressive feat considering the corridor is adjacent to the main entrance and left unheated overnight. Another boon of the Wave’s dry thermal elements is that it makes the radiator lightweight and easy to move. Even with my own unremarkable strength, I can easily lift the RC Wave in the corridor without having to man-handle it into place. As expected from a good quality electric radiator, the RC Wave comes with a 24/7 programming facility so you can set temperature modes for every hour of the day, seven days a week. Combined with its digital thermostat – accurate to ±0.2 °C – running costs are kept to a minimum by streamlining energy usage. If there has to be a downside to the RC Wave, it’s that its programming interface is not as intuitive as some of the high-end models we offer. Our text and video programming guides will make using the RC Wave a breeze, but if you decide to give it a go without consulting the product literature first, you’ll likely find the process time consuming and frustrating.

Choose me if…

…you want an electric radiator that’s stylish, reliable, low cost and programmable.

Alternatively…

…if you find programming an onerous task, look to the Haverland SmartWave with its self-programming technology and Wi-Fi compatibility.  

Shop RC Wave Electric Radiators

The Haverland SmartWave

Haverland SmartWave

The SmartWave successfully bridges the divide between two opposing camps: those who can’t stand programming and those who enjoy tweaking every last detail. As someone who falls into the former of those two factions, I’m always wary of high-tech gizmos that claim to make your life easier, but the SmartWave proved to be a pleasant surprise. Each SmartWave has a motion sensor which will engage the heater when it detects movement. Over the course of the week, it uses this information to program itself in anticipation of when you’ll arrive in the room so you’ll never need to lift a finger. When we ‘test-drove’ a SmartWave in the office, it learned what time we arrived in the morning and always had the room pleasantly heated the moment we stepped through the door. On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who likes to manage everything themselves, I’d definitely suggest purchasing its optional SmartBox accessory. The SmartBox provides you with a Wi-Fi gateway so you can adjust your radiators from anywhere with internet access. Once you’ve installed the Haverland heating app on your smartphone, all it takes is a few simple taps of the screen and your heaters at home will update to reflect their new routine. Tech talk aside, let’s look at how it heats. As the name implies, the SmartWave is the older and wiser sibling to the RC Wave so you can expect the same reliable heat but with superior control capabilities. The only time the SmartWave gets unstuck is if it’s used in motion sensor mode in bedrooms. In this situation, the radiator will switch on every time you roll over, which isn’t ideal if you like sleeping at a lower temperature. Using the SmartWave with its Wi-Fi accessory sidesteps this situation as the radiator can be made to follow a custom heating program, but if not, you may be better off with an RC Wave for your bedroom. Similarly, larger pets will also trigger the motion sensor – great if you want your canine companion to be cosy and warm at home, but perhaps not if you’re trying to lower your energy usage.

Choose me if…

…you want a hassle-free programming experience or if you want to be able to set and fine-tune your own schedule over the internet.

Alternatively…

…opt for a standard RC Wave if you want the radiator for a bedroom or if you have large pets in the house.

Shop SmartWave Electric Radiators

The Ecostrad iQ Ceramic

The Ecostrad iQ Ceramic

The iQ Ceramic is a smart electric radiator and then some, packing in more features than any other product we have on the site. It’s ready for WiFi and voice control as soon as you take it out of the box so you don’t any extra accessories – a great plus point, if like me, you just want to have it up and ready in as short a time as possible. Getting it set up for WiFi is just a matter of downloading the Smart Life app and pairing the heaters, then you can program the iQ Ceramic wherever you go, all from your phone. I personally found the app very easy to use once you get to grips with pairing. Programming is effortless, and this ease of control isn’t just limited to the app. The iQ Ceramic also has a recessed touchscreen interface which allows full control if you’re not too bothered about smart features. Through the control panel, you can access a similar motion sensor mode that engages the heater when it detects movement, though it’s a little more basic than the SmartWave in that it is not used to auto-program the heater as well. Another stand-out feature of the iQ Ceramic is its CeramiQ heat lock technology, which uses thermal plates to retain warmth for longer. It’s so good at holding this warmth that it will even continue to emit heat up to 45 minutes after it’s stopped drawing power from the wall, so if you’re looking for maximum comfort, it doesn’t get much better than this. Combining intelligence, efficiency and elegant design, you’ll be hard pressed to find a radiator that offers more than the iQ Ceramic.

Choose me if…

…you want as many smart features as possible to minimise running costs, or need a heater that offers long-lasting warmth throughout the day.

Alternatively…

…a SmartWave might be the better choice if you want an intelligent heater that does the programming for you, or if you want a heater that’s lightweight, as ceramic radiators can be quite heavy.

Shop Kyros Electric Radiators

The Ecostrad Ecowärme

Ecostrad Ecowärme Electric Radiators

The Ecowärme is designed to be mistaken for a central heating radiator, with its traditional steel body and integrated vents at the top of the housing. Though not to everyone’s taste, the fact that it is near indistinguishable from its central heating counterpart means that it can fit into any home without attracting too much attention. It even heats like a central heating model, except without any of the mess that comes with having to bleed them periodically. The Ecowärme heats up quickly using aluminium elements but also boasts extra heat retention by using ceramic plates on the inside of the housing. As the aluminium elements heat the air, the ceramic plates gradually warm to provide extra residual heat even after the radiator has stopped drawing power. This means that you can have a heating system that's slower to cool but also offers rapid warmth when you need it. The Ecowärme comes with everything you'd expect from a modern radiator – 24/7 programming, open window detection and adaptive start – but has a classic appearance that allows it to blend in just about anywhere.

Choose me if…

…you need your radiator to blend in amongst other central heating radiators, or if you want an oil-free radiator that offers extra heat retention.

Alternatively…

…take a look at our RC Wave which offers a more contemporary aesthetic and comes in at a lower price. Or, for even more heat retention, browse our Technotherm KS TDI and DSM ranges which use larger ceramic plates.

Shop Ecowärme Electric Radiators

Versatile Electric Heating

These are, of course, just a handful of the products we have on offer at Electric Radiators Direct. Browse through our site to find many other excellent heating appliances for your home, and if you need any further information or advice about our range, just give us a call on 0330 300 4444 and our Sales team will be more than happy to offer their assistance.

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