Pinning down an exact comparison of how much central heating and electric heaters cost to run is nigh-on impossible, as the factors below are just some of the variables that play a part: 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 If you want more control, then you need the HomeWizard Climate app, which you use to connect the Princess Glass Smart Panel Heater to your Wi-Fi network; it’s the same app as is used for the Princess Princess Smart Heating and Cooling Tower. Read our full story on illegal and dangerous plug-in mini heaters for sale on online marketplaces to see those we identified as having serious safety risks.

We set up each heater in the centre of our test room and run it on the maximum settings, with the room starting at a cool temperature. We monitor how much the room temperature changed over the course of an hour using temperature probes. We found the most drastic changes happen in the first half an hour and increases in temperature become more incremental after that.If you’ve got a cold room that needs a bit of a boost, the Princess Glass Smart Panel Heater is a smart way of adding comfort. Wall-mountable or freestanding, this plug-in heater has smart controls so that you can remote control it from your phone or use your voice. Convector heaters are usually taller than fan heaters, but thin and light – making them larger, but still relatively easy to move between rooms. 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? 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.

With the power on, you have to use the standby button on the front to toggle the heat on and off. There are then controls to switch between the two heat modes, a timer and controls to set the thermostat, with the target temperature clearly displayed on the front LCD. 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. Programmable timer Useful for setting a heater to turn on just before you get home or wake up, so there's no waiting around for the heater to warm up. Turning the Princess Glass Smart Panel Heater on, I measured it at 1517W when using the higher heat mode, and 764W on the low mode. It’s useful having two heat modes, as the lower one saves money and is more useful when you want to take the edge off a cold room. The higher setting is for when it’s really cold.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. 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. Keen to optimise home heating? See our advice on boiler controls and thermostats , smart meters , and loft insulation There’s no fan in this model, but warm air rising causes air movement, which I measured at 0.52m/s. It’s enough of a breeze to gently warm a room through, even if it’s not immediately felt in the way that a fan heater’s directional blast is. The Princess Smart Panel Heater has a luxurious appearance because of the glass housing and the LED indicators. Via the display or the app on your smartphone you can choose two different heating settings and set the timer. With the timer you can decide how long you want the heater to be on for and when it automatically shuts off. The panel heater has an adjustable thermostat and can heat from from 15⁰ to 35⁰.

We use a force meter to record how much is needed to topple each heater over and a decibel meter to measure how much noise each one makes while running. Some modern options also have smart features so you can program them via companion apps and smart speakers. Nearly all have some kind of carry handle for moving about and many have a safety cut-out feature, which will switch off the heater if it gets dangerously hot.Do you struggle to keep your office warm in winter? Then the Princess Smart Glass Panel Heater really is something for you. The panel heater has a modern design and is a real eyecatcher in your interior. Control the smart heater via the HomeWizard Climate app and make sure you always come home to a warm and cozy room. Because of the 1500W power, the heater heats up fast so you never have to sit in the cold for long. Mount the panel heater to the wall as permanent heating or take it with you in whichever room you need it. The Princess Smart Glass Panel Heater is a real addition to your smart home and indispensable in winter. From the app, you can set the heat mode (high or low), temperature target and toggle standby mode. The app also gives you schedules, so you can set the Princess Glass Smart Panel Heater up to work much like a smart thermostat.