Portable room heater is 'very sturdy' and 'looks stylish'

As crisp mornings and chilly evenings become more regular, turning on the central heating is getting increasingly tempting. For those who'd rather not heat the whole house, a compact portable heater is a practical alternative that delivers quick, focused warmth that can be moved from room to room.

Currently, Amazon is selling the Dreo 1,500W electric heater for £49.99. This handy appliance combines a fan with a ceramic heating element to deliver comforting warmth wherever it's required, and keeps the room cosy thanks to a built-in thermostat.

Ceramic heaters are often considered more efficient than ones that use a metal coil, as the ceramic element reaches temperature more quickly and retains heat after it's turned off. In terms of energy usage, the Dreo electric heater costs around 40p an hour to run on maximum with the current Ofgem price cap of 26.35/kWh.

The Dreo 1,500W electric heater packs a serious punch for its size, which measures 15.3cm x 15.3cm x 24.5cm. It has a range of smart features to make life easier, including a 12-hour timer function, a remote control, as well as safety features like overheat and tip-over protection, plus child lock. It can even connect to Wi-Fi for remote operation via assistants like Alexa or Google Home.

The unit can also be used in the summer in its fan-only mode that moves ambient air around a space. It's quiet too, emitting just 34dB of noise according to Dreo - that's less than an average library.

As for other options, Argos sells the Bush 2kW digital convector heater with remote control for £50. Convector heaters can be better for quickly heating an entire room and operate silently, but they're less targeted. This one has three heat settings, thermostatic control, and a 24-hour timer.

A cheaper choice is the 2,000W flat fan heater from Dunelm, which costs £16. It offers two heat modes with thermostatic control, plus a fan-only mode, but no timer or remote controlled operation.

Many shoppers are pleased with their Dreo electric heater, which Amazon currently says is its number one best-seller in electric heating. The product holds a 4.6 out of five rating, with more than 6,700 reviews.

One happy customer said about the heater: "Found this to be a brilliant little heater for our kitchen, which gets very cold in the winter. Used it last year and will be getting it out again this year.

"It is a very sturdy heater and looks stylish. The air flow and heat did what they should and kept the room warm. Buttons clear and settings worked well. We kept it on a shelf and it didn't take up too much room. Not easy to knock over so feels safe and solid. A good buy for us."

As part of a longer review, another said: "This heater is one of the best I've bought. It warms up the room fast and keeps the temperature steady without using much power. The design is compact but solid, and it fits well in smaller rooms without taking up much space.

"It runs quietly, which makes it perfect for bedrooms or home offices. I've used it daily during cold mornings, and it performs far better than cheaper models I've tried before."

A third customer added: "It doesn't look like anything special, but it literally gets the whole house roasting hot in a matter of seconds. It appears to be very sturdy and unlikely to fall over at any point, so very safe. I really recommend it, especially for the price. It's only small so very easy to move around, and does not have any sort of smell to it like some heaters usually do."

One customer left five stars, but disagreed on the smell, commenting as part of a longer review: "The product is overall quite good. It is light and small. Easy to store. It has a little bit of fan noise, I was fine with it. The only problem is the smell. It does smell like plastic. I hope it will go away in time."

Another said: "Good heater, and definitely takes the chill off a room without putting the heating on. Would just be even better if it rotated."

The Dreo 1,500W electric heater is available from Amazon for £49.99.

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