Staying warm the smart way

The secret to heating your home at the least cost is to choose the right type of heater, and use it wisely. Check your insulation first. Start with the ceiling because that is where up to 35 per cent of heat is lost. Then make sure you have good quality curtains and blinds to seal your windows.

It is hard to heat a damp home so open windows on warm days. Open windows or use extractors when you are cooking or showering, and do not dry clothes inside without a window open.

Then you can get to choosing a heater. Our cost calculations are based on households on a typical fixed-price plan, not those using variable pricing models. Panel heaters

Panel heaters are good for lounges, hallways and bedrooms. They draw cool air over a heating element and push it out through top vents.

They suit smaller lounges, hallways and bedrooms and can complement a heat pump. You could expect a 2kW panel heater to cost about 60c an hour. If you can find one with a thermostat, so it turns off when it reaches the desired temperature, you will save money.

Take care with 400W ‘‘eco’’ panel heaters, a simple flat panel style that is often marketed as a cheaper option. They cost only about 10c an hour to run but they give off a very small amount of heat – about the same as four lightbulbs.

Oil column heaters

These are quiet and provide good ambient heat, but Consumer NZ warns that they can create a small pool of hot air above the heater, rather than moving it around the room. You could expect a 1000W (or 1kW) oil column heater to cost up to 30c an hour to run. Consumer NZ found an oil column heater could heat a typical bedroom from 8 degrees Celsius to 10C in 8.2 minutes. Fan heaters

Fan heaters are good for quick heat but can be expensive to run. A typical fan heater would cost about 60c an hour to run. You can get big tower models that oscillate and are designed to heat a bigger space, or small ones that sit by your feet as you watch TV. Their running cost is all about the same. Micathermic heaters

These are good for small living rooms that need to be heated quickly, but they get quite hot so they can be dangerous for children. They reach their maximum heat output within a minute so they are sometimes described as a more ecofriendly option. You could expect to pay between 30c and 70c an hour. Heat pumps

Heat pumps are one of the most costefficient heating options because they give out more heat than they use in power – usually at least two-and-a-half times. Energywise estimates that it costs about $300 to use a heat pump for six hours a day, for six months.

EECA technical adviser Christian Hoerning recommends setting a timer so you turn the heat pump on half an hour before you get home in the evening, and before you wake up in the morning. He said about 18C was ideal, although anything up to 23C should be comfortable. Turning it on at a higher temperature to heat up the room quickly will not work.

Consumer NZ says many people choose to keep their homes warmer once they get a heat pump so their heating bills will not drop by much.

Stay away from unflued gas heaters if at all possible. They are the most expensive heating option and produce carbon dioxide and moisture.