Cost to run an oil-filled radiator
An oil-filled radiator drawing 2,000 W costs 52.6p for each hour of running at 26.32p/kWh. Used 5 hours a day, 4 days a week, that comes to £45.75 a month.
An hour of running costs
52.6p an hour
That is 2.00 kWh. Used as set, it comes to £45.75 a month and £548.96 a year.
On the label or in the manual.
Standby, thermostats and off-peak use
A thermostat switches it on and off to hold a temperature. 100% if it runs flat out.
Drawn while plugged in and not running.
| Period | Cost | Energy | CO2e |
|---|---|---|---|
| An hour of running | 52.6p | 2.00 kWh | 435 g |
| A day, on average | £1.50 | 5.71 kWh | 1.2 kg |
| A month | £45.75 | 174 kWh | 37.8 kg |
| A year | £548.96 | 2,086 kWh | 453 kg |
How we calculated this
Energy is power multiplied by time: 2,000 W running for an hour uses 2.00 kWh.
The starting use for an oil-filled radiator, 5 hours a day, 4 days a week, is where the calculator starts, not a measurement of your home: change it to how you use yours. A day is the average across the week, and a month is a twelfth of a 365-day year.
Electricity costs 26.32p/kWh. That is the published figure for the United Kingdom, 1 Oct – 31 Dec 2026, from Ofgem. Average for England, Scotland and Wales, paying by Direct Debit. No VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027.
Standing charges are left out: you pay them whether or not the appliance runs.
Emissions use 0.217 kg CO2e per kWh, the lifecycle intensity of electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2025, from Ember, via Our World in Data. Lifecycle means building the power stations and supplying their fuel are counted too. It is the grid’s average, not the particular power station an extra appliance brings on.
What drives the cost
An oil-filled radiator heats oil sealed inside its fins, and the oil carries the heat out into the room. It draws 2,000 W while its element is on, but the thermostat switches the element off once the room is warm and the hot oil goes on giving out heat for a while.
Also called: oil radiator, oil-filled heater, oil column heater.
What it costs in the UK, Europe and the US
For an oil-filled radiator used as typical (5 hours a day, 4 days a week), at each country’s published average electricity price.
| Country | Electricity price | An hour |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26.32p/kWh | 52.6p |
| United States (average) | 18.19¢/kWh | 36.4¢ |
| Ireland | €0.4042/kWh | €0.81 |
| Germany | 0,3869 €/kWh | 0,77 € |
| France | 0,2561 €/kWh | 0,51 € |
| Spain | 0,2669 €/kWh | 0,53 € |
| Italy | 0,2966 €/kWh | 0,59 € |
| Netherlands | € 0,2558/kWh | € 0,51 |
Compared with similar appliances
Every electric heater here turns each kWh it uses into a kWh of heat, so at 26.32p/kWh a kWh of heat costs the same whichever you run. A more powerful heater costs more an hour because it gives out more heat, not because it wastes any. Only a heat pump gets more heat from a kWh, because it moves heat in from outside rather than making it.
| Appliance | Typical power | An hour | A year, typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil-filled radiator | 2,000 W | 52.6p | £548.96 |
| Space heater | 2,500 W | 65.8p | £548.96 |
| Heated towel rail | 450 W | 11.8p | £129.69 |
| Electric blanket | 100 W | 2.63p | £20.59 |
How to spend less on it
- Set the thermostat rather than leaving it on full: the oil keeps the room warm after the element switches off, so it draws full power only part of the time.
- Keep it clear of curtains and furniture so the warm air can circulate, and stand it where it heats the room rather than an outside wall.
- Use the timer to bring it on before you need the room and to switch it off before you leave.
Questions
How much does an oil-filled radiator cost to run per hour?
At 26.32p/kWh, an oil-filled radiator drawing 2,000 W costs 52.6p for every hour of running at full power.
How much does an oil-filled radiator cost to run a year?
Used 5 hours a day, 4 days a week, it costs about £548.96 a year at 26.32p/kWh, or £45.75 a month.
Are oil-filled radiators cheap to run?
They cost the same per kWh of heat as any other electric heater: at 26.32p/kWh, 2,000 W costs 52.6p an hour while the element is on. What can make them cheaper in practice is that the thermostat switches the element off while the oil keeps the room warm, so it may draw full power for only part of the time.
Sources
- How much electricity am I using?, Centre for Sustainable Energy, July 2026. “Oil-filled radiator (2000 W)”
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