Panel Heater vs Convector Heater vs Electric Radiator: Which Should You Buy?
Shamrock Electrical
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Panel heaters, convector heaters and electric radiators all plug into the same socket and all turn electricity into heat. The difference is how they deliver it, and picking the wrong one for the room is the most common mistake we see at the counter. This guide compares the three types honestly, including which one we would not choose for an Irish living room.
What is the difference between a panel heater, a convector heater and an electric radiator?
A convector heats air through an open element, a panel heater warms a slim heated surface, and an electric radiator heats a thermal store, usually oil, that keeps radiating after the power cuts.
That thermal store is the practical difference. A convector and a panel heater go cold within minutes of switching off. An oil filled electric radiator keeps giving out heat long after the thermostat cuts power, which changes both the comfort and the running pattern in a room used for hours.
Which heats a room fastest?
The convector wins on speed, the panel heater is close behind, and the electric radiator is the slowest to get going but the only one that stays warm after switch off.
A 2000W convector noticeably lifts a cold room within minutes, which is why convectors suit utility rooms, garages and anywhere you want a quick burst rather than a warm evening. The radiator takes fifteen to twenty minutes to reach full output, then holds it with the element off for much of the time.
Which is cheapest to run?
For short bursts, the convector or panel heater. For three hours or more in the same room, the oil filled electric radiator works out cheapest.
All three cost the same per hour at full draw, roughly 76 cent for a 2000W model at 38.04 cent per kWh, the Electric Ireland 24 hour standard rate from 1 July 2026. The difference is duty cycle. Over a long evening the radiator's stored heat means its element rests while the room stays warm, where a convector cycles on and off all night to hold the same temperature.
Which should I buy for each room?
Bedroom or living room, buy the electric radiator. Home office or spare room, buy the panel heater. Utility room, garage or occasional space, buy the convector.
Bedrooms reward silence and steady overnight temperature, which is exactly what an oil filled radiator with a timer does. A panel heater's fast response suits a home office heated for the working day. The Titan 2kW Convector Heater makes sense for spaces heated occasionally, and is the wrong choice for a room heated every evening of the winter. It comes with or without a built in timer, and the timer version is worth the small premium if the heater will ever be left on by accident.
Comparison at a glance
| Convector heater | Panel heater | Electric radiator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed to heat | Fastest | Fast | Slow start, holds heat |
| Heat after switch off | None | Minimal | Long lasting |
| Noise | Near silent | Silent | Silent |
| Best for | Quick bursts, utility spaces | Offices, spare rooms | Bedrooms, living rooms |
| Purchase price | Lowest | Mid | Highest |
| Long session running cost | Highest | Mid | Lowest |
Can I get an electric radiator in black?
Yes. The Titan Smart WiFi Electric Radiator comes in classic white or a matt black finish, in the same five sizes from 600W to 1800W.
Black has become a common request, particularly in new builds and rooms with a dark feature wall, where a white radiator is the one thing interrupting the scheme. The black model is the same radiator underneath, with the same oil filled body, app control, 24 hour timer and open window detection, so choosing it costs you nothing in performance. Panel heaters and convectors are white only.
What about heating a bathroom?
None of these three belong in a bathroom. Use a product made for the room: a downflow bathroom heater for fast heat, or an electric towel radiator for warm towels and background heat.
A bathroom heater has to suit its zone and be positioned out of reach of the bath or shower. A downflow heater mounts high on the wall with a pull cord and a runback timer, warming the room in the few minutes before a shower and switching itself off afterwards.
Do any of them need an electrician?
Freestanding and plug in models need no installation. Wall mounted models hang on brackets, and hardwiring any of them to a fused spur is a job for a registered electrician.
In practice most buyers plug them in and mount them later if at all. Bathroom heating is the exception and should always be installed by a registered electrician.
Where can I buy electric heaters in Ireland?
All three types are available from Shamrock Electrical, online with free delivery to every county in the Republic of Ireland, or from our store in Rathcoole, Co. Dublin.
See the Wall Mounted Electric Heaters range for radiators and panel heaters, or the full Electric Radiators & Heaters collection which also carries portable oil filled radiators and fan heaters. We are just off the N7, well positioned for the M50, and you can call us on 01 401 9907 for sizing advice before you buy. For working out wattage, read what size electric radiator do I need.