The clocks have gone back, and the colder months have arrived, making now a key time to invest in heating appliances for a more comfortable home. And if you’re looking for a bargain, I have a great one as Lidl is selling an oil-filled radiator for under £30.
The best oil-filled radiators are a must-have for their impressive heat output, impeccable heat retention, and steady distribution of warmth, which helps keep you nice and toasty all winter, without having a damaging impact on your electricity bills.
Landing in the middle aisle tomorrow (30 October), the Lidl Tronic Oil-Filled Radiator is just £29.99, making it an excellent, affordable heating choice. Here’s how it shapes up.
The Lidl oil-filled radiator is available in sleek black and white colourways. It has seven fins giving it a large surface area for heating and it has three different heat settings.
This small oil-filled radiator only offers one 800W heat setting but it is powerful enough to heat a small room in just 10 minutes - ideal if you're looking for something to keep you warm while working from home.
While Lidl has a few more of the best electric heaters on sale, too, it is the oil-filled radiator that I am most excited about. Oil-filled radiators are one of the cheapest electric heaters to run, costing anything between 14p and 68p per hour to run.
While oil-filled radiators are largely considered to be energy efficient, other factors, such as poor insulation, should also be considered, as this can impact how well a room heats/ how long it takes to heat. Because of this, it can take longer to heat a room and cost more - something to be wary of if you plan to use an oil-filled radiator overnight.
The Lidl Tronic Oil-Filled Radiator has three heat settings and a large heating area with seven fins. This means it should be able to heat a large room efficiently, and with different settings to choose from, you can opt for a temperature that feels comfortable.
The Lidl oil-filled radiator is most similar to the VonHaus Oil Filled Radiator (£32.99 at Amazon), which is Ideal Home’s best-rated budget oil-filled radiator. It has six fins compared to Lidl’s seven, and only has one heat setting, but it is lightweight, portable and does the job well.
'Oil-filled radiators may not be as attractive as more modern electric heaters, but there’s a reason why they’re still so popular. They’re one of the cheapest heaters to run, and their heat retention is second to none. So, you can make the most of some free heat even when they’re turned off, which is always a bonus with energy bills on the up,’ says Lauren Bradbury, content editor at Ideal Home.
‘At £29.99, you can’t really get much cheaper than the Lidl oil-filled radiator, either. With 7 fins, it should effectively distribute heat across larger areas, and the three heat settings allow you to customise the heat output to suit your comfort. Plus, if you choose to use the lowest heat setting, it’ll cost you even less to run!’
At such a bargain price, I can’t imagine this heater will be on the shelves for long, so if you miss out on the chance to pick one up, or you don’t have a Lidl local to you, here are three more well-reviewed options.
This is Ideal Home's best-rated oil-filled radiator. It makes fast work of warming a large space, with three temperature settings, a thermostat and a timer to manage the heat output.
This is the most powerful oil-filled radiator we've tested. It has a 2500W heat output, meaning it makes light work of large and draughty rooms.
If you only have a small space to heat, then the 500W De'Longhi TRNS0505M offers a super-low running cost. It's small, compact, lightweight, and very easy to use.
Oil-filled radiators are cost-effective and a handy tool for keeping you warm all winter. Will you be investing in one?
