12th March 2026
Living in Caithness means living with long winters, biting winds, and homes that often lose heat faster than they should. With heating‑oil prices rising sharply and electricity still expensive, many households are rethinking how they heat their homes. Increasingly, people are turning away from heating the whole house and instead warming only the room they're actually using.
This article breaks down the real world costs of three common heating options like fan heaters, oil‑filled radiators, and oil‑fired central heating so you can make informed choices that keep you warm without draining your wallet. Of course there will be wide variations depending on type of house, numbers in the house with older people often using single room most of the day.
1. Fan Heaters vs Oil‑Filled Radiators: Which Is Cheaper?
Both fan heaters and oil‑filled radiators run on electricity, but they behave very differently.
Fan Heaters
Fan heaters deliver instant heat. They're ideal when you walk into a cold room and want warmth immediately. But they have a downside: they run at full power the entire time they’re switched on.
A typical fan heater uses 2 kW, costing around 25-30p per kWh.
If you run one for eight hours, that’s:
16 kWh per day
£4.00-£4.80 per day
Great for short bursts, expensive for long sessions.
Oil‑Filled Radiators
Oil‑filled radiators warm up slowly, but once hot, they cycle on and off. That means they don’t use full power continuously.
A 2 kW oil‑filled radiator running for eight hours typically uses 40–60% of its rated power. That puts the daily cost at:
£1.90–£2.90 per day
They’re quieter, safer, and far more economical for long periods of heating.
Verdict
Fan heater: Best for quick heat in short bursts
Oil‑filled radiator: Best for keeping a room warm for hours at a lower cost
For anyone heating a single room regularly, the oil‑filled radiator is the clear winner.
2. Electric Heating vs Heating‑Oil Boilers: Weekly Cost Comparison
Heating oil is cheaper per unit of energy than electricity, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Oil boilers heat the entire house, not just the room you’re in.
Electric Room Heating (2 kW heater, 8 hours/day)
112 kWh per week
Weekly cost: £28–£30
Oil‑Fired Central Heating (whole house, 8 hours/day)
Heating oil in early 2025 averages around 80p per litre, and each litre contains roughly 10 kWh of heat. That works out to about 8p per kWh.
A typical boiler delivering around 10 kW of heat over eight hours uses:
560 kWh per week
Weekly cost: £44–£45
Verdict
Electric heating is cheaper if you only heat one room.
Oil is cheaper per kWh, but you pay to heat every room — even the empty ones.
This is why many Caithness households are switching to room‑by‑room heating.
3. The Cheapest Ways to Heat a Single Room
If you’re trying to keep costs down, here’s the ranking of heating methods from cheapest to most expensive.
1. Heated Throws and Electric Blankets
Use 50–100 watts
Cost 15–25p per day
Warm you, not the room
Perfect for evenings on the sofa or working at a desk.
2. Oil‑Filled Radiators
Cost £1.90–£2.90 per day for long sessions
Silent, safe, and steady
Ideal for bedrooms, living rooms, or home offices.
3. Fan Heaters
Cost £4–£5 per day if used for eight hours
Best used briefly to warm a room quickly
Switch to a radiator or heated throw once the chill is gone.
4. Why This Matters in Caithness
Homes in Caithness face unique challenges:
Long heating seasons
Strong winds and draughts
Older buildings with poor insulation
High delivery costs for heating oil
Because of this, heating the whole house can be unnecessarily expensive — especially if you spend most of your time in just one or two rooms.
Room‑by‑room heating gives you control. It lets you stay warm without burning through hundreds of pounds of heating oil each month.
With energy prices still unpredictable, the smartest approach is flexibility. Use a fan heater to take the edge off a cold room, switch to an oil‑filled radiator for longer periods, and keep a heated throw nearby for instant comfort at almost no cost.
For many households in Caithness, this combination offers the best balance of warmth, safety, and affordability especially when heating oil prices are climbing again.
Bill Fernie who has prepared his article says, "Personally I am heating only one room now and not using my oil heating at the moment. I am of the generation who grew up with a coal fire in one room with no heating in bedrooms - who remembers ice on the inside of the windows and multiple heavy blankets on beds - long before duvets. I am wearing an electric jacket battery run and amazingly efficient and when sitting have a cover over my legs and of course multiple layers of clothes from t-shirt and long johns - If my parents did it so can I. Of course I am a bit bolshe and to hell with paying high energy costs if I can do something else.