Gas heaters vs electric heaters: Which one is better?

Gas heaters are without a doubt more expensive to buy upfront than an electric heater. Plus, they require professional installation, which adds to your upfront costs. There’s also other factors like what kind of gas you’ll use and whether it’s flued or unflued.

Electric heaters on the other hand can be picked up for less than $50. In fact, in our table below of cheap heaters under $50, the one with our highest star rating for heaters under $50 is an electric fan heater from Kmart for just $17. 

Once upon a time, gas would win hands down and this would be a very short paragraph. Alas, the cost of gas is rising in Australia means this is no longer the case. Recent data from Energy Made Easy shows that a low gas-usage heater is about the same cost to run as a mid-powered electric heater. So while it’s about 10c cheaper per MJ (Megajoule - the measurement unit for gas) than it is per average kW of electricity - gas heaters need a lot of energy and you’ll generally need to use more gas than electricity for the same effect.

The key to working out the running costs of your electric heater is in the wattage of your heater. The higher the wattage, the more electricity it needs to run, and the more expensive the ongoing costs are. For example, a 2000W heater will use 2.0kW of power per hour

To work out what it might cost you - recent energy price averages across Australia were around $0.14 per hour, per 1000W on a heater while it is switched on.

And finally - it’ll also come down to how large the space that you want to heat is. Gas heaters are better at warming whole houses, but if you have a small fan heater and you’re trying to heat a large home with it, you’ll find that you’ll eat up loads and loads of electricity,

A low MJ gas heater *might* be cheaper to run in the long term - especially if you live in a warmer climate - but generally speaking, an electric fan heater is probably going to be more cost-efficient to run if you only need to heat up a room or small space.

It’s worth noting that most heaters will have their own individual energy rating, both gas and electric, which could help you determine which one you purchase.

As we’ve mentioned, gas heaters will heat a room quickly, and can easily fill a whole house with warmth. Where you live comes into play though - gas heaters are less effective in the cooler winter climates, as they require more energy to maintain warm temperatures.

Electric fan heaters will heat a room much quickly as well but once you turn off an electric fan heater, the room will get cold quickly, too. Plus, they’re not great for keeping the whole house warm.

Small room? Electric fan heater.

Large house? Gas heater.

Gas heaters are good for those who have the existing infrastructure in their homes to safely hook up a gas heater. Homeowners and those who don’t mind the upfront cost may want to consider a gas heater, though you might want to also install a carbon monoxide alarm to help detect dangerous levels. You’ll also need good ventilation through your house.

Electric fan heaters are good if you have smaller spaces to heat, and there’s no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. And the upfront cost is much, much cheaper.