This AENO Premium Eco AGH0003S-UK Smart Panel Heater review puts this convection/infrared panel heater through its paces to find out if it can successfully heat a home in winter – without causing a spike in energy bills in the process.
After testing, I think it’s one of the best electric heaters you can buy today. Here’s why.
In a nutshell
The AENO Premium Eco Smart Panel Heater is somewhat of an enigma in the electric heater world, using a combination of convection and infrared to not only heat your home – but also the bodies in your home.
As I unboxed the product, I could see that this wasn’t all this product had to offer. Extremely sleek, sophisticated, and as slim as can be, it’s perhaps one of the most attractive electric heaters on the market today. The fact that it can used as either a wall-mounted or freestanding electric heater also makes it accessible for all households.
Even better is the smart app functionality (alongside physical controls if you’re less technologically inclined) that allows you to set timers and heating schedules and keep track of how much energy the heater is really setting you back. This isn’t a lot, considering the brand claims that it uses 50% less energy than traditional heaters.
Throughout my testing process, the energy efficiency of this product was obvious – which is one of the main reasons why it’s since become a staple appliance in my home.
AENO Premium Eco AGH0003S-UK Smart Panel Heater review
Specifications
- Type: Panel heater
- Heating method: Convection/infrared
- Power: 700 W
- Dimensions: H41.7cm x W100cm x D16.5cm
- Weight: 8.7 kg
- WiFi connectivity: Yes
- Timer: Yes
- Safety cut-out: No
- Extra features: Child lock, tip-over switch, wall-mounting kit
- Price: £199
Unboxing and setting up
The AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater came packaged in quite a large box – but this was to be expected for what I knew would be a very large heater. And while the actual weight of the heater is 8.7 kg, it’s worth noting that the boxed weight is slightly heavier at 10.9 kg.
Personally, I had no problems carrying it through the door as I regularly have to carry my lazy 12kg dog around the house, but this could be a hefty weight for someone who is not used to carrying such weight or those with mobility issues.
Upon opening the box, I was incredibly impressed. After many years of testing products, I’ve come to expect that most items will be encased in some kind of (often non-recyclable) packaging – but this heater was encased in nothing but recyclable cardboard and a biodegradable bag. So, it immediately bagged some eco-points from me.
I was also happy to see a very detailed instruction manual inside, complete with extra wall-mounting instructions and information on what the LED indicator statuses (colours) meant. Plus, the warranty card was tucked neatly into the instructional manual, so I had everything I needed for the testing process.
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I then removed all of the cardboard and biodegradable packaging to reveal the components inside – which included the main panel heater, wall mounting tools, and floor installation tools. In fact, there was less in the box than I thought, as I had been worried I’d have to spend hours putting numerous pieces together before I could even download the app.
As I wanted to move this heater around my home to test its capabilities during the reviewing process, I chose not to mount it to my wall. So, I proceeded to use the floor installation tools (and detailed instructions) to pop on some legs. I timed how long this took me, and it took just 1 minute and 53 seconds.
With everything then assembled, I downloaded the app that would allow me to control the heater through my smart device – in my case, my phone. I used the QR code provided to do this, and setting it up was incredibly easy. I simply registered my account using my email address and selected the product I had in front of me.
Then, the app offered on-screen instructions to reset the device by plugging it in, pressing the power button once to turn it green, and then holding it down so the LED light flashes purple. The app then asks you to confirm you see a purple light before continuing. I then connected the app (and my heater) to my Wi-Fi network. As soon as I’d done that, it was ready to go.
Design
I must admit that I’ve never really been a huge fan of electric heaters, as I find many of them extremely clunky and ugly. Plus, as someone with a small home and limited space, I knew that any electric heater I used would be extremely visible to myself and any guests who visit my home. So, I have tended to avoid them.
However, I’d be lying if I said the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater is either clunky or ugly. It’s extremely streamlined, and the 11mm tempered glass panel is sleek and relatively unassuming. Up against a white wall, it seems to blend into the background – and I imagine that this would be even more impressive when mounted on a wall.
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Because of this, I do think that AENO has excelled on the design front. I imagine it’ll compliment many homes extremely well, either blending into the background or serving as a modern focal point. My only niggle is the size.
While I appreciate that a bigger electric heater tends to equate to better power and efficient heat distribution, the smart heater is extremely large and I did find myself struggling to find a place for it when not in use during the testing process. But I guess that’s another reason why you could say that wall-mounted heaters are better than freestanding ones.
Ease of use
If you’re technologically inclined and have a smartphone, the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater is incredibly easy to use. The app makes it impossible to go wrong, and all you need to do is press the giant power button in the middle of the screen and choose how you want the heater to work.
You can either turn it on the ‘constant heating’ option (which offers consistent heat until you turn it off), or you can opt for the ‘SMART’ option, which detects the room’s current temperature and allows you to set a desired temperature within the adjustable thermostat range of 0 – 40 °C. When it reaches that desired temperature, it will simply turn itself off and turn it back on when the temperature drops again.
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Of course, a major perk of having this app is that you only need internet access and the app itself to turn on the heater – which means you could pop it on on the way home from work and return home to a toasty house. Within this app, you can also set a timer, create a heating schedule, connect to Alexa or Google Assistant, and check the statistics from your current and previous heating sessions (more on that later). And I must admit that I found the app’s functionality and ease of use to be incredibly impressive.
But AENO doesn’t discriminate against those who don’t want to use the app. There are also buttons on the side of the heater that allow you to set a desired temperature so you can still use the basic functionalities of the heater. However, if you’re going to spend this kind of cash on a smart heater, it does seem like a waste of money not to use the app.
Performance
Luckily for this review (but unluckily for myself and the rest of the UK), my AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater reviewing process occurred when outside temperatures dropped to -4°C. And to assess the true performance of this heater for the first time, I turned off the radiators in my home office the night before to see how well it would fare against such cold temperatures the next day.
As soon as I turned it on and looked at the app, I could see that my home office had dropped down to just 12°C overnight – much too cold for me. So, I used the ‘SMART’ option to set the temperature to a much more comfortable 21°C and waited for the magic to happen.
What struck me first was that the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater was incredibly quick to heat up – and I really do mean it. It becomes so hot it’s no longer touchable in just a few minutes, so I never had to wait too long to (quite literally) feel the effects.
All in all, it took just 1 hour to raise the temperature from 12°C to 21°C, and while most panel heaters typically require you to be sitting or standing directly in front of it to feel the warming effects yourself, I didn’t find that to be the case with this one. Sure, I certainly felt hotter if I stood in front of it, but as the heater gradually (and quickly) heated the room, I never felt I was missing out by having it by my side. As long as you don’t block it with any furniture, it works wonders.
When I review products, I can tell whether I really like something by how well it fits into my life. In some cases, I am obligated to perform certain tests for the sake of my reviews but I struggle to use them naturally within my daily life. In other cases, I start using them all the time as though they are a missing piece to my puzzle – and this was the case with the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater.
I continued using this electric heater almost daily after this first initial test, moving it into my lounge and setting timers to take off the morning chill at the weekend, opting for the ‘constant heating’ option when outside temperatures rose and we didn’t want to put the central heating on, and even turning it on when I got off the train so I knew it would be hot by the time I walked in the door.
As I write this, I’m in my fourth week of testing the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater, and the performance hasn’t let me down since. It heats up quickly, the heat is powerful and consistent, and the panel retains heat extremely well, which allows me to get a little bit of extra heat for free once it’s turned off. If I’m being honest, I can’t fault it on performance.
And while I haven’t found this to be a problem in my small house as space is limited anyway, it’s worth mentioning that Aeno recommends you stay within 1.5m of the heater if you really want to feel the full effects. As the cord is fairly short at 1.9 m, those with larger rooms might struggle.
Energy use
AENO has marketed this heater as an ‘Energy saving and environmentally friendly infrared heater with a unique heating technology that will save you money from the first start!’ Alongside this, they also claim that the infrared capabilities of this heater mean it uses 2X less energy than other electric heaters on the market – something that makes infrared heaters incredibly cheap to run. And as I’m constantly on a mission to save energy at home, I was on a mission to test that.
With all of the information available on the app, I didn’t need to use a specific smart meter or energy tester to see how well the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater fared in energy use. The app brings up a handy graph to show how much energy your heating session has used – including the wattage it used to heat the room.
That’s because this heater offers adjustable energy heating consumption, which automatically adjusts the energy output. So, if you want to heat to a higher temperature, it will use a higher wattage. But if you drop the temperature down, the wattage will also drop. This isn’t something you see often with electric heaters.
As a result, the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater is probably one of the most energy-efficient appliances I’ve ever used. On one day, I used it for almost three hours, and during that time, it used 1.64kW/h. If I were to round up the price of those three hours, it would be around £1.30 or 43p an hour – making it cheaper than the average cost to run an electric heater.
After four weeks of usage, I haven’t noticed any huge jumps in terms of my energy bills either. In fact, my gas bill is a little bit less – perhaps because I’m using less of my gas central heating to heat my home now I have this electric heater.
Noise levels
I always try to note noise levels when reviewing electric heaters at Ideal Home – especially as some electric heaters can be extremely loud. And while I’d typically use a decibel app on my phone to note how loud it is, I knew as soon as I turned on the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater that it wasn’t worth it.
That’s because this heater is completely silent. There are no clicking sounds you often get with the best oil-filled radiators, there are no whirring noises you get from fan heaters, and there’s not even a hum you often get from other electric items. If you couldn’t see it, you wouldn’t even know it was there. So, I didn’t bother to test the decibel level as I wasn’t even sure the app would be able to detect anything.
In fact, this silence was one of the main reasons why my electrician husband deemed it ‘one of the best’ heaters he’s ever come across – and he’s hard to impress.
How does it rate online?
Finding the online ratings for the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater wasn’t easy as there are no reviews on the website itself. However, at the time of writing, the brand’s TrustPilot score comes in at 3.6 stars – which is considered average.
And while you can buy this heater from the likes of Currys, B&Q, Robert Dyas, and even GAME (strangely enough), there are very few reviews of it so far. This may be because it’s a relatively new product or because it just hasn’t been purchased that many times. Whatever the case, the maximum amount of reviews I was able to spot on one merchant’s website was three on Currys.
Nevertheless, at the time of writing, it currently has a score of 4.7 out of 5 on Currys. The few reviews rave about the sleek design of the electric heater and its ability to take the chill off a winter’s day. The only niggles customers had were that the panel gets extremely hot and the app can take some getting used to.
How does it compare to similar models?
This is the first infrared/convection panel heater that Ideal Home has ever tested, as they’re not as common as their 100% convector or fan counterparts. Because of this, I have nothing to directly compare it to.
In terms of style and features, however, the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater is perhaps most similar to the Duux Edge 1000 Smart Convector Heater. It’s a large radiator-esque heater that offers up to 1000W of power and smart app connectivity.
It’s a lot chunkier, though, and our tester found that it was very awkward and uncomfortable to move due to the hefty weight of it.
This is where I believe the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater beats the competition. It offers all of the features of the chunkier convector heater, but it’s lighter, sleeker, and more portable – without compromising on heat output.
Should you buy the Aeno PREMIUM Eco Smart Heater?
If you’re in the market for an electric heater and have the space for the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater, I’d say it’s well worth the money. It may be more expensive than some of the other heaters on the market, but it makes up for it in terms of its style, performance, and efficient energy use. The app also makes it easier than ever to control your heating.
If I’m honest, I think the wall-mounted vs freestanding electric heater debate does come into play with this heater, as I believe the heater could lend itself better to being mounted on the wall. But as someone who didn’t do that and had no problems moving it around from room to room, it’s equally as effective on the floor if you’re willing to put in the extra legwork and have the floor space for it.
The only thing I’d say to be wary of is the fact that the panel itself does get very hot, but as it offers a fall/tilt sensor that will automatically switch off the appliance if a child or pet accidentally knocks it over, I’d say it’s no less safe than other electric heaters on the market. You’ll just need to ensure that young children keep their hands away from the panel itself.
How we tested
You can find more information on how we review products at Ideal Home here. For this review, the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater was tested by Lauren, Ideal Home’s Content Editor for the House Manual section. She tested this heater for four weeks over winter in her small Victorian terrace in Kent.
All in all, Lauren tested everything from its heat output to its app functionality, noise levels, and energy use. As well as following our testing guidelines, she tried to use it as naturally as possible to beat the cold weather and keep her home as warm as possible – especially in her home office. This allowed her to understand how other customers would fare if they were to buy it themselves.
At the end of the month, Lauren assessed everything she discovered during the testing process to determine whether she thought the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater was worth the price tag. With this information in tow, she was able to give it a score out of 5.
Although Lauren was sent this heater to review for Ideal Home, this did not impact her fair and impartial review process. She has shared her own experiences with the AENO Premium Eco Smart Heater while also being honest about the perks and pitfalls others may experience if they were to invest in one themselves.
Read the full article here
