There are certain times of year when having the central heating on all day is not really necessary (not to mention expensive) but things haven’t quite warmed up enough yet to mean you want no heating at all. This is where the best oil-filled radiators really come into their own – a convenient way of keeping warm without sending electricity bills soaring.
I was still of the opinion that oil-filled radiators were somewhat old-fashioned if I’m totally honest – clumsy in their design and slow to heat up. How wrong I was – the ProBreeze OmniWarm 2500W Oil Filled 11 Fins Eco Radiator has totally changed my opinion. Here’s why.
In a nutshell
With an RRP of £109.99 and various power settings that mean you can keep running costs down, this contemporary-looking oil-filled radiator is a very smart investment.
While you might not get that instant hot blast that fan heaters offer, this radiator gets up to temperature in minutes and will start distributing its heat nice and evenly throughout the room much faster than you might imagine.
The smart features are a really handy extra that give you an added level of control and don’t require any tech wizardry to get to grips with.
Specification
- Type of heater: Oil-filled radiator
- RRP: £109.99
- Weight: 10.4 kg
- Dimensions: (W x H x D): (44.2 x 61.8 x 28cm)
- Wattage: 2500W
- Running costs per hour: 27.69p – 69.22p
- Room size suitability: Unspecified
- Smart features? Yes. WiFi control via smart app
- Dual functionality? No
- Oscillation? No
Unboxing, setting up and first impressions
The heater came well boxed with only the minimum packaging used to keep it from being damaged in transit. Not all the packaging was recyclable which was a shame. However, on the upside, I had expected it to be far heavier to carry into the house than it was.
In total there were just three main components included – the radiator itself and the two sets of castors, as well as the fixings to attach them. The radiator also comes with a neat little remote, already fitted with its batteries.
The castors were super simple to attach using the wing nuts they came with – no tools necessary. Other than that, the radiator comes ready to plug in and go and, thanks to the concise and easy-to-read instruction manual, I had mine up and running with no dramas.
I had wondered whether smart electric heaters were worth it and given that this was my first time using one (or any kind of smart appliance for that matter!) I was a little worried that setting it all up would be complicated but I was pleasantly surprise. All I needed to do was scan the QR code in the manual to download the ProBreeze app – which then took me through around three simple steps to get connected to my WiFI – et voila, we were good to go. From the app I can control the temperature, turn it on and off and use the timer settings.
Quick word of note, I had a small panic when I checked the app at one point and was told it couldn’t connect to the heater. Initially I thought something had gone wrong but then realised this was because the heater had been switched off at the wall rather than being left in standby mode meaning I needed to reconnect.
When you first turn the heater on there is a bit of of a light gurgling and trickling sound as it gets up to temperature – which only seemed to take a minute or two. After that, it is silent to run, unlike some of the other best electric heaters I have tested.
Appearance wise, this is nothing like the bulky old-fashioned oil-filled radiators you’d see in the past. Despite its impressive heat output, this is pleasingly slimline with a far more modern appearance – you definitely wouldn’t notice its presence if you located it in a discreet position within your room, although it is recommended that you leave at least 50cm clearance space on all sides.
What’s it like to use?
In short, this is one of the easiest heaters I have used. It has a switch on the side to turn it on at which point the standby and timer buttons light up. To begin using it to heat the room you just press the standby button, using either the panel on the unit or the remote control (or with the app on your phone if you are using it).
It has four modes – ECO, High, Medium and Low. Once you set the temperature the heater operates automatically in ECO mode where it continuously adjusts to keep this temperature stable. Usefully, you can also see the room’s ambient temperature if needed.
I found the ECO setting to be perfect – even on a pretty chilly day. It quickly took the edge off the cold in my open plan space and, unlike a fan heater, managed to give out a much broader type of heat that seemed to spread out throughout the area rather than spot heat. I also noticed that even after it was turned off it stayed warm for around 30 minutes, although I imagine this would depend on the temperature you had it set at.
Unlike a fan heater I would feel more confident using the timer on this one, for example setting it to come on a little while before everyone gets up in the morning as a way of heating the house without turning the central hearting on to warm things up a bit or before I am due to get home to avoid walking into the freezing entrance hall (the radiator in here is stubbornly unreliable and using the heater here made the world of difference.)
I am also loving the fact that as we enter that time of year when it is hard to know when to turn the central heating off, this can be used to bridge the gap, allowing you navigate the UK’s unreliable spring temperatures easily.
Like I said, the heater is not overly heavy, but the castors it sits on and comfortable handle make it even easier to wheel around the house as much as you want.
One downside – and something I have found with a few heaters I have tested – is that the cable length is not quite as long as I would like. It is 150cm and in my open plan space I would quite like to have been able to position it a little more centrally than was possible. That said, had we bit a little more generous with the number of electrical sockets here it might not have been a problem.
One more thing worth noting, when the heater is switched off, either at the wall or using the power switch, it loses connection to the app. This isn’t too problematic – you simply need to reconnect it to the WiFi by holding down the timer button for five seconds.
And finally, if you have young children around, you need to be aware that the metal fins do get quite hot to the touch, as you might imagine – take care with this.
How much does it cost to run?
Using the January 2026 energy price cap figure for electricity, which is 27.69p per kWh, this 2500W heater would cost just under £0.70 per hour to run. In all honestly I expected it to be a bit cheaper.
That said, when those figures drop in April, to 24.67 pence per kWh, the heater’s running costs will also come down – to around £0.62 per hour. Also, these calculations are based on using it at full pelt. If you were to run it on its Low setting which is a constant 1000W, it would only cost you 24.67 pence per hour. Given that we are now coming out of winter, that might be all you need.
It is also worth noting, particularly if you are looking to save energy, that even when it has been turned off, the heater continues to give off a little free heat – unlike some of the electric fan heaters out there.
Cleaning and maintenance
As a pristine white heater (black is also available) this is going to readily show up dust and, when my dog came in from a walk and decided to shake nearby it did get splattered with muddy water.
However, cleaning was easy with a soft damp cloth – just make sure you’ve turned the heater off and let it cool completely before doing this.
Obviously the fins make getting rid of dust a little tricker than it would be with a flat panel heater, but the slimline nozzle attachment on my vacuum took care of this and a manual radiator brush would act in a similar way.
What do other online reviews say?
In general, reviews for the OmniWarm 2500W Oil Filled 11 Fins Eco Radiator Heater are really positive, with users praising its simple set-up and ease-of-use.
A few reviewers online mentioned that they felt the thermostat under-read room temperature, suggesting you might need to adjust it accordingly to avoid it working harder than necessary. Others found WiFi connectivity to be a little unreliable.
Who should buy this electric heater?
This is perfect for all kinds of uses. It would be great for getting an unheated space, such as a garage, workshop, or freezing cold entrance hall like mine, nice and warm quickly.
It is also perfect for those looking for a way to get their home feeling a little warmer on a chilly spring or early-autumn morning when the central heating might not be in use but you need a blast of heat.
Like I said, those with young children should take care with the hot surface if you have the temperature set particularly high, although it does have a child-lock setting.
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