Heater for a Home Office: How to Stay Warm Working From Home This Winter

Glass panel heater with Alexa control for a home office

The first cold mornings are here. If you work from home, you've probably already had the debate: put the central heating on for the whole house just to warm one room, or sit at the desk in a jumper and fingerless gloves until lunchtime?

There's a better middle ground. A small heater in the room you actually work in, set on a timer, keeps you warm for a fraction of the cost of heating the whole house all day. Add a few comfort upgrades and the box room stops feeling like a fridge by November. Here's how to choose the right heater for a home office, and what else helps.

Why heat just the home office?

Most Irish central heating systems heat every radiator on the circuit at once. That makes sense in the evening when the family is home, but on a weekday it means paying to heat empty bedrooms, the hall and the kitchen while you sit in one room for eight hours.

An electric heater sized for one room lets you leave the main heating on its normal morning and evening schedule and top up only where you work. The smaller and better-insulated the room, the better this works, which is good news for anyone working from a box room.

Which type of heater suits a home office?

There are four main types. Each one suits a different room and a different way of working.

Panel heaters: best all-rounder for a home office

Panel heaters (also called convector panels) are slim, quiet and heat the air in the room evenly. Most can stand on feet or be fixed to the wall, and the better ones have a thermostat and a 7-day timer, so the room is warm before you sit down at 9 and switches off when you finish.

For a small office or box room, the Slim Convector Heater 1200W (€129.99) is sized for rooms of around 8 to 12 m². For a typical spare bedroom, the Smart Panel Heater 1500W (€149.99) adds a glass front, app control and open window detection.

Smart heaters: warm the room before you walk in

A smart heater connects to your WiFi so you can turn it on from your phone or by voice. That's handy on a cold morning: ask Alexa to warm the office while the kettle boils, and it's comfortable by the time you log on.

Oil filled radiators: steady, silent heat

An oil filled radiator takes a little longer to warm up, but once it's hot it gives off gentle, even heat and keeps radiating for a while after it switches off. There's no fan, so it's completely silent, which matters if you spend the day on Teams calls. Wheels let you move it to the living room in the evening.

Ceramic and fan heaters: fast heat when you need it

Ceramic (PTC) heaters warm up in seconds and blow the heat towards you. They're good for a quick blast on a cold morning or for warming your legs under the desk, though the fan makes some noise.

The Oscillating Ceramic Heater 2000W (€99.99) is just 21 cm square, so it fits beside a desk. For a bigger room, the Tower Fan Heater 2200W (€139.99) and the PTC Ceramic Tower Heater 2000W (€149.99) sweep heat across the room.

Wall mounted heaters: keep the floor clear

In a small room, every bit of floor counts. A wall mounted heater sits above the skirting and leaves space for the desk, chair and bin. If you're looking for a wall mounted heater in Ireland, there are three types in our range:

Most of our panel heaters also come with wall brackets, so you can start them on the floor and fix them up later.

Why a panel heater with a timer saves money

A heater only costs money while it's drawing power. A thermostat switches it off once the room reaches the temperature you set, and a timer stops it running before you start or after you finish. Look for these features:

  • A thermostat, so the heater cycles on and off instead of running flat out all day.
  • A 7-day or weekly timer, so it matches your working days and stays off at weekends.
  • Open window detection, which switches it off if you open a window to air the room.
  • Anti-frost mode, useful for a garden office that you don't use every day.

What does it cost to run a heater in a home office?

The sum is simple: the heater's power in kilowatts, times the hours it runs, times your unit rate. Check your electricity bill for your rate per kWh, as it varies by supplier and plan.

For example, a 1.5 kW panel heater running at full power for one hour uses 1.5 kWh. At 35c per kWh, that's about 53c an hour. In practice a heater with a thermostat runs at full power only while the room warms up, then cycles on and off to hold the temperature, so a well-insulated small room costs much less than the full-power figure across a working day.

If you work from home for an employer, you may also be able to claim Remote Working Relief from Revenue on a share of your electricity and heating costs for the days you work at home. Check revenue.ie for the current rules.

What size heater do I need for my room?

Room Typical size Heater power Good picks
Box room 6 to 9 m² 1,000 to 1,500W Slim convector 1200W, 7 fin radiator
Small bedroom office 9 to 15 m² 1,500W Smart panel 1500W, Alexa panel 1500W
Larger room or open plan 15 to 22 m² 2,000W or more Alexa panel 2000W, Convector 2000W
Garden office Varies 2,000W or more 11 fin radiator 2500W, Wall ceramic 2000W

Older houses, rooms with a north-facing window and garden rooms lose heat faster, so go one size up if in doubt. See the full range in our heaters collection.

Five more ways to stay comfortable this winter

1. Get your feet off the cold floor. Cold feet make the whole body feel cold. An under-desk footrest lifts them off a cold floor and helps your posture too. A rug under the desk helps as well.

2. Brighten up the dark afternoons. By half four it's dark, and working under one ceiling bulb strains your eyes. A cordless dimmable desk lamp puts warm light where you need it. See more in desk lighting & comfort.

3. Ease the tension. Hunching over a laptop in a cold room tightens your neck and shoulders. The heated neck & shoulder massager (€79.99) adds gentle warmth during a break.

4. Keep the air from drying out. Heaters can dry the air, which leaves some people with dry eyes or a scratchy throat. A small humidifier helps, and a few plants make a grey room feel more alive.

5. Keep moving. Sitting still makes you feel colder. Get up every hour, or walk while you take calls with an under-desk walking pad.

Heater safety in a home office

  • Plug a heater straight into a wall socket, not into an extension lead or adaptor.
  • Keep it at least a metre from curtains, paper, bedding and the desk.
  • Choose one with overheat protection and, for floor heaters, a tip-over switch. Every heater in our range has overheat protection.
  • Don't dry clothes on it or cover it.
  • Switch it off at the wall when you finish for the day, unless you're using a timer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best heater for a home office?
For most home offices, a panel heater with a thermostat and a weekly timer. It's quiet, heats the room evenly and only runs when you're working. If you need silence on calls and steady heat, an oil filled radiator is a good alternative.

Is a panel heater cheaper to run than an oil filled radiator?
Every electric heater turns power into heat at nearly the same efficiency, so a 1.5 kW heater costs the same per hour at full power whichever type it is. The savings come from the controls: a good thermostat and timer stop it running when it doesn't need to.

Can I leave an electric heater on all day?
A heater with a thermostat and overheat protection is designed to run for long periods, but switch it off when you leave the room and use the timer to stop it running outside working hours.

Do you deliver heaters across Ireland?
Yes. Orders are processed within 1 to 3 business days and usually arrive at Irish addresses within 7 to 14 business days after dispatch. Delivery is free in Ireland on orders over €75, and every heater comes with 14-day returns.

Working from a small room? Read our guide to box room office ideas, or browse all heaters for the home office.