CHOICE has discovered the cheapest option for heating your home this winter depends on whether you're a home owner or renter
By Rachael Gavin|
Heating the home during winter is costly enough but with the current cost of living crisis its yet another expense we're worried about managing.
There are ways to keep costs down though, and one of the best is to choose the most cost-effective heating option.
To help us out the team at CHOICE have done the hard work to analyse which heating systems are cheapest to install and run.
READ MORE: Cost-effective ways to keep your home warm over winter
However, the option that's kindest to the hip pocket actually depends on whether you are a renter or a home owner.
For home owners, CHOICE has discovered it is cheaper in the long run to pay a bigger upfront cost and install reverse-cycle air conditioning.
As for renters, the most affordable option is an electric heater. Depending on your budget and which model you choose, this will cost you less in the short-term, but is more expensive to run.
Air conditioning
According to CHOICE, running reverse-cycle air conditioning throughout an entire year costs slightly more than using an electric heater for a few months.
You'll just have to be mindful of the cost of the unit and installation, as well as the time it will take to install.
READ MORE: Beat the plastic bag ban with these reusable grocery bags
"On average you can expect to pay about $2000 for a new split-system air conditioner, but the price range is anywhere from $600 up to $5500," says CHOICE heating expert Chris Barnes.
"Installation will add at least a few hundred dollars more... For a typical freestanding house, the cost can easily reach $10,000 or more, depending on the size and type of system you choose."
Gas heating
At the time CHOICE's report was published, gas was the second most affordable heating option. But there are concerns the natural gas shortage will cause a spike in prices, so this could change.
Regardless of the cost of gas heating, it's not an option available to everyone because your house needs to have a gas connection first.
There are also some other negatives when it comes to gas heaters as well.
CHOICE said units can be expensive and cost from $500 to $1400, plus you'll also have to pay for them to be regularly serviced.
Portable electric heaters
This option is super convenient as you can pop a heater in the room you need extra warmth in.
Plus electric heaters are cheap upfront with units costing as little as $30 to buy.
But portable electric heaters are expensive to run, and even if you choose the slightly more cost-efficient oil column heater, you won't end up saving much.
"A portable electric heater can cost almost three times as much to run on average than a reverse-cycle air conditioner (based on heating six hours a day over 12 weeks in a moderate winter)," CHOICE said.
How to choose a portable electric heater
Given so many of us are finding it hard to cope with the rising costs of living, an electric heater is a good option if there's not a lot in the kitty right now to pay for an air conditioning system.
But you'll need to find a unit that not only fits your budget, but also performs well.
After analysing a range of electric heaters, CHOICE has found price is not an indicator of how effective a heater is.
"Among the electric heaters we've recommended in the past, some have cost less than $100 and others more than $400, yet their winter running costs tend to be similar at around $300 จC and we've found other models with similar prices and running costs but which perform much worse," Chris said.
So it's best to check out CHOICE'S electric heater reviews before making a decision. You might also want to research online to find out which retailers have got heaters on sale to find the biggest savings.
Other ways to save on heating costs
Once you've got your heating sorted there are lots of things you can do around the house to make your heater more efficient.
Using curtains, draught stoppers and rugs will all help keep the heat inside the room, so you won't need to leave the heater on as long or run it as high.
????For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.