Compare the top 3 heaters in Australia 2026

For most Australian first-home buyers the Philips 3000 Series EcoAI Connected Fan Heater (CX3120/01) at around $152 is the right buy. It holds a 4.6 star rating across its verified reviews, and it answers the thing that actually irritates people about plug-in heating: where an oil column makes you wait twenty minutes, this one pushes warm air in two seconds. It is adjustable up to 2000W for rooms to 20m2, runs at an ultra-quiet 24 dB(A), oscillates through 45 degrees, and carries an EcoAI energy-saving mode that Philips bills as the world's first AI electric heating range, quoted at up to 50% savings, all controlled from the Philips Air+ app over Wi-Fi.

If you want the slow, hold-the-heat profile of an oil column rather than a fan, the De'Longhi Radia S Digital Oil Column Heater (TRRS1224EG) at around $208 is the one to look at. Oil column heaters suit AU bedrooms and living rooms: silent operation with no fan, heat retained after switch-off, and the 12-fin design plus 24-hour digital timer plus Eco mode plus ComfortTemp adaptive control make it one of the more thoughtfully engineered models under $300. De'Longhi's Italian brand reputation in oil columns has held for 20+ years and the AU 2-year warranty is consistent across retailers.

The Goldair 11-Fin Oil Column Heater at about $129 is the budget pick, a well-regarded 2,400W oil column with a basic 24-hour timer. Saves you $100 over the De'Longhi and heats a bedroom or small living room just as well. The tradeoff is no Eco mode (so it cycles on/off less efficiently and uses about 15% more electricity over a winter), no adaptive temperature control, and basic timer interface. For a renter or a guest-bedroom secondary heater, this is the right call.

One honest limitation: none of these three is a reverse-cycle split system. For whole-home heating in cold climates (Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra), a 2.5-3.5kW reverse-cycle split delivers 3-4× more heat per kilowatt than any plug-in heater, covered in our best split system air conditioner guide. Oil columns and fan heaters are the right answer for portable, room-by-room supplementary heating, not as a primary heat source for a 100m²+ home in winter.