Electric fan heaters sell well. But the supposed alternative to gas heating could make the problem even worse, say experts. Most of the additional electricity required is generated in gas-fired power plants. Valuable gas could become even scarcer.
Fan heater: Electricity comes from gas power plants
According to the market research company GfK, 600,000 electric fan heaters were sold in Germany in the first half of 2022. The massive sales are likely to have increased even further after that, because fan heaters are still considered a possible alternative to gas heating. now experts warn again against a large-scale use.
An analysis by the strategy consultants Oliver Wyman shows that the additional space required for fan heaters Electricity mainly generated in gas-fired power plants must become. The already valuable raw material could become even scarcer as a result. There is also the risk of overloading the power grids, which could result in local power outages.
Fan heaters are also less efficient than gas heaters. According to Joerg Stag, Head of the European Energy & Natural Resources Practice, they are “more expensive than conventional heating”. Via the detour of generating electricity in gas-fired power plants, twice as much gas would ultimately be required as is used with conventional gas heating. Negative effects on the gas price can also be assumed (source: Spiegel).
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Fan heater: Additional costs of up to 180 euros
The experts calculate how expensive fan heaters are in daily use. If a single device with an output of 2,000 watts is switched on for four hours a day, this costs consumers at current energy prices 180 euros more per month than heating with gas. The mission is neither “economically nor politically sensible”. Heating costs can be reduced in other ways.