If you're here because a room is cold, I'm going to start with something a lot of people don't want to hear: there isn't one universal answer. The right fix depends on whether you have radiators, whether the room is a bathroom, whether the heat is temporary or permanent, and how fast you need it. In my role coordinating heating equipment for a distributor, I've handled more than 200 rush orders over the past eight years. A lot of those calls came from property managers who needed heat fast. The first thing I ask is usually: do you have hot water radiators, and have you bled them?

When I say hot water radiators, I mean a boiler system—often called a hot water heater system in older buildings—where hot water flows through radiators or baseboard units. If that's your setup, the next section may save you a lot of money.

Cold Room? Start With These Four Scenarios

I generally split these calls into four situations. Here's the short version:

  • A. You have hot water radiators, and one room or radiator is cold. Start by bleeding the radiator, not ordering a heater.
  • B. The cold room is a bathroom, or a small wet area. You need a fixed bathroom heater with the right IP rating.
  • C. You need heat right now for a workshop, office, or temporary space. A ceramic fan heater like the Dimplex 2kW upright model will work.
  • D. You want permanent electric heat without changing your boiler system. An electric baseboard heater is worth considering.

Let's walk through each one.

Scenario A: You Have Hot Water Radiators and One Room Is Cold

If your building has radiators filled with hot water, the most common cause of a cold radiator is trapped air. I learned this the hard way. Early in my career, I helped a client order a portable heater for a cold office. They ran it for two weeks before a maintenance tech found the radiator just needed bleeding. The fix cost nothing beyond a $4 key.

So before you buy anything, do this:

How to Bleed a Radiator

  1. Turn off the heating and let the radiator cool down. Bleeding a hot radiator can spray water and cause burns.
  2. Find the bleed valve. It's usually at the top end of the radiator, sticking out from the side or the top.
  3. Get a radiator bleed key, or a flathead screwdriver if the valve has a slot.
  4. Hold a cloth under the valve. Put the key on the valve and turn it slowly counterclockwise. You'll hear a hiss—that's air coming out.
  5. Wait until a steady stream of water appears. Then close the valve by turning it clockwise. Don't overtighten.
  6. Check the boiler pressure. Most systems should be around 1–1.5 bar when cold, but check your boiler manual.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (energy.gov), bleeding air from hot-water radiators can improve system efficiency. It's one of the cheapest diagnostic steps you'll ever do. If you're not sure whether to tackle it, start with one radiator on the highest floor—air tends to rise and collect there. (Should mention: if a radiator is still cold after bleeding, the valve might be closed or the system may need a technician.)

Put another way: don't buy a heater until you've spent five minutes confirming the problem isn't in the existing system. I only believed this after a customer called me back, a little embarrassed, to say the radiator was fixed and the heater was no longer needed. That's when I started asking about bleeding before recommending products.

Scenario B: The Cold Room Is a Bathroom or Wet Area

Bathrooms need a different approach. A portable fan heater on the floor of a bathroom is not a great idea. Water and electricity don't mix, and a plug-in heater isn't rated for the zones in a bathroom.

If you're looking at a Dimplex bathroom heater, you're on the right track. These are fixed units with an IP rating designed to be safe when installed in the correct zone. In a bathroom, you need a heater that's mounted on the wall and wired to the right circuit—not a free-standing fan that can be knocked over.

I have mixed feelings about telling people to spend more on a fixed bathroom heater. On one hand, a cheap fan heater will technically blow warm air. On the other, I've seen the risk in a small damp room. It's not worth it.

So for bathroom heat, pick the right tool: a wall-mounted bathroom heater with proper protection. What I mean is, check the IP rating and installation instructions before anything else. Many Dimplex bathroom heaters are designed for wall mounting and come with thermostatic controls, which help keep the room comfortable without wasting energy.

Scenario C: You Need Fast, Temporary Heat in a Workspace

If a room is cold right now and you need heat within minutes, a ceramic fan heater is the most honest answer. The Dimplex 2kW upright ceramic fan heater is one of the units I recommend for this. It has a fan, a thermostat, and enough power to push warm air around a small to medium room quickly.

But let me be clear about what it is: a temporary tool. It's more or less a quick fix. A fan heater is noisy, it uses a lot of electricity, and it only heats the space while it's running. It's great for a workshop, a home office, or an emergency space while you sort out a longer-term fix. It's not a substitute for a permanent heater.

I used to think temporary meant just leave it running. Then I saw a client's electric bill after running a 2kW fan heater 24/7 for a month. Put another way: use it when you're in the room, and turn it off when you're not.

If you need to heat a whole building overnight, a fan heater is a bridge, not a plan. At a job site last winter, we delivered a few fan heaters to get a client through one night. They worked. The next week, the client installed permanent baseboard heaters.

Scenario D: You Want Permanent Electric Heat Without Touching the Boiler

If the cold room isn't a bathroom, and you're ready for something fixed and quiet, an electric baseboard heater deserves a look. The term baseboard heater can cause confusion, so I want to clear that up quickly: an electric baseboard heater is a self-contained unit that uses convection to warm the room. It's not the same as hot-water baseboard heating connected to a boiler. If you have a hot water system, you already know—those units have metal fins and pipes, not electrical knockouts.

Dimplex baseboard heaters are typically mounted along exterior walls, usually below windows, where cold air drops. They take longer to warm a room than a fan heater, but they're quieter and don't blow dust around. They also work well for keeping a space at a steady temperature, especially with a programmable thermostat.

In a building where installing new hot water lines is impractical, electric baseboard heaters are a practical way to add heat to a room. To be fair, they're not as fast as a fan heater, and they're not the right choice in a bathroom unless the unit is rated for it. But for a bedroom, office, or living area, they're a solid permanent option.

One thing I'd recommend: measure the room before you choose the size. A small baseboard heater in a large room will run constantly, and that's frustrating for everyone. Most manufacturers provide a wattage per square foot guideline. Use it.

So How Do You Decide?

Here's how I triage a cold-room call in about two minutes. First, ask: is the room served by radiators or hot-water baseboards? If yes, bleed the radiators before ordering anything. That narrows down a huge proportion of calls.

Second, is the room a bathroom? Then choose a fixed bathroom heater with the correct IP rating. Don't compromise on that.

Third, do you need heat today or can you wait for an installation? If today, get a ceramic fan heater like the Dimplex 2kW upright model as a stopgap. If you can prepare the room now, look at an electric baseboard heater or panel heater for permanent heat.

Fourth, are you solving a symptom or a system problem? A fan heater is fast. A baseboard heater is permanent. A bled radiator is both. If the radiator needed bleeding, start there.

Bottom Line

There's no shame in not knowing which heating solution fits. That's why I explain options instead of just pushing a product. If the room is cold because of air in a hot-water radiator, the smartest move is a bleed key. If it's a bathroom, get a proper Dimplex bathroom heater. If you need quick temporary heat, the Dimplex 2kW upright ceramic fan heater will do the job. If you want quiet, permanent electric heat, a baseboard heater is a strong option.

I'd rather spend 10 minutes explaining the difference between a fan heater and a baseboard heater than deal with a mismatched order later.

As of 2025, electric resistance heating is close to 100% efficient at the point of use (Source: U.S. Department of Energy, energy.gov). That doesn't mean it's automatically the cheapest option—electricity rates vary. It does mean the heat you're paying for goes into the room, not up a flue. Whatever you choose, take two minutes to check the existing system first. The cheapest heater is the one you didn't need.