Firefly (Heatlab) 1.8kW OL2152 Wall Mounted Patio Heater

This entry level heater from Firefly offers 3 power settings, a heating area of up to 6.25sqm, simple pull-cord operation and an ingress protection rating of IPX4. Ideal for commercial or domestic users. Available in Black or White.

Firefly (Heatlab) – 1.8kW Weatherproof Wall Mounted Patio Heater

These are cheap and cheerful entry-level patio heaters. With prices starting around the £50 to £60 mark depending on sales.

Heating Area

Great for small gatherings these heaters offer up to 6.25sqm of near-instant infrared radiant heat. While there are other heaters on the market that offer a wider heating area, you won’t be able to find any for this price and this will comfortably heat everyone around a large picnic or bistro table.

Element Life & Heating Type

These quartz halogen element patio heaters have no estimated life-span but as with all elements of this type, you can expect a life-span of between 3,000 to 5,000-hours.

Replacements are fairly cheap, costing just £9.99 each. The way this heater is setup is via 3 x 600W elements, so you’ll be looking at £29.97 for 3 replacement elements (this means when the unit is on sale it’s cheaper to buy a replacement unit than the bulbs)!

Power Settings & Specifics

3 adjustable power settings – 600W / 1200W / 1800W

The handy pull-cord offers three power settings, each time you pull on the cord you’ll turn one of the elements on or off. Simple enough.

Supplied with a 1.5-metre long power cable (1.3-metre cable length outside unit) and rated at 230v, 50Hz. 3-pin British standard plug included.

Aesthetics

The OL2152 is a basic heater. You’re not paying for style but rather practicality at this price point. Built with a metal front and resin corpus these heaters offer some level of rust-protection and the halogen elements provide a calming evening glow.

Measurements: 17cm (height) x 58cm (length) x 16cm (depth)

Features & Extras

These OL2152 heaters come with mounting screws and adjustable tilt.

Weatherproof Rating

A basic weatherproof rating that will provide heat outdoors in poor weather conditions – IPX4

Solid rating X – no protection from solids.

Liquid rating 4 – protection from splashing water (like rain)

Suitable For

Ideally suited towards the domestic and home user, although in low traffic commercial areas you can use this budget heater with a timer or PIR switch.

Cost to Run?

The cost to run this heater before electricity based on an element life of 5,000-hours comes to just under half a penny at £0.005 per hour.

To calculate our electricity costs we do the following (based on the UK average of 14.7p per kWh)

Heater running costs:

Full Power (1800W) – 1.8kW x 1 hour = 1.8kWh x 14.7p = 26.46p (per hour)
Half Power (1200W) – 1.2kW x 1 hour = 1.2kWh x 14.7p = 17.64p (per hour)
Low Power (600W) – 0.6kW x 1 hour = 0.6kWh x 14.7p = 8.82p (per hour)

Assuming we were to use this heater for 2 hours per day.

Full Power (1800W) – Our monthly electric bill will be £15.876
Half Power (1200W) – Our monthly electric bill will be £10.584
Low Power (600W) – Our monthly electric bill will be £5.292

This is by far one of the cheapest heaters to purchase and run on the market!

Heater Specification

• Type of heater: Electric, Halogen, Infrared
  
• Suitable for: Home & Commercial
  
• Comes with: 1.5m Power Cable, Wall Mounting Screws
  
• Height: 17cm
  
• Depth: 16cm
  
• Width: 58cm
• Weight: 2.4kg
  
• Power settings: 600W / 1200W / 1800W
  
• Cost to run (per hour): 8.82p / 17.64p / 26.46p
  
• Additional: IPX4 Rated
  

PatioMate’s Thoughts

If you’re after a cheap patio heater that offers some level of weatherproof protection, is usable both indoors and outdoors, and won’t break the bank in any way shape or form, then you’ve found your next heater!

This is an all-around strong performing patio heater for the price. An absolute must buy.