When you're comparing electric fires, almost nobody talks about what's actually generating the heat. They show you flame videos and price tags. We think you deserve to know the difference — because it saves you real money every single winter.
What Is a Fan Heater in an Electric Fire?
A standard fan heater element is exactly what it sounds like — a resistive heating element paired with a fan. The element runs at constant power. The fan blows air over it. The heater produces heat at a fixed, constant rate.
In a 3kW fan heater electric fire running at full output: 3,000 watts × £0.27/kWh = 81p per hour. Every hour. Constantly. There's no self-regulation. The only control is whether it's on or off — or if a thermostat cuts it.
Most electric fire brands use fan heaters because they're cheaper to manufacture. That includes British Fires, which uses a fan heater on its entire New Forest range. Evonic's primary heating method is also resistance-based fan heating.
What Is a PTC Ceramic Heater?
PTC stands for Positive Temperature Coefficient. A PTC ceramic heating element has a remarkable physical property: as the element's temperature increases, its electrical resistance increases proportionally. More resistance = less current flows = less power consumed.
In practical terms: a PTC heater self-regulates its own power consumption based on the ambient temperature of the room. When you first switch it on in a cold room, it runs closer to full power. As the room warms up, the element's resistance rises and power consumption drops — sometimes to as little as 30–40% of rated power.
The Maths — Real Savings Every Winter
| Heater Type | Avg Cost/Hour | Per Day (4hrs) | Per Winter (5 months) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mayfair PTC Ceramic | ~57p | ~£2.28 | ~£340 |
| Fan Heater (constant) | 81p | £3.24 | ~£485 |
| Annual Saving | ~£145 |
Based on UK avg 27p/kWh · 4hrs/day · 5 months heating season · PTC 70% avg duty cycle
The Other Advantages of PTC
No noise. Fan heaters make noise — the fan, the element vibrating. A PTC ceramic element has no moving parts. The heat radiates silently. You notice this more than you think on quiet evenings.
No dry air. Fan heaters circulate and heat air aggressively, stripping moisture as they go. PTC ceramic heaters release warmth more gently, without the same drying effect on the air in the room.
Longer life. Fewer moving parts means fewer components to fail. PTC elements are inherently more reliable over the long term than fan-and-element combinations.
Every Mayfair fire — Kensington 50, Chelsea 60, Belgravia 72 and Signature 80 — uses a 3kW self-regulating PTC ceramic heater as standard. No upgrades. No variants. Every fire, every model.
Ready to see a Mayfair fire in your room?
Reserve any Mayfair fire for just £100. Free UK delivery. Pay balance on delivery.