DeLonghi HX65L22 2300W Ceramic Panel heater (review)

The DeLonghi HX65L22 2300W Ceramic Panel heater is its top-of-the-range fan-assisted convection heater.

 Heaters come in all shapes and sizes, and our Guide Winter is coming – time to think about portable heaters will help you to select the best for your budget and needs. For example, this heater costs $549, whereas top-end fan-boosted heaters with purifiers (like the Dyson) cost over $1000. The real issue is efficiency and running costs.

Australian review: DeLonghi HX65L22 2300W Ceramic Panel heater

Note: De’Longhi is the correct spelling, but search engines hate the apostrophe.

Website	Range page, product page  and Manual
Price	$549, but shop around – seen for $300, so shop around
From	De’Longhi online, Harvey Norman, Myer, David Jones, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Bing Lee, Appliance Central
Warranty	1-year ACL
Made in	China
Company	De’Longhi is an Italian brand est. 1902 makes a huge range of coffee makers, cooking appliances, air treatment, heaters and more. Its aim is that Every De’Longhi product comes with ‘something special.’
More	CyberShack DeLonghi news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First Impression – Largish, grey – Pass+

It is a largish (800 x 75 x 550mm), grey heater with a top and left side vent and control panel on the right side. It has two screw-on wheels/castors, four wall mounts, screws, and a screwdriver.

DeLonghi claims it is suitable for rooms up to 65m3 –about 5 x 5 x 2.4m or a large bedroom. This is an accurate claim, but our retail spies tell us that the biggest complaint with all convection heaters is that people use them in larger rooms, totally overtaxing the heating capacity.

Test

All tests were at an ambient temperature of 18° with the aim of reaching and maintaining 22°. It was initially set to 32° with fan (maximum). The temperature was taken at 1m from the heater. We tried it in both environments.

• As a 65m2 room heater, it raised the room temperature by four degrees in an hour. Once it reached temperature, we reduced the unit temperature to 22°, and it maintained that all night.
• Aas an open space heater, It took over two hours to raise the temperature by 1.0°.

Energy use – Not cheap

Note that no brand or model of heater can promise lower running costs. Whether it is a $500 or $1000, 2300W (2.3KW) heater uses the same energy. Some fan heaters are more efficient at distributing heat and creating 20m2 microclimates.

Based on 40 cents per kWh (1000 watts for an hour).

• At 32° maximum, it consumes about 2000W per hour, although it can go up to 2300W in colder ambient temperatures. Overall cost 80 cents per hour.
• At 22°, that dropped to 1500W. Overall cost 60 cents per hour.

There are more energy-efficient ways to heat a room (air conditioning), but these cost more to buy.

Noise – Whisper Quite – Pass+

The average noise was <30dB. You cannot hear it when sleeping, whereas some fan heaters can reach 50-60dB.

Cable length – Pass

While 1.7m should be adequate, smaller rooms famously have inconveniently placed power points and you may need an extension cord.

Control Panel – Pass

It has an LCD panel that can select operating mode, Eco Plus, countdown timer and keylock.

The three heat levels are minimum, medium, and maximum with fan (16-32°). At night the Eco Plus mode maintains the temperature more energy-efficiently.

Keylock is to prevent children from changing the setting.

Timer – Fail

You can set the timer for a specific countdown period but not use it as a scheduled on/off timer (probably because it has no backup battery).

Children – Pass

It is stable, but a toddler could use it to stand up. It has tip-over protection that turns it off. The vents and casing get hot, but not enough to cause burns.

Best Use

It is more of a passive heater for a 65m2 room. You cannot use it to create a microclimate or in a larger open space.

CyberShack’s view – DeLonghi HX65L22 2300W Ceramic Panel heater is good in the right room

A closed bedroom up to 25m2 is best as it is not designed for open spaces. In that environment, it can raise ambient temperatures up to 4° in an hour (18-22°). If the room is colder, it will take proportionally longer.

Rating

As a 65m3 fan-assisted convection heater.

• Features: 85 – has a good range of controls, and the Eco mode should reduce running costs overnight.
• Value: 85 – It is a reasonable price for a 2.3kW heater
• Performance: 90 in a 65m3 room, but remember it costs over 80 cents per hour at maximum.
• Ease of Use: 90 – simple controls
• Design: 90 Looks like a quality device that should last years. Also wall-mountable.

Pro

Con