A Guide to Buying the Most Efficient Radiators for Your Home
With the current climate crisis continuing to worsen, 2021 is the year to begin making small changes to both your lifestyle and your home and upgrading to the most efficient radiator is a great place to start. Switching to a more modern radiator is an easy way to reduce your energy consumption and can help you to save money in the long run. Homeowners often don’t realise the extent of the variety of radiators that are out there, but it is important to install ones that are suitable in style, size, and efficiency to each room in your home.
We have put together the following guide to help you select the right radiator models for your home when the time comes to upgrade. Choosing a suitable radiator can often be overlooked or done purely for cosmetic reasons but with an increasing range to select from, it is crucial that their purpose is not forgotten.
What is an Energy Efficient Radiator?
Each year energy bills continue to rise so saving money on these costs is on a lot of people’s minds. An energy efficient radiator is designed to heat your home to the maximum temperature you desire whilst using minimal amounts of energy. While the initial cost to install this type of radiator in your home may seem high, you will actually end up saving significant amounts of money in the long run and it allows you to do your bit for the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of your home.
Radiator Size
Size is an extremely important aspect to consider when looking for the most efficient radiator. Installing radiators that are either too big or too small for the room can make it difficult to heat your home to the ideal temperature and can result in energy being wasted which will reduce its efficiency. You can calculate the size that your radiator should be by using the dimensions of the room and the style of windows.
Typically, larger radiators are more efficient due to having a bigger surface area to radiate the heat from. This means that the water inside can be heated to a lower temperature than that inside a smaller radiator and still generate the same amount of heat. However, selecting larger than necessary radiators can produce excess heat that ends up being wasted and decrease the level of efficiency.
Types of Energy Efficient Radiator
Electric Radiators: This type of heater is easy to install and especially useful in rooms without a gas supply or smaller homes due to the fact they are powered using electricity. Electric radiators are usually filled with oil rather than water which means that you don’t need to bleed them and results in little maintenance. 100% of the electricity used to power these radiators is converted to heat which means that they are very energy efficient. The only downside is the fact that electricity can be more expensive than gas and during power shortages, you will have no heating.
Aluminium Radiators: Radiators made from aluminium have the capacity to heat up much quicker and continue to run at higher temperatures than other radiators. Due to this, the radiators usually have a low running time which can help you to save on energy costs. They are made from a durable material which enables them to be long-lasting, as well as recyclable which makes them even more environmentally friendly. This type of radiator however is not recommended for use around children or pets due to its high surface temperature.
Double Panel Radiators: These radiators consist of two panels and two heat-producing convectors which produces twice as much heat as a standard radiator. It is this reason that means they are more suitable in larger rooms and they are widely available for a relatively cheap price. Not only do double panel radiators come in a variety of styles and sizes to suit the décor of any room, but they are also highly cost efficient. The only disadvantage to this type of radiator is the fact that they can occasionally appear too bulky and produce too much heat for rooms that are smaller in size.
Dual Fuel Radiators: Dual fuel radiators can be powered by both gas and electric depending on your personal preference and are the perfect investment for those wanting to heat individual rooms. This switch between gas and electric can be done freely and quickly so makes this type of heater very versatile. Dual fuel radiators are great at preventing wasted energy due to the fact that radiators in unused rooms do not need to be on, so they are a great investment to save on energy costs. The only downside is that each radiator will need to be manually operated.
GK Plumbing Can Install All Types of Radiators
As professional plumbers, we can install all types of radiators and are more than happy to help. If you’re looking for small, general plumbing tasks like a radiator installation call us now!
