I think it’s fair to say we all want to spend as little as possible on our utility bills. In the aftermath of the festive period, money is often at its tightest. On cold January evenings, the last thing you want to do is quibble over heating. Electric radiators, when used correctly, provide an opportunity for cheaper monthly bills. If you’re serious about saving, it’s time to ditch central heating, grab yourself an electric radiator, and follow our simple money-saving tips.
Now, “cheap” is a highly loaded word, conjuring images of poorly made plastic heaters from the 1990s. Modern electric radiators aren’t “cheap” – they’re made with high-quality components and designed to be as eco-efficient as possible. Because of this, after the initial purchase, choosing an electric radiator can provide cheaper overall running costs. This blog will show you how, offering practical advice for keeping your bills low and showcasing our best-value electric radiators ranging from as little as £199.
Cost saving tips for electric radiators
Obviously, electricity is more expensive per unit than gas – there’s no getting around that. However, most people wrongly assume electric radiators are expensive to run. These days, as with most appliances, electric radiators focus on energy-efficiency and come with an array of features designed to slim down running costs. If we take a look at these features, you can see how switching to an electric heating system can save you money.
Firstly, there are the practical benefits of going electric. Most of our electric radiators are suitable for DIY installation and all that’s needed to get you up and running is to drill a few holes. The radiator then hangs on the wall like a picture frame or a shelf! No pipework needs to be rerouted, no plumbers need to be called, and the resulting installation cost is nil. If you change your mind or rearrange your room, simply unplug your radiator and move it to a new position. From the off, an electric radiator can save you money.
Electric radiators also come with highly accurate digital thermostats that provide precision temperature control. Having an exact temperature reading is crucial to energy-efficient performance. If a radiator has a less sophisticated thermostat, it will turn itself on and off more frequently to reach your desired temperature. This wastes energy and incurs an inevitable cost. Modern electric radiators can detect minute changes in temperature and react accordingly – reducing the amount of energy spent trying to reach the correct temperature.
Something else to consider are the restrictions imposed by conventional wet central heating. If one radiator in the system is on, they’re all on. If you want the living room to be warm, all your other rooms will have to be warm too, inevitably incurring some form of cost. Electric radiators provide an independent heating system that can be individually adjusted on a room-by-room basis. Switch one radiator on for the bedroom and leave the downstairs loo at an economical temperature, or off entirely. This way you won’t be wasting energy, or money, heating your entire home for the sake of one room.
Another handy way to ensure your bills stay low is to opt for a radiator with a high wattage. Underspecifying the size and wattage of your radiator will force it to work harder to heat the room. The more time your radiator spends drawing power from the socket, the higher the costs will be. Choosing a larger electric radiator for your room has the opposite effect: the radiator doesn’t need to draw as much power from the wall and will spend less time heating and more time simply sustaining temperatures. This results in an improved performance and reduced monthly bills. If you’re unsure what size radiator you need, we have a simple radiator calculator that takes into consideration various factors and calculates this for you.
Another general heating tip is to take the time to create a detailed heating schedule. We’re aware this isn’t an exciting use of your time – but a comprehensive heating plan eliminates the tendency to whack your thermostat up to full and wastefully heat your entire home when you don’t need to. Program the exact time you leave for work, get home, and pop to see your relatives every Sunday at 3pm, and your bill will shrink accordingly. If your regular timetable gets interrupted, a press of a button can bypass the schedule and heat with one of the pre-set heater modes. The best thing about making a heating schedule is that once it’s done it’s done, you can leave your heating to run itself and you need never touch the thermostat again!
Our best-priced electric radiators
Electric Radiators Direct offer a range of affordable electric radiators, provide energy-efficient heating for your home. Our best-selling radiator, the Haverland RC Wave, can be purchased for as little as £199.99 and currently has a 5% discount. Haverland are a renowned heating company, with years of experience making quality electric heating products. The RC Wave is our flagship electric radiator and it’s brimming with energy-efficient features capable of slimming down your monthly bills.
The Wave uses the latest dry thermal heating technology, an eco-efficient method of creating heat with no mess, no fuss, and no moving parts. The RC Wave also comes with an impressive lifetime warranty, firmly establishing the longevity of the heater. Equipped with a highly accurate precision thermostat, the RC Wave is the economical choice for home heating – ensuring exact temperatures are maintained without wastefully heating your room. Integrated controls in the top of the unit allow you to choose from three heater modes that can be allocated to half hourly intervals for complete heater control. For low cost, energy-efficient heating that’s suitable for use throughout your home, the RC Wave is second-to-none.
If you’re willing to spend a tad more on the initial purchase, the RC Wave’s clever cousin, the SmartWave, can provide the ultimate solution for cost-effective heating. Featuring the same slimline housing and energy-efficient credentials as the RC Wave, the SmartWave has the added ability to detect when you’re in or out of your home. The SmartWave achieves this through its in-built motion sensor.
The motion sensor mode allows the radiator to monitor and react to your movements, turning on when it detects you’re near, and off if you’re absent. This intelligent feature allows the SmartWave to override its heating schedule and heat intuitively. If your routine is disrupted one evening and you need to pop out, after a short while, the SmartWave detects your absence and automatically goes into economy mode – bypassing the heating schedule. When you return, the SmartWave picks up on this and returns to its original programme. For definitive cost-saving, the SmartWave is unbeatable.
Intelligent, stylish, and eco-efficient, the RC Wave and the SmartWave are the answer to your energy bill woes. Together with our cost-saving advice, an electric radiator can provide a hassle-free, cheap way to heat your home. If you’d like any more information on our products, or simply have a few questions of your own, our sales team are always on hand to give friendly, professional advice.
Image sources
Pound coins: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stack-white-business-market-41301/