When considering an upgrade to an energy efficient heating system, one of the things that many people forget to think about is how old their home is. It's easy to look at the facts and figures and be bowled over by the energy saving features in an electric radiator, but you've got to also consider the application - how is your insulation? Are the windows double glazed? What type of roof do you have? All of these things and more can contribute to how your new energy efficient heating system will behave...
Older properties are also more likely to suffer from a few different quirks that modern builds don't, such as rising damp and breathable walls, leaky windows and absorbed rainwater. But that doesn't mean that your older home can't be energy efficient or make the most of a brand new energy efficient heating system. You've just got to make a few allowances and consult someexperts on the matter.
For example, when a customer calls us here at Electric Radiators Direct with an interest in one of our energy efficient radiator models, they're often surprised at the amount of detail we go into when getting to know their property. We'll ask how old their property is, what they know about its insulation, and even what type of windows and doors they have. That's because different radiators have different applications, and we like to find the perfect one for each of our customers. If the right radiator is picked for the right application, the energy saving benefits can be enormous, but if the wrong radiator is selected its energy saving potential can be rather limited.
Of course, the main measure of how suitable a radiator is for a given property or room is its size. Many older properties have high beamed ceilings and, believe it or not, there are specialist radiators on the market that are designed for such spaces. Haverland's Inerzia model for example, is the perfect choice for someone with wide open spaces or high ceilings that needs to get a good burst of heat out into the room at minimal cost. Their RC Wave and TT models are their most common, selected for average sized homes and normal ceiling heights. If you've got a smaller older house, such as a cottage, then these are the ones you'd be looking at. But even though these radiators are energy efficient and are bursting with energy saving technology, how can you make sure that your old property is going to benefit? What measures can you take?
We've got a formula for working out how a radiator will work in a given sized room. It's a simple case of wattage per square meter. The radiators are designed to run at their maximum efficiency when their total wattage matches the recommended room size. For example, a room that was 14 square meters would usually need around 1,400 watts worth of radiator to be heated comfortably and efficiently. This could be achieved with a 1400w radiator or perhaps two smaller ones, so long as the recommended wattage was met. Putting a 600w radiator in the room would basically force the radiator to work overtime in order to keep the room heated, so it wouldn't be able to perform efficiently or adequately.
In the event that your home is an old one with poor insulation and there's little you can do about it, we'd simply recommended going over the recommend wattage to counter the effects of escaping heat. This should still allow your radiator to perfrom comfortably in light of poor insulation - although getting your insulation sorted first is ideal. How much wattage you install in a given room can vary depending on a variety of things, not just size - so be sure to do your research and speak to the experts before diving into a purchase.
Eco Stores Direct are here to bring you the very latest in energy news, views and opinions from across the UK. They are also suppliers of energy efficient electric heating solutions and are constantly assessing the market for the best products and the latest ground-breaking technology which they think will make a real difference to their customer's homes. Eco Stores Direct are devoted to helping you reduce your carbon footprint and bring down your energy bills and they work hard to raise awareness of energy efficient products that can make all the difference. If you're interested in energy efficient electric heaters or infrared panel heaters, call Electric Radiators Direct today on0330 300 4444 for a free assessment.