Is It Ever Worth Buying Electric Radiators?

If you speak to any heating expert, then they will probably tell you that electric radiators are the least efficient of all the heating options available. This is true on the vast scale of things. Compared to other forms of heating, electric heating is definitely more expensive and less efficient.

However, this is not the same as saying that electric radiators are never worth buying. There are some very specific circumstances when the best option for your radiator is an electric radiator. In this article, we are going to explore some of the situations that warrant an electric radiator over a central heating radiator.  

They certainly have their place and it is silly to dismiss them out of hand. Modern electric radiators have come a long way technology-wise and they are not as bad as they used to be.  For example, they are much safer than they've ever been before and advances in night storage bricks mean that they are also much more efficient than they have ever been before.

They are not as good as central heating in terms of efficiency, but in terms of danger, because of the carbon monoxide poisoning, electric radiators could very well be safer in homes that choose to ignore the advice to buy carbon monoxide alarms.

OK, so when should you buy an electric radiator?

 There are a number of circumstances when the situation warrants and electric radiator rather than the central heating radiator, here they are:

1.                If you are buying the radiator for a room that you want to heat throughout the year. Central heating radiators are great when they are part of the system of multiple radiators. But, if you only want to heat a single radiator, then it's cheaper to just use an electric radiator.

For example, the bathroom is a room that tends to require heat throughout the year to avoid problems with mould and mildew. You don't want to have to switch on your whole central heating system just to switch on the single radiator in the bathroom. To accommodate this, you either by a dual fuel radiator or an electric radiator.

2.                      If the home does not have central heating, then clearly, your only option really is to buy an electric radiator. You do have the option of installing an entire central heating system, but these come in at around £6,000 and by the time you make your money back on the running costs, electricity are likely to be much cheaper.

In other words, whilst you might have been able to make your money back on the past doing this, doing this with modern electric radiators might not bring long-term benefits because electricity prices are dropping year-on-year and gas prices are increasing.

If either of those circumstances matches your circumstances, then buying an electric radiator is well worth your while. We hope that you have found this article useful and informative. Electric radiators aren't necessarily as good as central heating radiators, but they certainly have their place.

2 Great Tips to Make Your Lounge Look Bigger

In the UK, it's fair to say that most of us are strapped for space. We are tiny island with a massive population and space is becoming increasingly precious. 

One area where we can really feel this need for space is in our living room. I don't know about you, but my living room is tiny. It is actually the tiniest room in our house. 

I live in a Victorian Terrace and I think it's quite common for this style of house to have a small lounge -  I guessed the Victorians didn't spend a lot of time at home relaxing, what with all the workhouse activities and such.

Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to make a room feel bigger. You don't have to make any serious modifications.  You just need to know how to create the illusion of space. 

That's what I'm going to teach you now with these 2 fantastic tips to help you maximize the space in your living room:

Tip 1: Where Possible, Buy Furniture with a Greater Vertical than Horizontal Plane

If you're into fashion, then you probably already know that wearing horizontal stripes makes you look fatter and wearing vertical stripes makes you look thinner. When you look thinner, you also look taller. The same is true with interior design.  

Vertical-ness (for want of a better word), will make the room appear larger. Horizontal-ness will make the room appear shorter and squatter.

There are a few ways that you can bring vertical-ness to your living space.  Here are a few ideas:

1. Install vertical radiators. They function the same as horizontal radiators but they take up less space and they look great too.

2. Buy taller furniture. For example, if you're buying a side table to go next to your sofa choose one that is slimmer and taller than you typically would buy.

3. Use an accent wall to install vertical patterned wallpaper.  You should not decorate the entire room in vertical stripes and less you're using a very light colour. Otherwise, the darkness of the colour will minimise the impact of the strikes and you are affected me cancelling out any of these optical illusions effects.

Tip 2: Increase the Amount of Light in the Room

Light is a fantastic way to bring space to a room. There are so many different ways that you can do this in your living room. Here are a few ideas:

1. Use a light reflecting paint on the walls. These paints have special particles that reflect the light around the room and create a brighter, more open, space.

2. Choose a light coloured paint. The lighter the colour, the larger the room will feel. The best colours are warm whites, which are both cosy and illuminating. If you do want to go with a more interesting colour, such as green, mix it with a white so that it is pale.

3. Increase the number of mirrors in the room. A mirror will add a lot of light to your room, making it feel much larger. You can also buy furniture with mirrored surfaces, such as with your vertical radiators or your coffee table.

You might not believe it because it seems so simple, but these two tricks can swiftly transform your space and make it feel much larger.