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.

Four Tips to Help You Get the Most out of Your Radiators

Today, we are going to explore four tips that every homeowner should know about radiators. These tips will help you to save money and energy, so they're well worth knowing. These are tips that you might not think about yourself, so it’s certainly worth your time to read these tips and see if there’s anything useful that you can learn.

1. Don’t place furniture in front of your radiators.

We see this mistake happening far too often. People have limited space, so they place their furniture in front of the radiator. Wherever possible, you should avoid doing this because all that happens is that the furniture absorbs the heat, rather than the room.

You will need to turn your heating right up to achieve a decent amount of heat. As such, you will be paying far more for you gas than you should.

If space is an issue, consider installing vertical radiators. They are slightly less efficient than horizontal radiators are (providing both have the same output rating), but if your horizontal radiator is hidden behind furniture, it’s being inefficient anyway.

2. Radiators should go beneath windows or on outside walls where possible.

The best placement for a radiator is beneath a window or on an outside wall – especially a north-facing wall. These parts of the room are the coldest. If you heat these up first, it prevents the room from becoming too cold.

3. Put radiators reflectors behind panel radiators to make them more efficient.

A great way to boost the efficiency of your radiators is to place a reflector behind it. This prevents too much heat being lost through the wall. The best place to put it is behind radiators that are fixed to outside walls, as well as behind vertical radiators.

4. Keep radiators free from dust to prevent rust and increase efficiency.

Finally, radiators attract dust. This can lead to a layer of dust developing over time, which then acts as an insulator. This means that the radiator emits less heat. Keep them clean in order to maximise the radiators efficiency.

We hope that you have found these tips useful. If you’d like further help and advice, then please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.

Should You Buy a Vertical Radiator?

If you're currently on the lookout for new radiators, and you're unsure about whether you should buy a vertical radiator, then let us help you to decide. Today, we are going to explore a number of situations when it’s appropriate to buy a vertical radiator.

Vertical radiators can be less efficient than horizontal radiators. This is because of the way that heat distributes though a room. Hot air rises and horizontal radiators give the air a little longer to heat up as they can heat more air further down – it means that they are slightly more efficient in heat distribution.

Nonetheless, horizontal radiators are not always appropriate. Here are a few examples when vertical designer radiators work better than their horizontal counterparts do: 

Example 1: In a Small Room

A small room, e.g. a bathroom, might require a specific amount of heat. In the UK, we measure heat in British Thermal Units. Say a bathroom requires 1200 British Thermal Units per hour.

However, there is very little wall space. All of the horizontal radiators that fit can only reach an output of 800 British Thermal Units per hour.

This means that the horizontal radiators will not provide sufficient heat for the room, and this can lead to problems such as mould and mildew.

However, choosing a radiator with a different orientation, i.e. vertical, allow you to install a larger unit in the space. Here, you can install a radiator that provides 1200 British Thermal Units per hour.

It isn't actually taking up any more useable space, because the space above a radiator is generally clutter and shelf free anyway.

Example 2: You Have French Doors or Windows

It is always better to hang your radiators next to outside doors and windows. This allows you to heat the cold air before it gets into the room. However, with doors and windows that reach from ceiling to floor, there may be no space for a horizontal radiator.

In this case, you can hang two vertical designer radiators, one on each side of the doors/window. Not only does this look extremely chic and elegant, but it serves its purpose fantastically well, too.

We hope that you now have a good understanding of the appropriateness of vertical radiators. If you are interested in buying such radiators, or you would like further help and advice about your radiators, please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.

What Features Should You Expect from a Designer Radiator?

Designer radiators are all the rage now. Apparently, we live in particularly narcissistic times and many of us are all about appearance. Well, if that means buying designer radiators, then so be it; they do look incredible!

However, before you rush out and buy just any old radiator, you need to make sure that it sports desirable features. Any manufacture can call their radiator “designer” but that doesn’t mean that it sports all of the features that you should expect from such a radiator. Instead, this is something that you will need to look for yourself.

Here is a list of some features that you should expect to see on designer rads:

1. Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)

Seriously, no radiators should come without TRVs nowadays. They are essential in ensuring the efficiency of your radiators. They help to control the temperature of the radiator automatically, which helps you to save money on your energy bills. If you do not have TRVs, then it can cost as much as £100 a year more to heat your home.

Even if the radiator does not come with TRVs, you can always add them at a later date. However, they should be included on designer radiators as a matter of course.

2. Convector fins and double panels.

Both of these serve to increase the surface area of a radiator, which means that it will be able to produce more heat than the same unit would if it did not sport convector fins or panels. 

Here, while we are using the word “panel” we do not mean the flat panels that you see with traditional radiators. Rather, we mean that the shape is repeated. For example, if your designer rads look like a giant fig leaf, there should be two fig leaves one in front of the other.

These extra panels and fins ensure that the radiator is efficient, even though it may be an unusual design.

Are you interested in buying designer radiators? If you are, check out the fantastic collection at https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/.