Let’s face it, life would be a lot easier if the world were a simpler place, but sadly, that isn’t so and is never likely to change. And, to be fair, choosing, purchasing, properly locating and getting installed a new radiator – or a selection of new radiators (or heated towel rails) – for your home isn’t always the simplest of life’s experiences. Often, this is because homeowners aren’t aware of everything they could (or should) know before they start; quickly, they find they have burning questions they desperately need answering by someone in the know before they can properly proceed.

 

So then, here are some of those most ‘burning questions’ – and their answers too, of course…!

 

How  To Convert Watts To BTUs

Every radiator or heated towel rail delivers what’s called ‘heat output’, which ought to be exactly the right amount of heat for the room in which it’s going to be located. And the heat output provided by radiators and heated towel rails – and, therefore, the heat output necessary for any device you’re planning to have installed in a room – is measured in British thermal units (BTUs). Now, the trouble with this, of course, is that the conventional unit of power is a watt and it’s in watts that a radiator’s potential power is advertised, so yes, to be sure about the power your radiator’ll need to provide in exactly the space you plan to install it, you’ll have to convert watts into BTUs. That said, most radiator retailers (like us) make it very easy for you to do this by providing a ‘BTU calculator’ option on their websites – which does all the ‘heavy lifting’ for you, in this regard. If you are interested, though, you can convert watts into BTUs (and vice versa) via this formula:

 

BTUs = watts x 3.412 or watts = BTUs ÷3.412

 

 

Will A Larger Radiator Provide Better Heat Output For A Room?

Not necessarily. As you’re no doubt aware, radiators and towel rails come in all shapes and sizes – slim and tall or short and stumpy; sleek flat-panelled or stylish tubular-based designer radiators and so on – so the size and shape of the radiator model you choose is unlikely to be the defining factor in it providing more, less or certainly better or worse heat output for a room. You can arrive at the key component here via inputting into a ‘BTU calculator’ the details of the radiator you like the look of, along with the requested details of the room in which you want to install it (dimensions, number and position of windows, outside walls, south-facing walls etc.). That way you’ll find out whether that model or a different model altogether’s going to be suitable to provide the right heat output for that room; ensuring you definitely get enough heat, but not too much heat resulting in wasted energy and money.

 

What Does ‘ΔT50ᴼC’ Mean?

It’s a good question because it may look like something, as a prospective radiator buyer, you ought to know about but without having it explained to you it’s pretty much impossible to work out what it is. Quite simply, ‘ΔT’ is the Europe-wide rating for heat output (thus, it’s used as standard throughout the continent), referring to three things that come together to generate the rating: first, water’s temperature when it enters a radiator; second, water’s temperature when it leaves a radiator and, third, the ideal temperature a room ought to reach when heated by a radiator. FYI: when the rating is ΔT50ᴼC, it’s based on the assumption that water entering a radiator will be around 75ᴼC.

 

Where Should I Site A New Radiator?

There’s no hard and fast rule to where you should locate a radiator in a room, but there are a few common practices; many of which depend on the type of room and, even more pertinently, its size and shape. For instance, rather than a really big radiator, it’s usual to install two more average-sized radiators located as evenly as possible in a large room like a lounge. Also, it’d be a wise course of action to site a radiator under a window on an outside wall because the cold micro-environment of this particular area of a room enables a radiator’s warm air to balance out any draft and, thus, balance out the wider temperature of the room. Plus, always remember it’s not smart to locate radiators behind long curtains or allow furniture to block their heat output; otherwise you won’t get efficient, full use from them and simply waste energy.

 

If My Home Features a Different Heating System To Central Heating, Will That Alter The Heat Output Quoted For A Radiator?

Like it or not; yes, it will. Because gas-based central heating systems have been so prevalent in homes throughout the UK for many decades now, heat output calculations (via the likes of ‘BTU calculators’) and any quoted details according to the standard ΔT50ᴼC rating, all tend to assume that a homeowner will hook up a new radiator to a conventional gas central heating system. You may find then that such calculations and unit measurements will be a little off if your home relies on something other than ‘modern’ central heating – for instance, an older non-condensing boiler, solar central heating or a heat pump. In the latter two cases, the heat output provided by any radiator is likely to be slightly lower than with a gas central heating system, while with a non-condensing British boiler, it’s likely any hooked-up radiator will deliver around 26 percent more heat.

 

What Are The Most Common Power Sources For Radiators Today?

 

There are three:

  • Central heating – the standard power source, a central heating system pumps water to radiators and heated towel rails, after the water’s been heated up in a hot water tank, via gas, solid fuel, oil, a heat pump or even biomass; such a heated radiator’s unlikely to retain much heat when the ‘heating’s off’, but a central heating system enables a billpayer has reassuring, simultaneous control over all the radiators in their home, which means they should be able to control the temperature of the whole house through one thermometer (should it be draft-free thanks to double-glazing and good insulation)

 

  • Electricity – radiators or heated towel rails that are powered by the electric grid (just like other household electrical items via a plug in a wall socket) contain a heating solution and an electrical element to generate power and, thereby, heat; entirely independent of any central heating system in a home, they function only when you switch them on or off (like, say, a kettle or a toaster), so electrical towel radiators in bathrooms are very popular with customers, owing to the fact they can be switched on and off for the odd moments people need them, such as when they get in and out of a shower or when they require towels dried out, whatever the time of year

 

  • ‘Dual fuel’ – radiators powered by what’s referred to as ‘dual fuel’ (they’re capable of both being hooked up to a central heating system and operating off an electricity socket) are clever bits of kit, indeed; the great thing about this option is its flexibility because, in the cooler months, such a radiator can be connected to the central heating like any other conventional radiator or bathroom-based heated towel rail, while in the warmer months, when you want to save money and not have to switch the heating on and off for just one radiator on its own, they can be simply plugged into the wall and powered by their electrical element.