Convector Radiators- Cheaper than a new boiler.
It’s safe to say that all of us could do with saving a little money, and with the average medium-sized house spending well over £1,000/year* on heating bills it is vital to make sure your house is warming up as efficiently as possible.
The most common solution that comes to most people’s mind is to replace their boiler for something more efficient. This however can be very expensive; the average Combi Boiler replacement will cost in the region of £2,000 and with a bill saving of approximately £350/year* it will take almost 6 years to see your investment back.
There are other factors to take into account, but still it is a lot of money.
If you goal is to simply save money and be warmer, then replacing your panel radiators for correctly sized Convector Radiators could be a more cost effective answer and you should see your money back a lot sooner.
Warmer. Faster. Cheaper.
Modern Convector Radiators are different from older radiators in two ways.
Firstly they come with a large amount of metal fins attached to the back of the radiator panel. By bolting a zig-zagged layer of metal fins behind the radiator, those clever engineers have added a considerable amount of surface area. And more surface area means more heat is pulled away from the radiator by air currents through convection heating… I’ll come back to that. All of this results in your room warming up much, much faster. If your house warms up quicker your boiler will turn off sooner and save you money on gas- win!
Secondly, the better radiator manufacturers now have “low water content” radiators. This means they have the same output as other radiators but require less water inside them. This means your boiler does not need to work as hard to get your house warm. Think of boiling a kettle, if you fill it to the top it will take longer to boil and is more expensive, only filling it to the water level you need will boil faster and save you some cash- same thing!
What is Convection Heating?
Gaps between the radiator fins are purposely vertical, and this surface area is contained between the wall and the panel(s) of your radiator, this means heat can only travel upwards.
Cold air that’s fallen to the bottom of the room will then be drawn up into the bottom of the radiator – creating air currents caused by heat rising.
How do I chose the best Convector Radiator?
So now you know what a convector radiator is, and the benefits they come with. But how do you choose the right one for you?
Firstly you need to calculate what size radiator you need for your room. There are tons of online calculators to help with this; I find Plumb Nation’s simple to use; see here.
If you have problems you should call your local gas engineer who can come and measure for you.
ALWAYS make sure you or your engineer measures the room. If not how do you know what size you need? “Oh, I’ll just fit a double” is not the correct attitude. If you only need a single convector radiator and you now have a double- that requires twice the water to heat up. Remember the kettle!
Secondly you need to pick what style you like. There are now hundreds of styles and colours to choose from all kinds of manufacturers. Remember designer radiators are pretty but generally a lot more expensive to buy and less efficient. Shop cautiously.
When choosing, try to look for a British manufacturer who uses British steel. And check you are getting a 10 year warranty. My preferred manufacturers are: Stelrad, QRL and Myson. ALL British, all with 10 year warranties and all have great customer service.
My last tip would be to get prices from your installer to supply the radiators as well as installing them. You will find a good company should get better discounts from radiators than you will get from your local Screwfix, it’s all about saving money.
For more information on Convector Radiators or help choosing the right radiator for you contact us at sales@holdcroftheating.com or complete our Contact Form and arrange for one of our experts to come out and see you.
