Nowadays, there are lots of things to think about when heating your home; how much will it cost you to run, how quickly can it heat up, and how will it affect the environment? These questions can soon become overwhelming, and you might start to find it impossible to find one radiator that ticks all the boxes. However, the two most important things to consider are whether they’re energy-efficient and if they’re environmentally friendly. Lots of radiators, like vertical radiators, meet these requirements, but it can be hard to know where to start or what to look for. So, here’s a hand guide to get you on your way to having a warm and eco-friendly home.
Dual Fuel Radiators
Dual fuel radiators use both gas and electricity to warm up, giving you more control over your heating and how much you use. When you have these radiators, you can isolate them to run on electric-only, allowing you to heat up just one room when necessary. This means you could have your central heating turned off everywhere else but your bedroom and use the electric-only feature to warm just that room up. This will help you save so much energy in the long run, as you no longer need to have your central heating on all the time just to keep a single room warm.
Electric Only Radiators
Electric radiators are becoming more and more common nowadays, and despite some negative stereotypes about their costs, they’re actually super affordable and eco-friendly. When you use gas central heating, hot water is forced through all the radiators in your home in order to heat them up. The actual process of the water being heated and travelling through the pipes to the radiators actually causes heat loss. However, with electric radiators, this journey doesn’t exist, so you’re able to set the radiator to an exact temperature. This means that you don’t need to have the radiator up as high, nor do you need to wait for ages for it to come to temperature. This time efficiency is extremely good for the environment as you’re using way less energy. A lot of electric radiators are also smart and have an app you can install on your phone to help you control them. This means instead of switching your heating on in the morning before work so the house is warm when you return, you can simply use the app to turn it on half an hour or so before you get home.
Towel Warmers
Heating a bathroom can be tricky, especially when it’s pretty small. You don’t want something that imposes on the space, but you want something that does the job well. Bathrooms in general aren’t used as much as other rooms in the house, so you don’t want something that uses loads of energy to run either. Towel warmers can be a great radiator to use in these rooms as not only will they keep your towels dry and fluffy, but they’ll also emit enough heat to keep the room warm. Most towel warmers are powered by electricity too, making them even more eco! These nifty little radiators also heat up extremely quickly, so you’ll use less energy running them as well.
Aluminium Radiators
If you don’t want to make the move over to electric heating, then it’s a good idea to switch your radiators to aluminium ones. This material is a fantastic conductor of heat, so you don’t need to use as much energy to heat them up. This also means that you don’t have to have them on for as long or at such a high temperature before you feel the benefits. Aluminium radiators use less water when in use, so you’ll be saving double on your energy bills. When you’re done with them you can easily recycle them too. Saving them from the landfill is extremely eco-friendly and will help your carbon footprint.
Finding eco-friendly radiators that do a good job of heating your home isn’t impossible. If you’re wanting to do your bit for the planet (and your energy bills), why not switch some of your old radiators to one of the heaters from this list. There are so many different designs available too, so you aren’t limited to plain white ones either. Try upgrading your radiators to something more energy-efficient and you’ll soon see the difference it can make to your own home and the earth.
