DESIGNER RADIATOR - Maximising the efficiency of a radiator

As energy costs get higher, getting the maximum efficiency from your radiator based heating system becomes increasingly important.

The good news is that there are a number of cheap (or even free) things that you can do to boost radiator efficiency whilst reducing your heating costs.

Make sure that your convection radiators are clean

Nearly all convection radiators (the most common type) work by maximising the surface area of the radiator with fins or a double skinned and finned design. The heat is then circulated by drawing cool air over (or through) these finned areas and distributing it around the room. This cool air heats up, is released into the room and the radiator does it job.

The biggest impediment to this simple process working is the fact that the convection air currents that draw the cool air up and around these finned areas also carry dust and air born debris. Over time this dust accumulates and partially blocks these critical air-flow areas and the ability of the radiator to function properly is significantly reduced.

Cleaning between these finned areas with a section of dowel, or an extendable stick duster, will surprise you by the amount of accumulated debris that it removes. It will also have the outcome of helping the radiators to warm up a room much more quickly, which in turn saves energy costs and heating bills.

Checking and cleaning all radiators in this way should be performed annually. If you have allowed your radiators to work unchecked and un-cleaned for three or four years you can expect to find a considerable volume of dust and dirt captured in these areas. You will also notice the improved speed with which your radiators heat up the room after they have been cleaned.

Radiator boosters and distributors

Radiator boosters work very simply by using a small fan to draw cool air up and across the surface area of a convection radiator. This is like turbo charging your radiator and it increases the flow of warm air that heats up a room.

These distributers will warm up a room more rapidly and maximise the heat that you get from your radiators, however there is an electricity cost associated with running the fan that the booster uses, so this needs to be monitored.

Thermostatic radiator valves

Most central heating systems use a general thermostat to control the overall temperature of a home, however this is not always efficient.

Many people like to keep a bedroom cooler than a living room and it is very unusual for every room in the house to be used at the same time.

This is where thermostatic radiator valves come in. A thermostatic valve can be added (at very little cost) to any or all radiators allowing the temperature of each room to be individually controlled or turned off completely.

Using valves like this on all radiators gives a much more precise level of control to how you heat your home and it also produces energy savings by allowing certain less frequently used rooms to be kept cooler or excluded from heat altogether.