Getting The Most From Radiators
Reflective foil behind radiators
Some of the heat from a radiator will heat up the wall on which it is mounted. If that wall is an outside wall, a lot of this heat will be conducted to the outside of the building and lost. Luckily, it is very cheap and simple to prevent this from happening, by placing reflective foil on the wall behind the radiator. Research in the UK has shown that almost any kind of reflective foil (even ordinary aluminium kitchen foil) can reduce this heat loss by 5%. Properly designed reflective panels, which combine reflective foil with a thin layer of insulation, can reduce the heat lost through walls by up to 18%.
Test was done in a house in North-east England using a thermal camera. There is a radiator mounted on the wall below the window. Without any reflecting layer behind the radiator, heat loss is significant. With a reflective (and insulating) panel fitted heat loss is lower. In this particular example, the panel used was a ‘Reflecta’ panel, manufactured by Pan Manufacturing Ltd., and costing approximately £6 per radiator. However, if custom-made panels are not available, it is possible to achieve significant energy savings by using ordinary household materials such as kitchen foil glued to a sheet of corrugated cardboard.
Thermostatic radiator valves
In many heating systems, all the radiators are controlled by a single thermostat or, in the worst cases, there may be no thermostat at all. This makes it very difficult or even impossible to achieve an adequate level of control over the heating system. It is very likely that some rooms will end up being over-heated while others are under-heated, resulting in discomfort and / or excessive heat wastage.
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) allow the output of individual radiators to be automatically regulated to an appropriate level for the room. They are not particularly cheap (approximately £30 per radiator) but in many cases they will repay their cost in energy savings in about four to five years. TRVs are fairly simple to fit, although most people would probably prefer to let a trained plumber do the installation. Also, depending on the type of heating system, it may not be possible to use them at all. It’s therefore important to seek guidance from an expert before spending any money.
Location of radiators
Clearly, if a heating system is already installed, then moving radiators is not a practical proposition. However, if a heating system is being planned, then its effectiveness can be maximised by paying attention to the location of radiators. If a room is heated with portable heaters, the same criteria for location apply.
The optimum location for a radiator or a portable heater is beneath a window. If a radiator is located on the far side of a room from the window, there is a tendency for convection currents to be set up. This can result in all the hot air from the radiator rising to the ceiling, while the room occupants are surrounded by cold air from the window. The room occupants may then be tempted to turn up the thermostat (if there is one) to try to achieve comfortable conditions.
By locating the radiator beneath the window, the hot air from the radiator mixes with the cold air from the window, resulting in warm air which is propelled into the room. The effect is enhanced further if there is a shelf or window-sill projecting out above the radiator. But remember that if the radiator is on an outside wall, you should consider placing a reflective layer on the wall behind the radiator to reduce the amount of heat lost through the wall (see ‘Reflective foil behind radiators’ above).
Main: Simple Energy Saving Solutions
September 17th, 2007 at 9:23 pm
Nice! We very enjoyed your site .
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 am
Very clearly and simply expressed
WELL DONE
August 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I\’m using similar radiator panels however the benefits, if any, are way over egged. In the 1960s storage heaters simply heated bricks which slowly released the heat. As long as the radiator is not on an outside wall any heat absorbed by the wall is retained much better and distributed over a longer period of time than if the heat was reflected and lost to the windows/ceiling. So the reflectors may or may not have any positive effect. Sure you will feel the room has heated quicker because the heat is being rflected back at you, but over a day you are unlikely ot notice any measurable difference. For as many people that may benefit by a couple of %age points there will be a similar number will will actually be worse off.
Get yourselves some good thick curtains. They will be much better at keeping heat in and save more money in the long run.
April 19th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
The Kreg Jig takes advantage of a technique called Kreg Joinery. Unlike other techniques, Kreg Jig requires no glue, no complicated math, and no small army of clamps to make wood joints that will last.
May 5th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
What is captcha code?, pls provide me captcha code codes or plugin, Many thanks in advance.
June 29th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I read a article under the same title some time ago, but this articles quality is much, much better. How you do this?
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Hi – I just thought I would let you know that I just love your page.
July 3rd, 2010 at 9:39 am
Hi Guy, this good blogs, thanks
July 3rd, 2010 at 11:38 am
gives employ a excellent web page decent Gives with thanks for the efforts to guide me
July 8th, 2010 at 1:06 am
Wow love this blog, looks particularly nice in chrome!
July 8th, 2010 at 4:19 pm
Haste makes waste
July 13th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Being a new blogger, I would like to tell you that you have given me much knowledge about it. Thanks for everything.
Mr.parts tools
July 15th, 2010 at 8:13 am
Britt Klafehn
July 15th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Ayanna Jews
July 17th, 2010 at 3:36 am
A symptom that you may possibly have very poor blood circulation in your legs is tinting of the skin. If you notice a blue, purple or pale area on your leg, then this may perhaps be an indication that the blood is not moving as well as it should to the spot.
July 17th, 2010 at 4:20 pm
Decent shopping blog you have, but if anyone requirements to have to come back on Paypal and also you are blacklisted from offering, try the Paypal Stealth eBook and get back again on the net right now. In case you are blacklisted, restricted, or suspended from providing on Paypal, the Paypal Stealth eBook will guide you receive previous all of that and begin selling these days. Attempt them out!
July 17th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.
July 21st, 2010 at 2:22 am
Great blog, I will add this blog to my favorites.
July 24th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Tact: Changing the subject without changing the mind.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
I really love going back to your site to read your story and see more pictures that are really taken with great care. . . . . .
July 27th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I have some trouble to subscribe the rss feed, anyway I’ve bookmarked this site, is very useful and full of informations.
July 27th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
I do agree with all the ideas you have presented in your post. They are very convincing and will definitely work. Thanks for the post.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
evidently. argument. feel. run, walking the dog or mowing the lawn are great. little. Doing your.
July 28th, 2010 at 4:08 am
Your writing style is pretty great, do you have a medical background?
July 29th, 2010 at 7:11 am
thanks for the post. I am very happy to read this post. . . . .