Electric radiators are starting to be seen as a greener alternative to traditional radiators. While they need to use electricity from your house supply, the fact that you’re removing that reliance on the traditional heating system can help dramatically cut how much oil/gas you use.

Those buying an electric radiator will usually be getting the product for one room that can’t connect to the heating system, i.e. it’s cheaper than having new pipework carried out. When buying an electric radiator for the first time, knowing what you need and what the radiator can do can help you decide on the product you get.

Here is what you should know about buying electric radiators.

Electric radiators are independent

Electric radiators cannot hook up to your heating network. If that were the case, you wouldn’t need this type of heater. By default, an electric radiator has to be operated separately from your other radiators. That doesn’t mean controlling the heater has to be tedious.

I would recommend that anyone buying an electric radiator also looks at smart heating controls or thermostatic valves that provide better control of the temperature. Many new controls can be controlled over Wi-Fi in your home via your phone, which makes it easier to programme a specific radiator to turn on and off at the same time as your heating system.

Electric radiators have liquid in them

Without confusing oil heating and the inner workings of a radiator, electric radiators will usually have oil in them. Now, this isn’t heating oil, but a thermal filler which is a tremendous conductor of heat. This is how such models get warm very quickly.

Electric radiators will have a sizeable electric heating element on the inside (look at these examples at Trade Radiators to see what they look like). Unlike an iron, stovetop or hair straighteners, radiators rely on a fluid which will react to heat and expand. This expansion helps the small surface area on the back of your radiator get warm, which in turn helps cold air passing through heat up quickly.

Electric radiators have lower long-term costs

Obviously, any electric heating will see electricity use going up at certain points in the year, but it helps to consider the things you wouldn’t be paying for in the long-term.

Electric radiators will see the reliance on oil and gas going down, and if you’re in a home with an electric shower and taps, there’s no real need for a boiler anymore. That means that when your boiler starts acting up a few years down the line, you won’t need to fork out for a new one if the system is reliant on electricity.

Electric radiators need maintenance too

While they’ll usually be seen as a no-fuss solution and should be quite reliable, radiators like these can need some love and attention from time to time. Due to how they’re made, electric radiators are essentially a closed unit. Anytime something needs seeing to, it shouldn’t mean having to open or adjust the internal workings.

A prominent example of this happens when your radiator needs bled. The annual (or however often you need to do it) trip around the house with a radiator key to let out air doesn’t need carrying out with heaters like this. In fact, unlike having to troubleshoot what could be wrong with a standard radiator, whenever there’s a problem in a room with just an electric radiator, you’ll know it is the radiator which has an issue explicitly and not the entire heating system.

Are you looking for more green solutions at home?

It’s easy to act smart and conscious when decorating or improving your home. Check out the latest living green posts from the blog here.

Have you purchased or considered purchasing electric radiators?

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