Heat emitters

Heat emitters

Radiators

The vast majority of homes in the U.K are heated by radiators, although not the most effective way to heat a home they are the most cost effective to install and most homes already have them .

The radiators that were fitted in your house ten years ago are probably perfectly ok, as long as the system water hasn't been dirty they will be pretty much as good as the day they were fitted.

If your radiators are older than that then the likelihood is they are not efficient, they might not have convection fins and they are almost certainly undersized.

Fifteen years ago and more radiators sizes were calculated to match the heat loss of the room as they are now but with one difference.  Older boilers used to run at far higher temperatures, modern condensing boilers are most efficient at around 50--65°c (flow temperature) but boilers in the 1970's-1990's ran at very high temperatures.

Because of that the radiators that were fitted 15 years ago or more are likely to be undersized by up to 40%.  Even if the radiators are in good condition there is a great benefit in installing a larger equivalent with convectors.

Underfloor heating - wet

By far the best way to heat a property, heat rises.

Underfloor heating runs at very low temperatures so it is great with modern condensing boilers.  It is much cheaper to run, most of the produced heat can be used as it is heating the floor directly.

The only problem with underfloor heating is installing it, most properties in the U.K have wooden floors and low ceilings so retro fit is not cheap.  We install underfloor heating in most types of property, as long as you don't mind the upheaval there are many retro-fit options available to go in-between the floor joists.  The floorboards can then be refitted and either carpet or another covering to finish the room as you like.

Fitting underfloor heating in new build properties is far easier as long as it is part of the planning phase, making the extra room in the floor and making sure the ceiling height won't be affected is easy enough.  Coupled with the insulation levels required by building regulations make most modern houses enormously efficient.

Electric heating - underfloor or panel

Electric underfloor heating is far easier and cheaper to install compared to water filled tubes.  Electric cables are run with a very low profile and can be easily put underneath tiles for bathrooms within the screed.

It is, however very expensive to run.  Electricity at the time of writing this is over 20p per kw.  This makes electric heating of any kind far more expensive than a gas lead water filled heat source.

If you have micro generation, solar photovoltaic or wind for instance and can store the electricity then electric heating becomes far more viable.  Power generated en-masse is not efficient, unfortunately even green energy from wind farms and solar loses a lot through the grid.  Small scale generation is very good because there are few leaks and it doesn't need to travel.  This is likely the future of heating, we have the technology but we don't have the incentive.