There’s something about choosing radiators that doesn’t feel as pleasing as choosing the sofa and paint colours for your interior. Why is that? Radiators can feel like technically tricky things to navigate, and when that happens, we make do with what we already have or end up making the wrong decisions based on how things ‘look’.
Picking the right specification for your radiator should be the starting point, but you can really have fun with picking the right radiators that will tie your space together and provide the perfect finishing touch.
We are currently going through a major renovation and part of that has been getting a new gas connection supply in, and with that, new radiators.
So along with my own expertise from the interiors angle, I enlisted the help of the experts at UK Radiators to dispel the myths on some of the commonly asked questions surrounding radiators, and how best to choose the right radiator for your interior.
What is the correct way to work out the size of a radiator that you need in a room?
Before we even get started on picking a radiator, it’s back to basics. The radiator isn’t purely there to just look good, and the size should be determined by the size of your room and the heat output required. Size really does matter here.
Rob Nezard, Managing Director at UK Radiators shared with us that the first thing you need to do is perform a heat loss calculation.
“This will tell you the heat output required to sufficiently heat the space. You then need to understand your system operating temperature, as this will determine the heat output that you will get from a radiator”.
“Once you have this information, you can look for radiators that provide the same or greater heat output than your rooms heat loss, when operating at your system’s temperature. This is quite technical though so it may be best to consult a heating engineer. If you do want to try and do this for yourself, then our RADSIZER® in an in depth BTU calculator that can help you find the perfect radiator for your room”.
If you have a larger room, you might be wondering whether you need to have more than one radiator within it to heat it effectively.
Rob said, “It doesn’t really matter, the most important thing is that you have accurate heat loss calculations and from there, ensure that you have sufficient heat output from your radiators at your system’s operating temperature. If one radiator cannot provide this, then you would need to consider installing 2 or more”.
Is there any rules on where you should position radiators?
When it comes to radiators you might be working out how you can hide your radiators from plain sight, or even how best you can show them off.
With rooms of a certain size, you might also be incredibly limited at where they can be installed. But, the common question that seems to arise is whether having a sofa covering your radiator can impact heat output.
Rob shared that you can position a radiator anywhere where it will be free from obstruction as blocking a radiator with furniture impedes the ability for it to effectively heat the space.
So, whilst positioning a sofa over a radiator might seem practical, it’s probably not the best idea as it’s going to affect the heat output.
In terms of how far they should be positioned off the wall, all radiators are supplied with mounting brackets that will ensure there is a sufficient gap between the radiator and the wall. Your installer will be able to guide you and recommend anything you need to be aware of.
Can you paint radiators? What’s the best way to do this?
Instead of replacing existing radiators, painting them is an inexpensive way to refresh them whilst updating them to fit in with your current interior design scheme.
I’m a huge fan of this if you’re colour drenching a room. This involves saturating the room in the same colour, creating a high impact, but a cosy cocoon. It’s an affordable way to refresh a colour scheme without having to replace the radiator, whilst it doesn’t draw your attention to an old radiator.
Rob added, “it is quite a long process though so you need to weigh up the time against the cost of a new radiator. Our blog has a step by step guide on how to prep and paint a radiator“.
Instead of paint, you might be considering radiator covers if you want to keep it hidden. I’ve personally never been a fan of radiator covers, they can make a room feel even more crowded, and some can be just as expensive as replacing with a new radiator.
Rob added, “Radiator covers seem to be making a come back and while some can be nice additions to the room decor, they do affect heat flow from the radiator. We recently created a video on this topic“.
In our last house, we had a super narrow hallway and adding a radiator cover would have affected the flow of traffic in the hallway and stuck out like a sore thumb. We also didn’t have the budget to replace the radiators throughout.
Instead, we just added a wooden shelf above it, providing the ideal space for a small drop zone, whilst it actually took your attention away from the radiator.
Alternatively, if you just want to add subtle refresh that makes a difference, changing your radiator valves is an inexpensive but stylish addition.
We did this in the living room of our last home, swapping the valve to one with a polished brass finish. As we had brass featured in our hardware throughout, it tied everything together beautifully and made an old radiator more intentional in the space.
This was the Talus Bold – Polished Brass Thermostatic Radiator Valves Corner from UK Radiators, but they do come in so many different finishes so you can match it to your interior accordingly.
What types of radiators are best?
Once you know what BTU rating to look for it makes it so much easier as you can filter your radiator searches for the specific output.
But you then have the challenge of deciding what types of radiators are best for your space. Two of the most popular options are column radiators – loved for their aesthetic appeal, and double panel radiators which are your traditional, and less expensive option.
Rob added, “panel radiators are better at convecting heat due to the space between the panels and convector fins. Column radiators rely more on surface area to provide heat output, although convection does still take place with a column rad. The way they look is the biggest difference with column rads being a lot more attractive to look at and fitting in more with a lot of interiors”.
In our renovation, we have chosen to go for column radiators. I wanted to make them part of the interior design scheme, rather than opting for cheaper ones and trying to hide them from plain sight.
Deciding how you want your interior to look is really important as once they’re in they can be expensive to change and reinstall. Column radiators typically come in a traditional white or anthracite finish. I don’t think you can beat anthracite as it’s well suited to both traditional and modern properties, and it brings beautiful definition which is perfect for tying a room scheme together.
Whilst aesthetics are important, when planning an interior, functionality should be at the heart of everything you do, and ensuring you get a decent heat output from your radiators will keep your warm home, and costs down. Rob shared some incredibly interesting insights on this.
“There isn’t really a single type of radiator that is better for heat output. Heat output is determined by the size of the radiator, it’s water content and the material it’s made from. Aluminium is often said to be the best as the thermal properties of aluminium make it a superior conductor of heat than steel however you will often find steel Radiators with a higher heat output due to size/surface area”.
“The most important thing when it comes to heat output is that you ensure what is being advertised is true. There are a lot of radiators on the market with overstated heat outputs. You need to check for test reports and 3rd party verification of the outputs being advertised”.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of ensuring the advertised heat outputs are genuine”.
It’s such a problem in the industry that UK Radiators have created the below video which takes a deep dive into heat outputs of radiators on the market, and why it could be inflating your bills so much, it’s well worth a watch!
Next time you’re choosing radiators for your home, refer to this guide for everything you need to know from choosing the right size radiators, to where they should be positioned.
If you’re undergoing an entire renovation, deciding your radiators needs to be done at the very beginning of getting trades involved. Aesthetics are important in an interior design scheme, but ultimately, functionality of your heating system should lead in the decisions.
If you have any other questions about picking radiators for your space, please drop a comment below!
