Electric radiators - what you should look for

[Roxanne Emmerich]

The first thing you should consider when looking for an electric radiator is whether it has the right wattage to heat your space. Larger rooms will need higher wattage products or multiple heaters to ensure they’re adequately warmed. We always recommend rounding up to the next nearest wattage when choosing an electric radiator to avoid purchasing a product that may be underpowered for your room size. There’s no harm in purchasing a slightly more powerful radiator – all this means is that the heater will switch off more often once your room is comfortably heated. An underpowered radiator, on the other hand, will struggle to heat your spaces and waste more energy in the process.

 

[Andrew Sherman]

Here, the big difference is electric radiators are a much more economical choice as a primary heat source due to how they heat the room. Whereas electric panel heaters are better suited for heating rooms that do not require heating every day but require a quick burst of heat for spaces like spare bedrooms.

First and foremost, electric radiators are more expensive to buy compared to electric panel heaters but are cheaper to run. The reverse applies to electric panel heaters. Why? Fundamentally, electric panel heaters don’t store the heat and will continually draw power as they heat the air. Whereas electric radiators only draw on heat when heating up the oil or ceramic brick inside them.

 

[Wayne Maillet]

The size and wattage you’ll need from your electric radiators depends on the size of your room, the quality of your insulation and the location of your property. Wattage measures your radiator’s maximum power output and determines what size area it can heat. You can use our radiator calculator to work out what wattage you need to heat your room. You’ll need to find a radiator, or combination of radiators, which adds up to the required wattage. For example: if your required wattage is 1250W you could heat your room using a 450W and 800W radiator. If it’s a choice between going higher or lower, always go higher. Underspecified radiators will work inefficiently when trying to heat a larger space. More powerful radiators will simply use less power when the room reaches temperature. Radiator Outlet is the home of affordable radiators online!