Storage radiators are convenient and effective tools when it comes to heating your home. In those cold winter months, returning home to a warm, comfortable house or apartment is more than just a luxury, it’s a necessity. When it comes to heating your home, there are a variety of heat sources to choose from, and more households are opting for some form of an electric radiator. Electric radiators are not only functional and easy, but they are also often the most cost-effective, and energy-efficient options. Storage radiators are often especially lauded for their energy efficiency, but how exactly do storage heaters differ from regular electric radiators?
How do Storage Heater Electric Radiators Work?
Storage radiators, as their name suggests, work by storing heat, rather than releasing it all at once. Being both radiators and electric, they also fall under the label of electric radiators and are therefore a subcategory of the electric radiator. Storage heating radiators work by storing up thermal energy using special heat retentive materials located within the radiator itself, often some form of a ceramic brick. This thermal energy is then released by the radiator when it is needed.
Classically, electric storage radiators save up heat energy at night, while the household is asleep, and use it throughout the day. These storage heaters are called night time storage heaters. Companies like Tai Irwin Plumbing can ensure you have the right heating system for your household. If the household is using a special energy tariff, such as economy 7, these night storage radiators can save their owners money on their electricity bill.
There are also a few varieties of storage heaters available, from more basic manual control heaters to more complex automatic heaters. Although traditional nighttime heaters are great money-saving tools, there are even more cost and energy-efficient storage radiators on the market.
Night Time Storage Radiations
While older night time storage heaters employ an ingenious concept, they are often clunky and inefficient in reality. It is therefore worth considering a more practical and modern electric storage radiator, to cut costs even further. German electric storage radiators have significantly lower running costs than the traditional night time storage radiators that were introduced to take advantage of Economy 7 energy tariffs. These storage radiators take advantage of superior materials and engineering designs to bring you dramatically greater energy savings. As already mentioned, night time storage heaters work by heating ceramic or clay core bricks, with the resulting heat being released throughout the day. The problem is that traditional storage radiators take time to reach operating temperature, often many hours. More efficient storage radiators take a matter of minutes to reach operating temperature and use very little energy to keep that temperature at a constant throughout the operation.
Wet System Or Storage Heater System?
Electric storage radiators have become an extremely popular alternative to bulky boiler-connected radiators. But which of these options is actually better: electric powered radiators or radiators that utilize gas? It’s a question that is often asked by those looking to replace their old radiators with a new or updated heating system.
Firstly, let’s define ‘wet’ central heating systems. This works by circulating hot water through pipes that connect the radiators in a property to a boiler. The boiler is responsible for heating the water that is circulated, and this is usually achieved by burning gas. This form of heating is actually the most popular within the country today partly because these types of radiators generally use convection heating. So, while a radiator will be warm, its main purpose is to heat the air of a room so that the heat is distributed in a more even manner. Storage heaters, on the other hand, can come in many different guises. They can use convection heating, but certain ones also use radiant heat – which is generated by heating the surfaces of objects. This heat travels from the radiator panel until it hits the surface of an object or a person which then absorbs the toasty warmth. This type of heating is most effective in a small space as the heat dissipates the further it travels from the source. Storage heaters can be like electric radiators and there are ways to get a combination of the two; by investing in combination storage radiators. These radiators use both convection and radiant warmth to enable a much more effective form of heating.
Finding Storage Heater Alternatives
The best price on storage heaters might be something you have been searching the Internet for if you are looking at replacing your older storage heater in your home. You are not alone in this, as many people have become disillusioned with their old storage heaters. Thankfully there are easy alternatives out there at a good price.
Firstly, we need to consider the problems people run into when it comes to storage heaters. They have been notorious for being thought of as complicated to run. If you don’t fully understand how best to use a storage heater, then they are not cost-effective to use. Thankfully, modern storage radiators and electric radiators are far easier set up, understand and use. Heaters and radiators using electricity also benefit from not having to rely on pipes and plumbing work. We’ve all heard of, or experienced, the trauma that ensues when pipes break down and boilers go on the blink during cold snaps. This is far less likely to happen with electric alternatives because they don’t rely on plumbing – just socket power or direct connection to a mains power supply. This means far lower maintenance costs throughout the years which, quite often, can be the main cost burden when it comes to running a central heating system. It is absolutely worth getting a storage heater replaced with a new one; but you should definitely look towards radiators that utilize both storage and what is more commonly recognized as ‘wet system’ technology. These modern radiators are very good at providing a more cost-effective, more energy-efficient and more flexible form of heating.