When the days turn cold and the nights are even colder still, you might be thankful for that metal radiator perched along your wall or window. While radiators are typically not the most appealing in looks, they definitely have their charms during the colder months. Thankfully, you can hide their unsightly facades with radiator covers, and better yet find dozens of designer radiators in much more stylish shapes and colors. If you’re in the market for a new radiator, here are a few things to keep in mind while you shop.
What size should my radiator be?
If you’re opposed to doing a bit of math, you should be able to call your local plumber and ask them to calculate the proper radiator wattage for your room. However, if you prefer a little DIY combined with some number crunching, here are the steps to determining what size your you’ll need:
First, you’ll need to measure the room’s length, width and height in feet, then multiply those values to calculate the cubic footage. For example, a room that’s 11 feet long by 8 feet wide by 7 feet high would equal 11 times 8 times 7, or 616 cubic feet. Next, take your total cubic feet and multiply it by the number linked to the room’s function below:
• Living or dining room: Multiply by 5
• Bedroom: Multiply by 4
• Kitchen or other area: Multiply by 3
To continue the example, let’s say our room that measures 616 cubic feet is a bedroom. We would then multiply 616 cubic feet by 4 to get an answer of 2,464.
Now we’ll get into the nitty gritty details.
• Add 15 percent to your total if your room faces north
• Add 20 percent if it has French doors
• Subtract 10 percent if it has double-glazed windows
• Subtract 30 percent if your house is less than 20 years old
Let’s say our 616 cubic foot room faces north, so we’ll need to add 15 percent to our total of 2,464. This comes out to 2,833.6, which is the number of British Thermal Units (BTUs) that a new radiator must produce each hour in order to heat our room.
While you can use BTUs, it may be more beneficial to convert to watts since most radiators available in the U.S. will list their heating power in watts. To convert our 2,833.6 BTUs into watts, we need to divide by 3.41. This produces a rather long decimal, so we’ll round up to the nearest whole number to get 831 watts. This means we’ll need a radiator that puts out about 831 watts to heat our room.
What material options do I have for my radiator?
There are plenty of options when it comes to materials. Here’s a quick list of some of the most common types you’ll find.
• Cast iron: Dating back to the Victorian Era, cast iron radiators can add an appealing vintage vibe to your home. Most are reproductions, but if you’re lucky you may score an original model. Cast iron retains heat well, but takes a while to heat up.
• Stainless steel: Most often you’ll find these shaped into unique, almost sculptural designs. They’re very efficient and last for years.
• Aluminum: These are quick to heat up — which also means they can cool down quickly, too. They tend to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, and this combined with their lightweight quality and ease of installation makes them a great choice for a DIY project.
• Glass: Glass electric radiators are covered with a clear film that produces heat, so you won’t see any wires or pipes. This makes them an elegant alternative to the traditional design.
Are there any energy efficient options for radiators?
Of course! Your first step is to swap out your stainless steel model in favor of a new aluminum radiator. These use less water and still manage to heat up fairly quickly, which will reduce their energy usage. You can also add thermostatic radiator valves, or TRVs. These automatically control the radiator’s heat output by monitoring the ambient temperature. You can also pair them with a timer for even greater energy efficiency.
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