How to calculate the heat output of your radiator?

It is important that you heat your home as efficiently and as economically as possible. This prevents wasting heat. Something you are certain to notice in the monthly bills from your energy supplier. When looking for the right radiator, bear in mind the specific properties of the room and make sure that the heat output of the radiator is geared to the specifics of that room. Only doing so will see you use your heating installation to its full potential.

Criteria to bear in mind to choose the right radiator

Comfort is essential in your living room, bedroom or bathroom. The only way to achieve this is when things are nice and warm indoors. So be sure to pick the right radiator with the right heat output that is geared to match the living room. When you go out to find that perfect radiator, keep the criteria below at the back of your mind:

• the type of heating
• the type of room
• the desired temperature
• the size of the room

The desired temperature for each room

Not every room around the house requires the same temperature. Inside the bathroom you are likely to prefer to have things a little warmer in the morning than you would in say the toilet or the bedroom. It is no more than normal for the desired room temperature to differ from one room to the next. For bathrooms, 24 degrees Celsius is ideal, whereas 20 degrees is all you need to feel nice and warm in the kitchen. In the bedroom in turn, you do not want temperatures to go much above 18 degrees Celsius. So it is important that the heat output of the radiator is geared to the kind of temperature you are looking for. After all, there is no point having a radiator fitted that delivers a high heat output if you will not be using that output to the full.

How to calculate a radiator's heat output?

A radiator's heat delivery is expressed in watt. The formula below is used to determine the required level of heat output in any given room: square metres x the number of watts per square metre. Be sure to call on a professional for advice so you decide on the right number of watts per square metre for the room in question.

The way in which the radiators are fitted also matters, especially in large rooms. They need to be strategically placed to make sure the heat spreads and heats up the entire room to optimum effect, without generating superfluous heat.