What are the expenses of electric radiators? This is a question that never seems to go away, and although it would be great to give precise numbers for the running costs of a radiator, you would require nothing short of physic powers to do so. Asking the exact operating cost of a heating system is just like asking what your utility bill would be this month. Simply put, it as a question with an answer that varies from house to house, and it is virtually impossible to give a set figure applicable to each household in the country.
It is easy to include electric radiators to other electrical appliances, but you’ll need to approach this one with a different mind-set. An electric heater may consume electricity, just like your computer, but they do so in fundamentally varying ways. The computer will utilise power continuously while being use and only stop when you switch it off. However, this is not the case when it comes to electric radiators. Instead, they utilise internal thermostats to switch on and off depending on the temperature you deem ideal for the room and will only utilise electricity when there’s a need to increase the heat levels.
However, what else affects the running costs of an electric radiator?
Well, figuring the exact number is also tricky because these appliances need to heat a wide array of home types and room spaces. So, instead of asking ‘what are the running expenses of an electric radiator?’, it makes more sense to ask the approximate running cost of an electric radiator in a certain room. Each space in your household varies, with different sets of requirements plus variables than can affect the efficiency of the radiator. That being said, here are several factors that can affect the running cost of your heating system (electric radiator):
Size of the Room
No two households are similar, and the same is true for every room in the house. Rooms that feature open plan regions and high ceilings will always utilise more energy to stay warm because of how electric radiators heat the space around them. The hot air rises as the appliance heat the air around it, and the warmth produced will go up first before reaching other regions in the room. This means that larger rooms will take longer to heat, meaning more energy consumption and ultimately a higher running cost.
Home & Room Insulation
If you reside in an older household, it’s likely that it will cost more to run the heating. In comparison to a new property of the same sized. This is attributed to the way each home was constructed. Newer buildings feature higher insulation levels and are more airtight due to the recent building regulations that aim to make households more energy-efficient. This implies that electric radiators are bound to have lower running costs in newer buildings because of minimised heat loss. Older properties with poor insulation and single glazing are bound to lose heat quicker and so, the radiators have to operate constantly and at a higher temperature.
The Location of the House and Exposure Levels
A terraced property that’s attached to other properties in both sides is bound to benefit from the residual heat of the surrounding homes as it will just have 2 sides that are exposed to the elements. On the contrary, the detached property will have all sides exposed and more walls to deal with the elements, thus making it harder to heat. The location ideally makes a substantial difference in the running costs of the electric radiator. If you reside in a constantly cold region, you can expect to spend more when it comes to heating the interior.
These primary factors affect electric radiator running costs, you can take a look at some German radiators to get an idea of quality and efficiency.
