Leading name in heating Dimplex is setting out some cold hard facts on heating to help throw some light on the confusing claims currently made for some electric appliances.
Chris Stammers, marketing director at Dimplex, says: “Some surprising assertions with regard to efficiencies and running costs are being made in the marketplace at the moment. But frankly, many of these claims are unachievable, and specifiers and installers need to be able to see through the hype, by making some straightforward comparisons.”
Any electric resistance heater can only ever be 100 percent efficient, and it’s not possible to improve on that. 1kWh of electricity will transfer 1kW of heat into a room for one hour – it comes down to physics.
It’s certainly true that not all electric heaters operate in the same way. A fluid-filled radiator transfers the heat uniformly around the radiator, giving more radiant than convected heat, compared with a convector heater. A slower warm-up and continued release of heat after switch-off are also characteristic of the fluid-filled design. But they both release exactly the same amount of energy to the room.
Some electric radiators, filled with so-called ‘thermodynamic’ oil or water-based fluids, claim to be more efficient and even more economical to run than either storage heaters or panel convector heaters. Neither the European Commission nor the government’s SAP system of energy ratings recognises the claims of these ‘thermodynamic’ appliances, with both quite correctly stating that the efficiency of all electric room heaters is 100 percent.
And as for running costs, storage heaters that use low-cost, off-peak electricity to heat a given property will always be cheaper to run over a 16 hour day than direct-acting heaters which use day-rate electricity – whether these are fluid-filled or convector heaters.
Dimplex’s wide range of electric heating and hot water products offers appliances for a wide range of customer requirements – all backed up by 60 years’ experience of selling UK-manufactured products, and a name that’s trusted by installers, specifiers and users alike.
To get the facts on electric heating that will help you avoid getting your fingers burnt.
