Heating our homes has never been cheap, but in recent years it’s been a serious concern for many homeowners, causing many sleepless nights. Our ever-changing climate has meant that our winters are now increasingly getting colder, which has meant that our need for heat in our homes has become even greater.
Page Contents:
- Understanding Smart Electric Radiators
- Choosing the Right Smart Electric Radiator for Your Home
- Smart Thermostats and Temperature Control
- Efficient Heating Strategies with Smart Electric Radiators
- Tips for Reducing Heating Costs
- Calculating Your Savings
However, the war in Europe has seen us punished for our reliance on Russian gas, with prices for this important energy source rising as we search for alternatives. This has only served to push energy prices even higher than normal at a time when we need them even more.
This cost has been a difficult one for most people to bear, even with help from government schemes and caps, and it has meant that more people than ever are looking for cheaper and more efficient ways to heat their homes, which is why they are now turning to smart electric radiators as an effective solution.
Understanding Smart Electric Radiators
A smart electric radiator is something which can heat a room without the need for it to be connected to a central heating system. Each one is powered by electricity and needs little to no installation – in fact all it really needs is a plug socket. Smart electric radiators come with their own remote controls, allowing you to turn them on and off from your seat and they even offer connectivity through your phone.
They are also fully programmable, which means each one can be set to turn on whenever you need them and turn off again as soon as you leave the house or the room is at the optimal temperature. As they are electric, there are no costly gas prices to worry about and they can come from renewable sources making them better for the environment as well as more energy efficient.
There are several types of electric radiators available, including panel, convection, fan, oil, and ceramic. While fan heaters use fan rotation to rapidly heat the air, convection radiators work through a system of hot air rising to the top of the radiator and returning to the bottom as it cools, creating a cycle of warm air.
Oil-based electric radiators are filled with mineral oil which is heated with an element. Ceramic radiators pass an electrical current through a ceramic plate creating electrical resistance which is transferred into heat energy.
Choosing the Right Smart Electric Radiator for Your Home
When you choose a smart electric radiator, you need to think about the size of the room that you are wanting to heat. This will help you to determine the size and type of radiator that you need, or whether the room requires more than one radiator. You should also think about the insulation in your home in order to know how powerful you need your radiator to be, as it might have to compensate for a certain amount of heat loss.
Of course, your budget will also be a big determining factor when it comes to choosing your radiator, but thankfully, there are radiators that suit all budgets.
There are a number of popular smart electric radiator brands on the market at the moment, such as us! You should look at the different qualities of each radiator and check their energy efficiency ratings to get one which will offer you the balance of heating and cost as well as the functionality that you need.
Smart Thermostats and Temperature Control
Smart electric radiators come with their own smart thermostats and temperature controls in order to make them as efficient as possible. A thermostat can monitor the temperature in your room and turn your radiator on or off accordingly to keep it steady. This means it is only ever working when it is actually needed and is not wasting energy heating an already warm room.
The smart thermostats are incredibly clever devices as they can use scheduling technology to make sure that the heating online comes on when you are in the home. Geofencing also allows a radiator to identify whether a room is occupied and heats it only when it is. Systems such as Rio Heating also have learning capabilities to make them even more efficient.
Your smart electric radiators can also be connected to your smart home system such as Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and the Apple HomeKit. This means that they can be voice activated to add to your convenience.
Efficient Heating Strategies with Smart Electric Radiators
You can make sure that your heating is zoned, whether it’s by floors or rooms. This ensures that you are only heating the parts of your house that you are using and not wasting heat in empty rooms.
You can also have different temperatures in different rooms, so children’s bedrooms might be set to be warmer than your kitchen. You can also set optimal temperature settings to keep your room at a comfortable temperature without using too much energy.
By using timers and schedules, you can also make sure that your heating is only on when you are at home, automatically turning it off while you are at work or on holiday.
Your smart radiator is so smart that it can even adapt to weather changes and seasonal adjustments ensuring it heats up during a cold snap and switches off if the temperatures start to rise.
Tips for Reducing Heating Costs
There are other ways that you can reduce the cost of heating your home, and one of the main ones is to make sure that it is properly insulated. Ensuring your walls and roof have the best insulation that you can give them, as well as checking that windows and doors are properly sealed will all help to stop heat escaping, meaning you need less of it.
You need to make sure that your radiators and heating systems are regularly maintained to make sure that they are working efficiently, and where possible, you should try to upgrade to more energy efficient appliances.
It has been found that as many as half of us could be paying too much for our electricity, so it is worthwhile looking for tariffs that better meet your needs, as switching could save you hundreds of pounds per year.
On some energy tariffs, you can find that certain times of day offer much cheaper rates. Not turning your dishwasher or washing machine on until late at night can be much more cost efficient if you are on one of these tariffs.
Calculating Your Savings
When looking at smart electric radiators, you need to calculate how much they could save you. Dig out your current energy bills and see how much your current heating costs you and what the price per kilowatt hour is. This is often more expensive than the price of electricity, so you should be able to see what your savings will be. You can also think about how much energy you waste when heating your home and can see how this will further be reduced by reducing the temperature variations.
You can make some direct comparisons between electric radiators and other heating options such as gas central heating and space heaters. Electric radiators can use around 80% less energy than a fan heater, making them cheaper even than this option.
Whilst installing new electric radiators will have an initial cost, there will be a significant return on investment. Installing a new gas boiler, replacing traditional radiators, fixing pipe work, and flushing systems can all run into tens of thousands of pounds, not to mention the cost of the annual servicing, and so replacing or repairing a traditional central heating system will have far greater costs attached to it than installing electric radiators in your home.
The savings that you make on your energy bills will soon pay back your initial investment and you will see your costs decreasing.
Smart electric radiators are a great addition to any home. They have no installation costs and maintaining them is far easier than with a traditional gas central heating system. Their smart technology systems mean that you can avoid wasting energy by only heating the rooms that are in use, and only when someone is in the house.
They can not only save you significant amounts of money, but they can also make your home more comfortable by enabling you to have the heating on whenever you need it, with less concern about the cost.
Rio Heating offers a great range of smart electric heaters that can be easily integrated into your home. They are easy to use and have something to suit all budgets, all you need to do is find the one that suits your home the best.
They can offer some great ways to save money on those scary heating bills, ensuring that you are in a position to keep your home as warm as you want, safe in the knowledge that it is working much more efficiently for you.
Smart electric radiators by Rio Heating
If you are looking for energy efficient and low cost electric radiators, then the Rio Eco is the perfect solution. Our Rio Eco features both Amazon Alexa and Google Home compatibility, making your heating hands free and voice controlled!
If you have any questions regarding our Rio Eco electric radiator, please visit our FAQ page where we have answered a handful of questions. If you have a question we haven’t answered, then please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help.
