Heating

...Oh yes, if there’s one thing we all need to know about 361 days of the British year, it’s how to keep warm and dry.  Thankfully we no longer have to rely on a small peat fire and a large dram to keep the goosebumps at bay – although I must admit, there are occasions when nothing could be cosier…

If you are building a new house or adding an extension, you might want to consider underfloor heating, whereby warm water is pumped through loops of maintenance-free plastic pipes incorporated into the screed.  The obvious advantages are that you have no radiators taking up wall space and each area can be zoned with its own loop so that individual room temperatures can be controlled. Rooms are heated evenly, economically  and comfortably with the warm air convecting from the floor surface, thus eliminating cold spots.  In addition, dust is not circulated and house dust mites are reduced – great news for asthma sufferers. And not least to enjoy, whilst sinking your toes into that deliciously cosy shag pile, are the significant potential energy savings. 
Do make sure your chosen floor covering and any adhesive used is suitable - tiles and carpet are fine, as are timber floors - engineered are best - as long as they have a moisture content below 10% (otherwise the boards may shrink). It is also essential, whatever your covering, to start the heating at a very low temperature and raise it slowly over 3 weeks.

For smaller areas (up to about 10 sq. m.) in existing or new houses, electric underfloor heating is an option – there can be no doubt about the feel-good factor of stepping out of your steaming bath onto a warm tiled floor.  The wire mats can be as little as 3mm. thick, so there is no added floor height, and they are simply laid out before the tiles go down.   Another great application of the wire mat technology is for heating bathroom mirrors, so that however steamy your bathroom gets, you can still check out every wrinkle and mole with digital clarity – although some of us might prefer the softly blurred image you get through a layer of condensation and, yes, you do have the option of switching it off on really scary days…

For those of you with teenage children, just skip this paragraph – there’s clearly no point in giving towel rails a second thought (may I refer you to those soggy little heaps on their bedroom floor)…For the rest of you (and any that remain grimly optimistic), try and consider the towel rail options when you’re thinking about your heating.  The closed circuit designs can be linked up to your heating systems (including underfloor), whilst others can be connected into the hot water system.  You need to remember that on the four warm and dry days of the year when you have shut down your heating system, you will still want warm and dry towels, so consider a dual fuel design which generally works off the heating, but can be switched to electric when required.  If the radiator is the sole source of heat in the bathroom, as opposed to being a mere fluffy towel warmer, make sure that it has the correct btu output – and for the energy-conscious amongst us, note that chrome-plating reduces the output by up to 35%!

Now that we’ve explored some of the clever little gizmos, a few words about radiators in general. Positioning is critical, and there are several factors to take into consideration.  It’s never a good idea to put a radiator under a window, especially if you want full-length curtains.  Even if the window is recessed, you will still be limited as to when you should have it on; besides which, if you wanted a bit of fresh air, you would lose a substantial amount of heat at source – both self-defeating and wasteful.  

You then have to think about which areas of wall space you are willing to sacrifice, best done by drawing a room layout: you don’t want to end up with a radiator heating the sofa’s backside instead of yours, nor do you want to have to place a piece of furniture in an awkward spot because there’s a wretched radiator in the way. 

In a room with two radiators, try and get them roughly diagonally opposite each other to give the most even distribution of heat.  A note of caution – as with wall lights, beware of placing a radiator too close to a window opening: you need to leave enough room for your curtains to draw back comfortably.  Helpfully, radiators come in a multitude of different shapes, sizes and colours, so once you’ve established your btu output requirement and the space you have available, you should be able to find one to fit the bill.

Ermm, bills…well, running costs are, of course, a huge consideration and whether you look at oil, electricity or gas the news for the future is not optimistic; you will either be paying the earth or sacrificing it,  or both. Gas prices have recently risen by 17% and electricity by 10%, whilst oil prices will continue to reflect rising global demands and limited supply. Alternative renewable energy sources are becoming ever more viable and are interesting enough to warrant their own page at a later date.  Meanwhile, check that your floor and loft spaces, cavity walls and pipework are well insulated. 

And here’s a Big Tip: If you’re putting in a new kitchen or bathroom, now might be a good time to change to a High Efficiency Condensing Boiler. It converts more than 88% of its fuel into energy, by recovering as much as possible of the waste heat normally rejected into the atmosphere - thereby saving you up to 40% on your fuel bill.

There can be no doubt that a Rayburn beats all other options to being the heart of your home – literally, as well as spiritually.  It provides you with as much hot water as you need, heats a battalion of  radiators and cooks a fantastic chocolate cake – not to mention drying out walking boots, hatching hens’ eggs (yes, I have done that!) and providing canines with comfort.  Unless you have a masochistic streak, avoid the solid fuel version – there is no place in the 21st century for endless buckets of coal and inches of sooty dust. 

Coming round full circle, there will always be a solid case to be brought for an open hearth with a roaring log fire, despite the hard work chopping and collecting and storing and drying – although, even in this, you can enjoy a bit of the romantic “Caveman provides for his family”. It’s not something you want to rely on every day, but for those miserable nights when the rain is lashing at the windows, it somehow manages to provide a deep sense of comfort and security; besides which, you simply can’t mend a broken heart staring into the recesses of a radiator. 
 
If you have no caveman instinct, you can always cheat and get flickering flames at the flick of a switch – either electric or gas.  These imitation fires used to be pretty ghastly and absolutely nothing like the real thing - but there are now several companies that supply very good looking designs to suit both traditional and contemporary settings, for open hearths and for stoves.  They may not have quite the same soul, but they still add character to a room, a focal point to a wall and a focus, maybe, for your more cerebral rather than spiritual problem-solving.

Oops, run out of space - I’ll have to leave the Electric Bar Heater to another day.