Low water temperatures and radiators are a smart combination, says John Colling.
Radiators work well with lower water temperatures. It seems such a simple sentence, but it is an important message for our industry and one which is not recognised as the plain fact that it is.

Quite often, the perceptions people base their decisions upon are not solid fact and the potential effects of misconceptions about the efficacy of radiators with eco sources led to the launch of a new report into the future of the product.

When the Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) launched that report, we were careful to base the findings upon fact, not fiction. Heartening for the industry as a whole, the facts pointed to radiators as the smart choice for the future of heating.

These facts ranged from the vast numbers of homes which currently have radiators to the use of the products during winter months for drying clothes.

But most interesting, especially in this eco-focussed era, was centred on the efficiency of radiators with low water temperature sources.

Tests clearly showed that, in modern and sufficiently insulated buildings, panel radiators can be operated with supply temperatures of 40 deg C and below without any problems.

This is aided by advances in welding techniques developed by people in our industry in the 1980s, which allowed convectors to be attached to panel radiators, increasing output and paving the way for smaller products to become very efficient.

Insulation is the key

Another key reason why radiators do not need to be bigger to perform well with lower supply temperatures revolves around developments in building insulation and related technology.

This means better insulation qualities in buildings than in those the standard calculations are based upon, which also applies to renovations. In such buildings, heat demand is sometimes so low that a small number of cleverly positioned and dimensioned radiators can fully meet the needs of a home.

The potential for cost reduction is massive, not considering the already reasonable price of radiators, their excellent shelf life of up to 40 years, and the lack of annual maintenance requirements. An up to date panel radiator with low supply temperatures, in the right conditions, can achieve an average cost reduction of 15 per cent while giving a much higher degree of thermal comfort.

Tests on a reduced supply temperature with a new boiler and radiators can bring as much as 40 per cent lower costs.

As the whole system is less prone to faults than other emitters and panel radiators are 100 per cent recyclable, it is easy to see that there are countless reasons why radiators are still at the forefront of the market.

• John Colling is chairman of MARC, the Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors