About Heating Elements
When neolithic man first heard thunder and witnessed forest fires being started by bursts of lightning they could never imagine that, in just a few millions years, their children would be heating their bathrooms in almost the same way; that we would harness that godlike power and package it into a tiny little bar of metal that you slot into your radiator.
This is a guide to heating elements. What they are. How they work. And which heating element you should buy to completely transform your life for the better.
What is a Heating Element?
A heating element is a small device that you stick inside your radiator. Why would you want to do that, you ask? Well because a heating element allows you to heat your radiator up using electricity. You can still have that same radiator hooked up to your central heating in a ‘dual fuel’ setup, or completely separate to your central heating in a ‘self concealed’ setup.
How a Towel Rail Heating Element Benefits You
The real benefit of a radiator that can heat independently is being able to enjoy a warm bathroom on a day when the rest of the house is already a nice temperature without the heating on; but one in which the bathroom is still a bit too cold. Bathrooms are places in which we get naked and splash water around, so we tend to need them to be hotter than normal. Even on a mild summer day.
Normally, it would be expensive to heat a bathroom given that you would have to turn your gas central heating on. And that may be both unnecessary for the rest of the house as well as uncomfortable for everyone at home. Regardless, it’s a waste. And an electric heating element solves that waste.
But Isn’t Electric More Expensive Than Gas?
Electric isn’t more expensive when it’s a choice between turning on a single radiator powered by an electric heating element, rather than a whole house using gas. In that scenario, for heating a single room, electric is far cheaper. Even if you use your thermostat controlled heating element every single day in summer, especially if you would have otherwise used gas, you’ll be saving an enormous amount on your energy bills every year. Plus, when you consider the cheap heating element cost and low installation costs (since the radiator which is to be upgraded is probably already there) then a simple question begins to emerge: why don’t you own a heating element already?
How Do Electric Heating Elements Work?
Once installed inside your radiator an electric heating element works by passing electricity, sourced from your home’s mains electric, through its ‘filament’. This filament, which has been inserted and fixed in place inside your radiator, heats rapidly. This in turn heats up the water inside your radiator.
Electric heating elements are super easy to use. That’s the best part. It’s just a matter of turning it on and using it like any other heater.
The Different Types of Heating Elements
You’re probably already sold on the benefits of buying an electric heating element; a warm bathroom, even in summer, and both single heat and thermostatic heating elements pay for themselves quick enough So the only real obstacle between you and your ownership of one of these fantastic towel rail heating elements is knowing which one you need.
- Standard (single heat) elements heat rapidly to between 65-80°C and maintain that temperature.
- Thermostatic heating elements allow you to choose multiple temperatures between 20°C to 80°C in increments.
Heating Elements at Only Radiators
Let's take a peek at some of our heating elements below.
