Radiators have developed to be far more than a simple heat emitter. Chris Harvey, Head of Marketing at Stelrad Radiators, considers the rise of the vertical radiator and examines the exciting array of designer options.
Radiators can offer a new and exciting range of solutions for homeowners, and installers need to be aware of the opportunities these new options bring to them. No longer just a heating appliance, a radiator can be an important part of the décor. The ability to mix and match radiators around the home means you can recommend feature radiators in the main living room, the kitchen and the bathroom – along with the master bedroom and the en suite – whilst perhaps utilising less exciting options in the other rooms in the home.
In today’s market, there’s a radiator available for virtually any application, be it a new build home, a refurbishment project or a special bespoke application – even a commercial development – that requires something specific to meet the application in mind. The old approach to specifying radiators seems to be changing, perhaps because of the plethora of house refurbishment and house purchase programmes on the huge number of channels we are blessed with on our TVs.
Never before have we been able to see inside so many other people’s homes, so easily. Not surprisingly, people see what they like, are influenced to mimic the designs they see, and upgrade their own heating systems accordingly. For many, the standard panel radiator is no longer quite enough.
Vertical leap
Many installers are anticipating this preference for non-standard radiators offering a wider choice to their customers, giving them the option to ‘up spec’ to designer or decorative radiators in their homes. For example, the love affair with the vertical radiator is well underway with many being a virtual extension of the towel warming radiators that most homes have in their bathrooms.
But now, people want these vertical radiators in the kitchen, in the entrance hallway, in their main living rooms, in corridors and on landings – with their smaller horizontal footprint making them easy to slot into spaces where a traditional horizontal radiator simply won’t fit.
Focal point
Increasingly, radiators are being seen as part of the décor, worth investing a little more in, rather than simply a means of sharing heat around the home. In some cases, they are quite literally a focal point of a room – even more so now that coloured radiators are growing in popularity, allowing interior designers, architects and more design savvy homeowners to select radiators that match or contrast with the other décor in a room. Most of the Stelrad models are available in up to 36 different colours and the most popular coloured radiators are available from stock.
In addition, extra robust radiators are now available from Stelrad which is increasingly developing its range. For example, its already very popular slimline, flat fronted Planar designer radiator is now available in its Planar HD – Heavy Duty – version.
Originally designed to go in a postal sorting office where trucks and trailers might bump into the radiators and cause damage, the new design is proving popular in new build nursing and care homes where wheelchairs can cause havoc. And even in some schools that recognise the ‘stick’ that radiators can take day-to-day.
Moisture management
Installers can now select the Compact Extra Protection range of radiators – a new rust resistant version of their best-selling radiator. It offers extra protection where moisture is ever present in the atmosphere – in rooms such as bathrooms, showers and wet rooms.
Also new to the market are the first range of the popular Low Surface Temperature radiator range – the LST i Plus Xtra Protection. It has been designed for use in wet rooms or shower rooms where more vulnerable people might be washing or showering and need protection from high surface temperature radiators.
Radiators are still responsible for sharing the heat in more than 90% of domestic heating systems installed in the UK and a surprisingly high percentage of commercial properties as well, so the age of the radiator is still very much with us. It’s worth going the extra mile to ensure that radiators continue to be an aesthetic choice as well as a common sense one, with a wide range of designs, an easy to install philosophy and the widest range of sizes to ensure that there is a radiator for pretty much every application that can be imagined.
