Electric Panel Heaters – Buyers Guide

One type of direct-acting heating is the panel convector heater or electric radiator. Slimline and wall mounted, these heaters provide rapid heat whenever the user needs it. To maximise their operational ability, these heaters have:

• Low thermal inertia, meaning they heat up rapidly in response to immediate heating needs.
• An electronic or gas-filled thermostat, so they avoid room temperature ‘drift’
• A range of controls, allowing the user to match their heating requirements with their occupancy patterns.

Our range of electric panel heaters achieve this by using convection heat, or a combination of radiation and convection, to heat up a space quickly. This means that the room is warm for the period of time selected and can be held accurately at the temperature required for the duration of occupancy, creating a comfortable environment. And, when the heater is switched off, it reacts just as quickly.

Is one type of direct-acting heater more efficient than another?

There have been many spurious claims of ‘higher efficiency’ in the electric heating market. The fact is all direct-acting heaters are 100% efficient at point of use. If your heater uses 1kWh of electricity, 1kW of heat will be transferred into the room for one hour. As The Law of Conservation of Energy dictates:

‘Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can only change from one form to another’.

With that said, all direct-acting heaters do not operate in the same way. Take a fluid (oil or thermodynamic) filled radiator, for example: the fluid in the radiator will transfer the heat uniformly around the radiator, giving a higher proportion of radiant – as opposed to convected heat – compared to a convector heater. This is useful for certain applications.However, the very small thermal storage capacity of a fluid-filled radiator also results in slow release heat to the room during start-up and a slightly prolonged release of heat to the room after switching off.

By comparison, a panel convector heater or Q-Rad electric radiator heater with no fluid would release heat to the room more quickly during start-up and stop releasing heat more quickly at ‘switch off’.

In Summary

• Electric panel heaters are 100% efficient at the point of use – every unit that you pay for becomes heat
• Can be controlled with a degree of accuracy not achievable with other systems
• Can be quickly and easily installed as there is no pipework to consider, making it ideal for both refurbishment and new build
• Can operate as standalone heaters or as a complete system subject to requirement and budget, but with the added benefit of being able to add to the system at any time – making it perfect for extensions
• Has low lifetime costs as it requires very little maintenance and on average an electric heating system will last 50% longer than a gas system
• Is not limited by planning issues associated with flue requirements in new build
• Offers very low safety risk as it doesn’t burn fossil fuel

Energy Saving Features

There are a wide range of energy saving features and options available for our electric panel heaters, including :

• Accurate thermostats to ensure the room temperature doesn’t fluctuate and cause over and under-heating, which increases energy usage
• Half heat switches – so you can reduce the wattage used, if the output of the heater is greater than the actual requirement
• 24 hour timers – which can control when the heater switches on and off, allowing you to plan your heating needs in advance
• Run back timers – which automatically switch off the heater after a set period of time

Click Here to view our extensive range of electric panel heaters