blog posts for June 2014

Heating the home is by far the biggest utility cost during the winter months for home owners. You may not be aware, but up to twenty five percent of your energy consumption in peak months comes from the use of home heating through central systems, which is why so many people are moving to energy efficient designer home radiators and other methods to keep energy costs lower. It wasn't too long ago that thermostats for heating the home were standard devices: they couldn't be programmed and lots of energy was lost due to inefficiencies. We now have the ability to save on across-the-home heating by updating our thermostats and using 21^st century solutions to heat the home. Below, we will discuss some of these awesome solutions that, when coupled with single-room heating solutions like radiators, can save you big money each and every winter.

Total Connect Comfort

We lose so much energy through improper insulation and leaving the heater running constantly to avoid the cold when we get off of work. If there was a solution to fix at least one of those problems, would you act upon it? The Total Connect Comfort system is an innovation by Honeywell that functions with compatible Honeywell smart thermostats, and can be operated from anywhere in the world through a mobile application. The app's interface gives you the ability to adjust the temperature for the entire house, or just for one room. The thermostat can be configured to turn on before you get home and turn off when you leave the house, which saves tons of energy and makes sure that you're never cold. Various Connect Comfort systems are available, with thermostats starting at as little as £100.

Rogers Smart Home Monitoring

Using your heat sparingly can help save energy, as can using a combination of column radiators and central heating. To get the most out of your central heat potential, you can install a solution like the Rogers Smart Home Monitoring system. Much like the Honeywell system, this works with various Rogers thermostats and can be controlled through the use of mobile technology. Not only can you adjust the thermostat when at home from the unit itself, but you can also do so when out and about. The system will even learn your heating preferences and set a schedule that is optimal for saving energy and preserving comfort.

Smart Air Conditioner

You can purchase heated towel rails to keep your towels warm, and a bathroom radiator to do the same for your bathroom, but what about the home as a whole? Samsung wasn't about to be outdone by its competitors, and as such has introduced its Smart Air Conditioner line of thermostats. Don't let the name fool you: it can be used year-round for home climate control and management, and usually runs around £150 for a compatible thermostat and system. Integrated with mobile apps, real-time statistics are delivered to any mobile device for review and input. This will allow you to make any changes in the home's temperature as necessary. Planning to come home early? You can override the smart schedule to warm things up before you get there. You'll also be able to activate settings such as the clean air wizard and smart saver energy feature whenever needed.

Saving energy and maintaining comfort during the winter months is a prime objective for most. Just in case you were wondering, all of these aforementioned systems can also be used in the summer months for cooling the home efficiently. With all of these savings, you may want to invest in single-room radiators and heated towel racks to increase the winter comfort of your home, or simply save that money for another purpose. Whatever your decision, it will surely irritate the utility companies who continue to want to earn pound after pound of your hard-earned income.

Few things speak about the quality and ambiance of your home like the living room does. An area that, by definition, brings life into the home, the living room provides ample opportunity to express creativity, embrace functionality and enjoy the company of others. For many, the living room is the centrepiece of the home but may not be at the actual centre of the home. The trouble with many home heating systems is that they distribute heat unevenly throughout the house, causing some rooms to be less comfortable than others. The addition of a home radiator to various rooms throughout the home can produce added value, wintertime comfort and – when done properly – actually enhance the aesthetic charm of the room. We'll outline a few designs that can incorporate a radiator into your living room while not having to sacrifice beauty or your existing floor plan.

Column Radiators Near the Windows Many people think of bulky, old-fashioned radiators when the word is mentioned, but modern design and technological innovation have produced new versions that look beautiful and provide more efficiency. Column radiators are one of these examples, which measure anywhere from one to two metres in length and can be affixed to any wall or compatible surface. Our range of anthracite column radiators for instance, resemble drawn-back curtains or window shutters when paired on each side of a window. With finishes in stainless steel, anthracite, black and white, you'll be able to find one or more column radiators that go well inside the home. Others decide to place these near the front door in the living room, as a design element that resembles a wall-mounted coat rack or something similar.

Horizontal Radiators Near the Floor Many people use wallpaper or decorative accents along the lower half of their living room walls to add a bit of flare and character to the room. Raised elements in particular can break the monotony of an otherwise dull, drab room. This is where and why a horizontal radiator can be an excellent addition to the living room.   Besides the heating functionality that it will provide, horizontal radiators from Neva, Bonera and Sena come in multiple colours and can be used with virtually any existing design schematic. Our horizontal radiators look especially good in contrast with light coloured walls and wood floors; a studio apartment design or post-modern ambiance in the home can be accentuated even more through the addition of such a unit.

Vertical Radiators Everywhere Else Last but not least, you have the option of adding a vertical radiator to the living room as both a design element and a heating source. With models from Oria, Cascia, Amara and others, these vertical radiators look more like pieces of art than they do home heating solutions.   Available in stainless steel, black and white finishes – with a variety of altered shapes, curves and designs to consider – you'll be able to find something that makes a bold statement while being a functional product at the same time.   One of our most aesthetically pleasing vertical radiators is the Bonera 324mm/1800mm Designer Vertical Radiator; when you see it, you'll understand why.  Of for a bathroom, you can opt-in for our Lemina designer anthracite towel radiator.

Having a comprehensive heating element in the living room no longer has to be an ugly, obstructive affair. ADIGE Towel Radiators strives to keep the most aesthetically-pleasing and best performing home radiators, designer towel radiators and other heating solutions in stock to give you absolute say in what your living room can truly be. If you're desiring comfort and charm while lounging about for your next design project, then our selection of radiators will provide you with the ability to start the project off right.

Adding a new radiator or changing an existing radiator is a relatively simple job, but if you don't know one end of a valve from another, it is a good idea to ask a plumber to tackle the job. It shouldn't cost you a fortune and at least you don't have to worry about flooding the place. However, if you are reasonably competent at DIY, changing or adding a radiator in a wet central heating system (the most common type in the UK) is well within the capabilities of any DIY savvy person. However, before you begin, there are a few things you need to consider.

Can the Boiler Cope?

Boilers don't have an unlimited energy output. If there are too many radiators on a system, they will work but they won't get hot enough. So, before you go adding extra radiators all over the place, check your boiler's BTU—this will tell you the maximum output of the boiler. It is normally ok to add one or two extra radiators, but use a BTU calculator for radiators in the home and cross reference this against the boiler output.

Check It's All There

Buying a new radiator online may seem like a cheap solution, but unless you buy from a reputable company, you could end up missing a few vital pieces. The worst-case scenario is that you remove your existing radiator, only to discover that the new one doesn't have any screws to hold it and the stores are now closed. So check the package before you start the job.

Location, Location, Location

If you are installing a radiator in a new location, think carefully about where the pipes are going to go. It is a lot easier to fit a new radiator to existing pipe work than it is to pipe in from somewhere else. Do you want the pipes to feed up from the floor? If so the floor boards will have to come up, which could be messy. Give this some thought before you make a snap decision.

Air in the System

Adding a radiator means draining down the system, which invariably leads to trapped air in the pipes. Air locks are noisy, but bleeding the radiators should solve the problem.

Top Up the Boiler Pressure

Draining down the system will also reduce the water pressure in the boiler so don’t forget to top this up once you have everything running smoothly. A loud, whining pump is a symptom of low water pressure. If you ignore it the pump will eventually wear out—and a replacement pump is unlikely to be cheap!

More Inhibitor Needed

Another side effect of draining down the system is that you will need more inhibitor (the product that stops sludge building up in the system). The good news is that inhibitor isn’t very expensive.

If in doubt about your DIY skills when fitting heated towel rails for small bathrooms, call on the services of a reputable plumber to do the job. It might be more expensive, but at least your carpets won't be ruined.

Once upon a time, most families were lucky to have a tin bath for special occasions. But times have changed and modern households can easily have two, three or even four bathrooms and en-suites. However, some smaller properties only have room for one small bathroom, so the question of whether a shower would be more space efficient is a pertinent one. Naturally there isn’t a straight forward answer, so if you are wondering whether to swap your bath for a power shower, or vice versa, here are a few points to bear in mind. Water Consumption According to the study, the average eight-minute shower used 62 litres of hot water, and some power showers can use up to 136 litres, compared with an average bath's 80 litres. Even four minutes under a water-inefficient power shower still uses less water than the average bath. Using less water in the bathroom isn’t just about the environment – there is a strong link between the hot water you use and the size of your energy bill.

Advantages of a Bath

Most homes have at least one bath, but we all lead busy lives so in this day and age, a bath might not be right for your home. However, there are some advantages to installing a bath rather than a shower.

• Kids – Younger children love baths. It gives them a chance to play in warm water and relaxes them just in time for bed. Parents can also have a bath at the same time, which is useful when you have a baby as well as a toddler.
• Joint problems – For anyone suffering with the pain of arthritis, soaking in a hot bath can be a huge comfort. It won’t cure the disease, but the heat of a bath can significantly soothe the symptoms.
• Relaxation – At the end of a long, stressful day, nothing beats lying in a nice, hot bath, with a glass of wine nearby and a few scented candles dotted around the bathroom. After about thirty minutes, you might actually feel human again.

Advantages of a Shower

• Speed – Running a bath takes time, and when you are late for work, time is something you probably don’t have. It is possible to have a quick shower in less than five minutes, so showers are the ideal solution for busy people.
• Mobility issues – It isn’t easy climbing into a bath when you are crippled with arthritis or you have some other serious mobility issue. A shower is more suitable for those who are unable to sit down without help. Showers can also be adapted for wheelchair users.
• Space – A small shower cubicle takes up less space than a large bath, so if your bathroom is a touch on the ‘compact’ size, installing a shower will give you more room to play with. Showers are also more suited to en-suite bathrooms because of the space issue.

Selling a Home

No matter what your preference is, should there be any possibility that you might need to sell your home in the future, be careful of removing a bath and replacing it with a shower. Most people, in particular families, are going to want a bath and a property without one is likely to be less attractive to potential buyers. So bear this in mind.

The ideal solution is to have both. If space is a problem, consider installing a bath-shower as this will take up less room than a shower cubicle and separate bath. And don’t forget to look at towel rails with electric options for an extra ‘wow’ factor.