Radiators continue to be far and away the most popular way of heating homes in Ireland, with more than 90% of all homes seeing radiators sharing heat around the property. That’s the case in new build or heating system upgrade or replacement projects – and the main reasons are that they are an effective way of heating the home and as importantly, they are simple to install and replace.

Despite the market for radiators in the UK and Ireland exceeding six million radiators a year, there are millions of elderly radiators in homes and properties up and down the country that are past their sell-by date, waiting patiently to be replaced to provide additional energy efficiency and to improve the performance of the heating system.

It’s a strange thing that whilst a boiler replacement project is seen as an everyday occurrence, replacing the radiators – which is simple and relatively inexpensive, as well as an opportunity to improve energy efficiency, is much rarer. It’s certainly not because they are difficult to fit. Standard sized radiators make it simple to slot new radiators onto existing pipework and fitting premium panel radiators in place of standard ones is equally simple as the fitting instructions are the same as those for Compacts. Stelrad has a number of quick and easy to follow installation videos on its website and its YouTube channel to show the installer just how easy it is to replace and upgrade the radiators in a home.

The most common radiator replacement job is replacing an ordinary panel radiator in an existing bathroom with a towel rail radiator. Nearly every new build home has a towel rail radiator in the family bathroom and any en-suites in the home, as standard these days, and whilst the standard Compact type radiator is still by far the most common radiator to feature in new homes, some developers have decided to go with the premium panel type radiators or even decorative or designer radiators in more up market new homes.

There is a growing trend to replace standard panel radiators with feature radiators – with vertical radiators growing in popularity and even coloured radiators becoming more mainstream as the options for colours increases. Stelrad, for example, can supply many of its radiators in up to 35 different colours which opens a whole new world for interior decorators and those looking to add a splash of colour to their homes.

Stay up to date with Stelrad at www.stelrad.ie by following them on Twitter @Stelrad or via the Stelrad Facebook page @StelradRadiators.