In light of National Radiator Day taking place today (November 1), a survey has revealed that 24% of residents haven’t bled their radiators in over a year, while 13%, which equates to around 2.29m homes, have never done so.
The survey of 2,000 UK homeowners, commissioned by The Manufacturers’ Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) found that 49% of residents stated they didn’t know how to bleed their radiators, while 15% were concerned of damaging their heating system.
The trade body also discovered that 24% of homeowners were unaware of how to correctly identify when a radiator needs to be bled. The research also outlined that 71% of homeowners didn’t know how to determine if their heating system needs flushing.
On average, respondents had eight radiators in their homes with six of those being fitted with Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs). However, 9% of homeowners said they didn’t have a TRV on any of their radiators. This reveals the opportunity to inform over 1.58m homes on how TRVs can bring up to 15% energy savings per year.
Stewart Clements, director of MARC, said: “Heating installers and engineers are essential in forcing a widescale change of habit. By advising homes of the benefits attached to maintaining radiator health and a balanced heating system, they could help save their customers around £50 a year, while recommending the fitting of TRVs could save up to a further 15%.
“It is therefore essential that heating engineers are poised to give advice on how best to make their system work efficiently when they are in touch with customers this winter.”
To mark National Radiator Day, the organisation has also sent 650 radiator keys to MPs across the UK to challenge them to bleed their radiators, in addition to encouraging their constituents to do the same.
Stelrad Radiators, a member of MARC, is also encouraging people across the UK and Ireland to bleed their radiators. The Stelrad team reported that there are a number of key messages that it is keen to share with homeowners and the heating trade.
Radiators make an everyday contribution to heating systems across the UK and Ireland with more than 90% of heating systems installed featuring radiators of one design or another, the company has said.
The development of lower temperature heating systems, utilising renewable heating appliances such as air source heat pumps has given rise to a number of questions including “where do components we have got to know and love over the years fit into the future of heating?” Stelrad said that it has responded “forcefully” to those people who claim for example that underfloor heating is the only or ‘best solution’ for heat pump installations.
Stelrad stated that there is still a marked reluctance to use underfloor heating upstairs in new build and it can be a complex option to fit as a retrofit solution, so radiators tended to win out much of the time. Radiators heat up and cool down far more quickly than underfloor heating, it said.
Chris Harvey, of Stelrad, added: “Radiators are very much ‘fit for the future’. But as always, correct sizing will need to be undertaken to ensure that they keep the home warm and cosy.
“But can radiators work well with air source heat pumps? Very definitely yes they can and they already are in a host of installations across the UK.”