Whilst its undeniable that the most popular and best-selling radiators in the UK and Ireland are the Compact style steel panel radiators we all know and recognise, there is a de nite shift towards ‘trading up’ and selecting premium panel radiators or decorative and designer options – depending on the use in the home or commercial property in question. There’s pretty much a radiator available for every application, be it a new build home, a refurbishment project or a special application that requires something specific to meet the application in mind.
The old adage of ‘its eight rads and a boiler’ that installers may once have said to customers and the rads were the least of their worries, has changed significantly in recent years, perhaps because of the plethora of house refurbishment programmes on the huge number of channels we are blessed with on our TVs – the likes of Grand Designs and Location, Location, Location. Never before have we been able to see inside other people homes so easily – and not surprisingly, people see what they like, are influenced to mimic the designs they see and upgrade their own heating systems.
Increasingly, home-owners are wanting a say in the radiators they get and looking for premium panel, decorative or designer radiators in some rooms – definitely in the bathrooms and en suites, and often designer radiators or vertical versions of premium panel radiators in the living room, the entrance hall, master bedroom and the kitchen – where visitors will see the radiators and hopefully be impressed by their style and choice!
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 home- owners to select radiators that match or contrast the other decoration in a room.
Radiators are still responsible for sharing the heat in more than 90% of domestic heating systems and a surprisingly high percentage of commercial properties as well, so the age of the radiator is still very much with us. Companies like Stelrad are 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.
www.stelrad.ie or www.stelrad.com
T: 0844 543 6200
E: marketing@stelrad.com
