How to calculate the power of electric radiators

To calculate the power of electric radiators needed in your home and determine what type and quantity of devices needed to obtain maximum climatic comfort, you must determine several aspects and do so with great precision.

At Haverland, leader in electric radiators in the UK, we have a specific tool to help us calculate the necessary power of your radiator in your home or business and, in this way, determine the ideal option within our wide range of electric radiator alternatives.

How to calculate the heating power in your house?

There are several approaches to determine how to calculate the heating capacity, but perhaps the most widely used is one that applies a formula using 5 variables: the area of the room in square meters (A), orientation of the house (B), level of insulation it has (C), climatic zone in which it is inserted (D) and a minimum value of 116 W/m².

Consequently, the required heating power per square meter (in W) will be obtained by the following formula: AxBxCxDx116.

What to consider when calculating the heating capacity in your home?

Each aspect of the formula marks a key point to determine how to calculate the heating power:

A = Space to be heated

The square meters of the room to be heated must be indicated.

B = Orientation

Another of the values will arise from the orientation of the home, namely:

North: 1.12.
South: 0.92.
East: 1.
West: 1.

C = Insulation

It has to do with the level of insulation of the building, which will reduce or increase heat loss. It uses these parameters:

High: with double window and partition: 0.93.
Medium: with single window and double partition or single partition and double window: 1.
Poor: with a simple window and partition: 1.10.

D = Climatic zone

Each geographic area has a different climate and, therefore, different air conditioning requirements.

¿ What is the Haverland BTU Calculator?

Haverland’s easy to use, interactive BTU Calculator is designed to help installers determine the heating requirements of the projects on which they work, whether domestic or commercial. Once it has computed the heat requirement in British thermal units (BTU), the BTU Calculator can then convert the heat required figure to Watts to enable the installer to determine the electric radiator(s) they need in terms of heating output, type and number.

Calculating the amount of heat required to make a room comfortable involves computing the cubic volume of the room by multiplying the height, width, and length. The BTU Calculator then applies further mathematical equations to determine the heat loss in the room before delivering a precise calculation of what is required to heat the room efficiently and comfortably.

In other words, the BTU Calculator will tell the installer how many radiators of what size and type are needed to heat the room to a comfortable temperature at the lowest possible fuel cost.

Specifying the most appropriate radiator(s) for a given room using the BTU Calculator is the best way to reduce energy bills. After all, if it is too large, the radiator will increase bills unnecessarily; too small and too little heat will be generated to keep the room comfortable and, as a result, the radiator will be running constantly, wasting energy and increasing fuel bills. So, the calculator helps save energy.

The size of the room and what the room is used for will all determine how much heat (expressed in BTUs or Watts) the installer will need to keep it comfortable. A high heating requirement could require more than one radiator be fitted in the room. The BTU Calculator will help the installer work out the optimum radiator arrangement.

In short, the Haverland BTU Calculator enables the installer to establish the Watt/BTU outputs required for a particular room to ensure that it is heated comfortably and energy efficiently.