Wd Bathrooms asked:


Heated towel rails are the modern equivalent of creating a focal point in a bathroom. They are both practical and stylish, offering a place to store and warm your towels, as well as creating a design feature for your bathroom. Designs derive from sleek polished chrome with sweeping curves, sharp geometric lines or three dimensional models and blend together creativity with exceptional design.

Towel warmers, or radiators, are available in a variety of styles to suit your bathroom styling. Gone are the days where a towel warmer is a standard, boring necessity in your bathroom, and here are a range of modish radiators which will add an element of class to your bathroom. Due to the increased surface area a heated towel rail creates over a conventional radiator, they are also more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Hudson Reed are the leading manufacturer of brassware and have a huge range of high quality items, ensuring that your bathroom products are a real investment for the future and built to last. Plus, there is no reason why if you move house you cannot take your beautiful towel warmers with you, to form a chic addition to your new bathroom. Their broad selection of contemporary heated towel rails unites style and striking modern designs to complement your individual flare and make a unique statement about your bathroom d?r.

The selection of designer towel warmers from Hudson Reed are the epitome of modern elegance. They have innovative styling that creates a statement in its own right, whilst retaining efficiency and functionality. Their designer towel rails come in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit every taste and preference, and will turn your bathroom in to a luxuriously warm environment. Models include tube on tube, circular, grid and flat construction. To fit your designer Hudson Reed towel rail, their minimalist radiator valves offer a discreet solution and are supplied in pairs.

At the other end of the scale, Hudson Reed Traditional Towel Warmers are full of the ambience of yesteryear. Their fabrication will highlight and be sympathetic to other traditional features in your bathroom, creating a habitual haven with undertones of contemporary features. Most towel warmers in their range are available in either chrome or gold, allowing you to match them to other brassware in your bathroom. To fit your traditionally-styled radiator, Hudson Reed have traditional radiator valves, supplied in pairs to tie in with the design elements of the heated rail.

Bathroom radiators’ power is measured in BTU. BTU is the standard means of measuring output powers in a heated towel rail, and stands for British Thermal Units. Radiators are also shown in watts, the conversion of one to another equates to 1 BTU measuring 3.412 watts. For more information on the best BTU for your bathroom, consider the size of the room to heat, a smaller room will require a smaller BTU, or consult your plumber for advice.

When updating the heated towel rail in your bathroom, it is important to replace the valves also, and ensure that they match the design, colour and fitting of your new radiator. Valves, like taps, are available with different designs of handles, which can be chosen to mimic the design of your taps and shower handles. They are also available in either a straight or angled fitting, which will dependant on the style of radiator that you choose. Also, radiator valves are available in wither a traditional on/off mechanism, or a thermostatic one, which allows you to choose the level of heat emitting from them, and can be altered in accordance with your central heating system and seasonal changes.

Heated towel rails can also create a means of securing other radiators in your house from thermostatic inefficiencies and costly surges. If you choose a radiator without a thermostatic valve, if the heating system malfunctions, this can create a means of venting any excess heat created by your boiler, thus preventing other radiators in your house from malfunctioning and generating expensive bills.

A towel warmer or radiator should always be ideally fitted on the coldest wall of your bathroom, often the one with the window on. This will depend on other existing fixtures in your bathroom, but a window or external wall is optimum. By fitting to the coldest wall you will increase the efficiency of the radiator, as heat will emanate equally throughout the room.

When you have chosen your beautiful addition to your bathroom with a new towel warmer, you will desire for it to retain its original appearance. To care for the outer surface of your new radiator, never use any corrosive or hazardous products, such as aerosols on the surface or in close proximity of the radiator. The radiator should only be cleaned with warm soapy water and a soft, non-abrasive cloth. This will ensure the longevity of your bathroom radiator.



Mario

Tal Potishman asked:


High Efficiency Boilers to Reduce CO2 Emissions Thanks to Part L

by Tal Potishman

Introduced in 2005 the new Building Regulations Part L has changed the scene as far as boilers are concerned. According to the new requirement, all boilers replaced or installed must be of high efficiency rating. This includes condensing and combination boilers which utilize a larger heat exchanger (or a secondary heat exchanger) to recoup some of the heat that would normally be released into the atmosphere with the exhaust gases. Since some of the energy can be reused, the boiler can generate the same amount of heat with less fuel.

The new high efficiency heating unit introduced a new level of professional requirements from the system designer and the operative installing it. Each part of the system (such as the boiler, the radiators, the hot water cylinder and the heating controls) is fully integrated with the other components, to maximize the system’s efficiency and heating output. As such, the design has to account for each component’s specific set up and consider their input and output demands.

Research shows that since the introduction of the new Part L, the domestic heating industry has made a major reduction in the amount of carbon emissions generated every year. Recent analysis conducted in the industry indicates that savings of around 2.4 million tonnes of carbon have been made since the new Building Regulations have been introduced. Furthermore, the analysis shows that had Part L not been introduced and with the industry relying on SEDBUK D rated systems, the amount of carbon emissions would have increased by over one million tonnes since 2005.

At current levels there is still large potential for reducing the carbon emissions generated by the domestic boilers in the UK. There are around four million old boilers which are significantly less efficient than modern SEDBUK A rated boilers. Replacing such old boilers with an A rated boiler can reduce carbon emissions by around 30%. Each home in the UK produces an average of 5 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Across the whole population, domestic heating accounts for around 16% of the UK’s CO2 emissions.

The government is trying to encourage carbon reducing behaviour within the home heating sector. It has scrapped stamp duty for carbon neutral homes and has introduced the home information packs which have an energy performance certificate as part of the pack. However, the stamp duty benefit does not apply to the vast majority of inefficient homes around the country making it less effective. The home information packs (with their energy performance certificate component) also have drawbacks in that they are only produced when the house is sold, and thus not having enough of an impact at other times to encourage reduction in carbon emissions.

Other levers that can be pulled to reduce carbon emissions from domestic heating in the UK are related to renewable and sustainable energy. The government plans to build around 3 million new homes between now and 2020. If just 10% of these new homes use solar thermal heating or heat pumps along with traditional (gas or oil) boilers, around 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions would be saved annually.

The government applied a combination of carrots and sticks to force the domestic heating market to reduce its carbon emissions. The plumbing and heating industry is largely keeping up with the trend with many companies investing in training and professional development on renewable energy technologies to address any market need in those areas.



Darian

Tal Potishman asked:


Since their successful introduction to the UK market back in the 80s, pressurized water heating systems, alternatively known as unvented cylinders, have proven to be very popular. They are winning hearts both with the general public and the plumbing and heating industry. As an additional confirmation of their success, in 2007 unvented systems accounted for the first time for 50% of the hot water systems installed in the UK.

Unvented systems make a far better solution for water pressure compared with traditional hot water systems. In traditional domestic systems, the water feeder tank, normally positioned in the loft is responsible for filling the hot water tank and building up the pressure in the system. However, the feeder tank is rarely high enough to build enough of a head to create substantial pressure. This leads, for example, to an annoying drizzle from one’s shower rather than a powerful shower.

Unvented systems are sealed and thus have an internal pressure which is likely to increase as the water within the tank heats up. In traditional systems, expansion of water as it heats up is handled by the feeder tank, which easily accepts any such expansion. For unvented systems, the solutions come in the form of specially designed checks and safety equipment to ensure safe and reliable operations even as water heats up and expands.

The sealed nature of the system led to some technological developments that were needed to address issues such as water expansion. As water heats up it expands and increase the volume it occupies. Traditionally this was easily addressed by the feeder tank absorbing any such expansion of the water. For unvented systems, however, a set of safety solutions has been designed to ensure safety is maintained at the highest level while still allowing for reliable and efficient operation.

Legally certified unvented cylinders must meet the UK standard for safety measures to ensure that pressure build up within the sealed system does not pose a problem. The systems therefore rely on a combination of technical solutions. An expansion vessel is normally attached (externally or sometimes internally within the cylinder) to absorb expansion in the volume of the water due the heating. These vessels can handle up to around ten bars of pressure, addressing major expansion in the system.

Another safety measure is the temperature and pressure relief valve. The PT valve is a simple yet smart mechanical valve which senses whether the temperature or the pressure within the cylinder is too high (or is breaching a preset level). At that point the valve opens up to let the extra steam out into the drain, thus immediately reducing the temperature, the pressure and the volume of water in the system.

The above safety checks and measures ensure safe operations and full protection for the users. By replenishing hot water drawn by the user with fresh cold water, the system sustains a steady pressure (which is equal to the mains pressure). Hot water is normally drawn from the top of the cylinder (which is where the rising hot water accumulates due to gravity) and the cold water is normally entered via the inlet at the bottom of the cylinder rising up as it warms up.

Unvented cylinders are typically grouped into one of the following two groups - direct and indirect:

* Direct cylinders - normally use an electrical heating unit to heat the water. The electrical unit (often referred to as an immersion heater) is immersed within the water inside the cylinder and has a typical heating capacity of 2.5 to 3.6 kW to heat up the water electrically.

* In-direct cylinders - using a heat exchanger, the water in the cylinder acquires the heat from the heating medium. Typically a boiler is used to heat up water which is then pumped through the heat exchanger where it loses its heat to the water inside the cylinder. This system is widely used in conjunction with solar thermal systems.

Unvented systems have proven to be an improvement on the old hot water systems, offering higher pressure and better performance. With competition helping to improve availability and reduce prices, unvented systems are likely to grow in popularity.



Philip

Tal Potishman asked:


The success of small and independent businesses depends completely on a steady stream of customers and clients paying for that business’s services.  This is especially important for the independent business owner whose budget and resources are limited, whose staff is small and the owners who do not have a corporate brand or marketing budget to rely upon for customer recognition.  To compete in today’s saturated heating and plumbing market, small business owners need their marketing efforts to reach as many eyes as possible.  This can be difficult to accomplish on a small budget.

These are five useful tips that should help the small and independent business owners stay competitive in the UK plumbing and heating market.

1.  Realize that marketing is a marathon and not a sprint.  Marketing is not meant to be a quick fix.  Real sales marketing takes commitment and patience.  Business owners need to make sure that their company’s marketing message is obvious in everything that is related to your business (employee uniforms, stationery, logo painted on the company car, business cards, etc).  The more visible a company’s marketing, the more customers it will attract.

2.  The customer’s happiness is a business owner’s first priority.  When the customer is happy he or she is more likely to recommend a company to friends and family members in need of that company’s services.  “Word of mouth” press is a valuable business asset, especially for independent business owners.  Do more than your customers expect or hope for to keep them happy!

3.  Avoid raising prices and stick to the price you have quoted to your customers at all costs.  Unexpected charges will send a customer running to your competitor.  Any extra charges need to be discussed with the customer as soon as the business owner recognizes a need for but before action is taken on them.  Let the customer decide if their budget fits the project.

4.  Small business owners need to pay attention to referral sources.  Keep a tally of where most referrals are coming from: word of mouth, advertising, passing by, phone book entry, etc.  This allows business owners to allocate advertising funds correctly and helps them avoid spending money on a marketing tactic that might not be profitable.

5.  Build a website for the business.  Most plumbing and heating professionals are not aware of how beneficial a website can be to an independent business owner.  The site does not need to be fancy.  A simple (but good looking) list of services, prices and contact information should be all that is needed to put a small heating and plumbing business on the world wide web. 

These are some simple marketing ideas that all small business owners can put into practice today, to help them in the short run in a difficult economic climate as well as the long run in any climate.



Dora

Tal Potishman asked:


UK homeowners frequently strive to run an energy efficient household.  Energy efficiency is proven to save time, money and lend a helping hand to the environment.  Even the government is showing concern.  Building Regulations now contain set standards to which all heating and hot water systems must comply.  The current state of the economy and rising prices provide additional incentive toward efficiency.  Homeowners are finding it harder than ever to pay for all their bills.

Climate change is making energy efficiency even more important.  With the number of natural disasters attributed to climate change increasing, the public is beginning to take notice.  Homeowners often wonder what they can do to improve the current situation.  There are a number of simple adjustments that can be made to make your home as energy efficient as possible.  Ensuring that the home has high-efficiency heating and hot water systems is a good first step.  The consumer should be aware of the many options available to them.

High efficiency condensing technology can prove extremely worthwhile.  When faced with the decision to replace or repair their boiler, consumers are often unsure of what to do.  They should be supplied all the facts so that they can make the choice that is best for their home.  It is common for the homeowner to depend on the installer to provide guidance.  Therefore, the installer plays quite a large part in this whole process.

Boilers are often expensive.  When consumers consider this and the additional installation fees, they usually choose to just repair their current boiler instead of investing in a new high efficiency boiler.  This can prove to be a costly mistake.  Older boilers can be repaired but their level of efficiency can never be improved.  A faulty boiler just creates problems and produces unnecessary expenses.  The cost of repair and running of older boilers is usually higher that the price of total system replacement.

If costs don’t persuade you then, maybe the impact your choice has on the environment will.  Homes in the United Kingdom are responsible for 21% of all carbon dioxide produced.  Heating and hot water systems make up 80% of that number.  Energy efficiency lowers bills in addition to helping the UK attain its goal of decreasing carbon emissions by 2010.  Heating and hot water makes up well over half the cost of a typical fuel bill.  High efficiency boilers can cut bills by up to 30% and save the typical home 200 a year.

There are a number of makes and models to suit your needs.  Key features include cast aluminium-silicon heat exchanger, brass waterset, efficient pump, and a concealed system connection that enhances performance of the product.  A centrally located telescopic flue kit with preformed connections and pre-fitted mains electrical lead makes installation even faster and cheaper.  The spacious interior and drop-down controls make service of the appliance easier than ever.  There is also the option of buying an RF, radio frequency, version that gives the user total control at the touch of a button.  Warranties vary model to model but commonly provide a 10 year parts warranty on the heat exchanger and two-year parts and labour warranty on the entire product.



Lori