UK RADIATORS: Inefficient Energy Systems Fuelled by Industry Lies
There is deception happening daily in the UK home energy industry. Radiators – a key element in the heating system – are being sold with heat output often significantly overstated. UK Radiators MD Rob Nezard shines a light on the problem and calls on the government to take action that would drastically improve efficiency and save money.
As the European energy crisis continues, with consumers facing higher prices and disrupted supply, governments and companies are trying hard to offer up support. Various schemes have been rolled out across different countries to help during the worst of the crisis when gas prices hit 10 times the normal level as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Last year, prices cooled, but remained around three times higher than the average from pre-2020.
A key piece of advice in this energy crunch is to simply use less. Turn off lights, use machines less, walk instead of drive etc. But in the home, with winter bringing temperatures down to freezing point (especially in the UK where the average for January is around 5°C), it’s not always that simple. Central heating systems are on full power. Gas boilers are all fired up – emitting in total, on average, more CO2 than all power stations combined – accounting for 38% of all UK gas use.
The message from energy companies? Turn down your boiler flow temperature.
But what if the radiators in the home – the equipment that actually does the hard work of heating up the house on a cold winter’s morning – are inefficient? Or worse, what if they don’t get as hot as they should? Even worse again, what if you pay out for all new radiators, add them to a central heating system, but you find out that they are not fit for purpose?
The result is that you will, in fact, not save money. You will pay more. The boiler will have to work harder. To bring the temperature in the home to the desired level, you will use more gas, for longer – inefficient. Radiators are critical in the modern home system.
If radiators are not delivering their advertised heat output, and a large percentage of homes are making the boiler work harder, the strain on national gas supply is increased. The result here is obvious – demand > supply = price increase.
A RIP OFF?
Officially, all radiators sold in the UK should conform to BS EN 442 regulatory standards and be tested to confirm their ability. At the core of this regulation is the fact that radiators should produce the heat that they advertise in watts and BTUs (British Thermal Units) – Europe and the US have similar measurement tools.
However, many do not. Major retailers online and around the UK supply, often unknowingly, radiators that are nowhere near their advertised heat output. And consumers are picking up the bill – estimated to total into the billions.
The UK government aims to reach net zero by 2050 with part of the energy transition around UK central heating systems swapping from gas boilers to efficient heat pumps. But upgrading systems relies on efficiency of radiators.
Today, radiators are being sold that do not give out the required heat, or even the advertised heat. It’s a rip off, it’s wasting energy, and it’s not being enforced – despite the regulation that is already in place.
Rob Nezard, Managing Director at UK Radiators, is leading a campaign for change. He is calling for the UK government to enforce regulation. He wants radiators to be fit for purpose. He wants energy efficiency and protection for consumers.
UK Radiators has produced a documentary video with proof, clearly exposing the problem, calling on the government to take action with the goal of a win-win-win; cost reductions for households, transparency for retailers, and environmental progress.
MARKET LEADERS, CHASING CHANGES
Nezard founded his business in 2012 under the brand Distinctive Wholesale, operating a B2B model, importing radiators and selling to distributors around the country. Growing quickly, and becoming recognised as a trusted name in the industry, the company was rebranded in 2020, becoming UK Radiators, changing model to go direct-to-consumer and launching a new website in 2021. All radiators sold by the company are tested by the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) and checked inhouse. All products deliver the promised heat output, and all products are perfectly suited to the job they are a meant for.
“Online, we see ourselves as the market leader, but not because we sell the most radiators – we don’t sell the most radiators,” Nezard tells Energy Focus. “We are an independent family business and there are online retailers selling similar products to us that are Plc companies with massive advertising budgets. The reason we see ourselves as an industry leader is because within the space there is a major issue with advertised heat outputs of radiators being significantly overstated. That has a big impact on the efficiency of a heating system and therefore a home energy system. We do not participate in this scam and, even though it might make us more money, we are trying to raise awareness to protect the consumer and encourage the government to take action.
“Imagine, you go and buy all new radiators for your house and they claim to provide a certain amount of watts based on a certain system temperature, but actually they don’t. You still require the heat output that you think you’ve bought into, but you can’t get it. The only way you can get it is by increasing the operating temperature of the system which significantly decreases efficiency.”
A-rated condensing combi boilers – the most common type in UK homes – burn gas to create heat energy, but, crucially, they also collect heat from a secondary process of condensing waste gas, extracting the maximum amount of energy from the input. However, the condensing part of the process can only happen below a certain temperature and if you maximise temperature to fuel inefficient radiators, you lose efficiency in the system. “It’s a real issue that people do not know about,” Nezard explains.
“With the shift towards lower temperature systems such as heat pumps, if you were to install radiators that don’t achieve the output, the system simply won’t work as you cannot just turn up the temperature of a heat pump system in the way you can with a gas boiler.”
25% OVERSTATED
Unfortunately, the extent of the problem is significant. Major manufacturers in international markets including China and Turkey create products and incorrectly communicate the specs so as not to lose out in a highly competitive market. UK importers and retailers often take the spec sheet they are given at face value and then sell to consumers without investigation.
“Few understand their responsibilities because they are not familiar with the regulation,” explains Nezard.
“We have purchased radiators from various online retailers and tested them under the conditions that they need to be tested to comply with BS EN 442, and we can show that the heat outputs are overstated. Sometimes, it’s 20-25%, and in other cases it’s much more than that.”
What can be done to solve this fundamental issue in the industry, and open the path to a more energy efficient future? According to Nezard, the first step must be robust and consistent enforcement of the regulation, and punishment for those who do not comply.
“We are trying to drive change within the industry,” he says. “Everyone says that their radiators comply with the regulation, but they don’t. However, no one checks. No one is policing. No one controls the industry and the regulation is an afterthought. There is a lot of effort that goes into the system side of things – the boiler or the heat pump. That is where all the talk is from an energy perspective. But if you ignore radiators within that, you are only looking at half the picture. Without proper enforcement of the regulation, the UK will never achieve its targets of net zero in the central heating space. There needs to be change, and so we want to shine a light on this.
“Our focus is on the government – they must start enforcing the regulations that are in place.”
Rob Nezard, Managing Director
MISSION DRIVEN
UK Radiators is based in Colchester, Essex and has a large range of radiators on offer from standard panel to high-fashion products, as well as all associated equipment. The online space is wide open for an ethical player to grow strongly, provided regulation is enforced and products are marketed morally.
“We see so much growth for us in the UK and that is our focus right now,” says Nezard. “We are mission driven. We must raise awareness around this issue,” he reiterates.
“When it comes to management of supply, we have an extremely active role ensuring that products are tested and conform to standards. It was a painstaking process to get to the position we are in now as the factories don’t produce exclusively for us. We have good relationships so we do have the correct information on the products we sell and we ensure it is accurate.”
To back up the company’s commitment to transparency and fair process, UK Radiators has partnered with Ethy – an online sustainability verification business – to support claims made about product efficiency. The company has also started on a journey to take its operations carbon neutral, partnering with Ecologi to plant trees for each radiator sold.
“We are on a journey with all of this – including improving the energy efficiency of our office,” says Nezard, highlighting that education is essential. “We need to push the understanding that when you buy a radiator you must get the heat output that is stated. There needs to be learning around the industry as it is slightly confusing for people – it’s not a common purchase and it can be brand new for most people.
“We have an advice centre and Ethy has given us the ‘industry champion’ badge that verifies us as, irrespective of commercial gain, taking time to educate people and drive the market in a more sustainable direction.”
When buying radiators – whether its modern-designer, or traditional column-style – the product must do the job. The cost-of-living crisis in the UK, that continues to cripple many household budgets, will spur bargain shopping and value hunting, and this is dangerous if more retailers are allowed to continue misleading consumers. For the macro picture, home energy efficiency has to be addressed with the 2050 goals in mind, and the industry and government must come together to forge a sustainable path forward.
“We are determined to drive change and bring in enforcement of regulations. Accurate information is important, but we are calling for proper enforcement which is, to date, non-existent. It needs to happen for the UK to achieve its targets around central heating systems,” concludes Nezard.
You can sign the UK Radiators petition here, and learn more about heating your premises efficiently here.