In our climatic zone, the heating season lasts relatively long. If you want to ensure optimal thermal comfort for yourself and your family regardless of the outside temperature, you need to consider installing an appropriate heating system.
To make the right choice of heater, it is essential to correctly select its power. In this article, we advise how to calculate the power of the heater depending on the size of the room. This is very important because the demand for heat can vary significantly in different rooms.
Why Is Heater Selection Important?
Every type of room in the house has slightly different heat demand. The temperature that can be achieved largely depends on the type and power of the heater installed in it. In our online store, Mexen.pl, heaters suitable for use in rooms are available, as well as models designed for kitchens or bathrooms.
If you want to ensure maximum thermal comfort, you need to take care of not only the tightness of windows and doors but also to properly choose heaters in individual rooms. This is particularly important in single-family homes, which may be more exposed to greater heat loss than multi-family buildings.
It is also worth noting that the heating power of the device does not always depend on its size. It can be identified by checking the manufacturer's markings on the packaging. Usually, a larger heater gives off more heat, but before purchasing, it is worth considering what exact temperature we want to achieve. A heater that is too large may excessively heat the interior, resulting in higher costs.
How to Match the Power of a Radiator to Room Size?
If we want to properly match the power of the heater, we must first calculate the unit heat demand of the given room. It will vary depending on the functions of the individual interiors. For example, a bathroom usually has higher heat demand than a living room or bedroom.
So how do we calculate the heat demand depending on the type of room? First, it is worth using a radiator sizing calculator, which are available online.
It is worth knowing that…
…if we want the temperature in the room to be around 20 degrees Celsius, we need to choose a heater with a power of 70-80 W/m2. If the temperature is to be around 24 degrees, then the heaters should have from 100 to 120 W/m2 of room area.
The size of the room also affects the choice of heater power, and the heat demand can be calculated using a simplified method. It involves multiplying the estimated power per square meter by the area of the room. In this way, we can calculate the power of the heater that should be installed in a given interior.
What Heater for a 16 m2 Room?
As an example, we will show how to calculate the power of the heater needed to heat a room sized 16 m2. We take into account both the area and the standard height - most often 2.7 m.
To properly select the power of heaters, one must multiply the area of the room by the heat demand, which in the case of a living room is 70-80 W/m2 or even 150 W/m2 if the calculations are for old buildings (referring to buildings with thermal insulation).
Using the given parameters, we get the following equation:
70-80 W x 16 m2 = 1120/1280 W
Thus, to heat a room of 16 m2 to a temperature of around 20 degrees, a heater or heaters with a total power of at least 1120 W should be installed.
What Heater for a 12 m2 Room?
For a slightly smaller room, we perform analogous calculations, changing the measurements:
70-80 W x 12 m2 = 840/960 W
When calculating the power of the heater, it is also worth noting heat losses - in old, poorly insulated buildings, they can be significant. The greater the heat losses, the more power the heater installed in the given room will need to have. In the Mexen.pl offer, you will find a wide selection of heaters of this power.
What Heater for a 30 m2 Room?
A large living room needs a lot of light. Therefore, it is also one of those rooms where more windows are installed. Modern construction emphasizes panoramic windows replacing walls. Both solutions contribute to lowering the temperature in the room. Why? Glass loses heat from the outside. Therefore, proper heater selection is important. The first thing you should remember is of course to change the windows to a so-called winter mode, which will ensure their tightness. The second thing is, of course, the appropriate power of the heater.
Using the known formula, we calculate what heater will work well in a 30 m2 room:
70-80 W x 30 m2 = 2100/2400 W
If you want your living room to maintain a temperature of no less than 20 degrees, you need to invest in a heater with a power of 2100 or 2400 W. In the case of poorly insulated houses or apartments, the heating power of the heater should be higher.
What Heaters for Gas Heating?
Another issue may be the decision regarding what device to choose for a specific type of heating. On Mexen.pl, there are, among others, panel heaters, which work excellently in conjunction with gas heating. They utilize internal ribbing, which not only increases their thermal power but also makes them look great.
It is worth noting that as important as the heater itself is the type of boiler used and the temperature of the heating medium in the installation.
Estimating Heat Losses of a Room
Calculating what power of the heater will be needed for a room should be supplemented by an estimate of heat losses. Losses occur due to heat penetrating through poorly insulated walls or gaps in the frames.
To estimate heat losses, it is worth using available online calculators. You should provide the dimensions of individual rooms, the type of building material, and the temperature prevailing outside.
The calculator will indicate how much heat "escapes" from the room. In this way, it will be easier to adjust the previously calculated heat demand. This will, in turn, allow for better estimation of the heater's power.
How to Choose a Heater for a Room? Summary
If you want to buy the right heater that will provide thermal comfort in a given room, you need to take into account several essential factors, including: the volume of the interior and the insulation level of the entire building.
To perform accurate calculations, you should:
- precisely measure the selected room,
- calculate the heater's power depending on the temperature you want to achieve in the room,
- check the so-called power table, which takes into account the power parameters of the boiler and correction factors - tables are usually available on the manufacturer's website of the given device.
The second step will be deciding what type of heater will be installed in the given interior. In the Mexen.pl offer, you will find the appropriate type of heater. You can choose both from various sizes of panel heaters and heating devices for bathrooms and kitchens.