Thermomodernization of
the house, i.e. improvement of its thermal insulation results in lower heat
demand. Is it necessary to
replace old radiators with new ones?
The reduction of heat
demand resulting from its thermo-modernization, ie the use of an additional
layer of insulation of external partitions or the exchange of windows, causes
that the surface of the radiators becomes larger than necessary in order to
supply the rooms with the required amount of heat. But that does not mean that you have
to replace them with smaller radiators. The
amount of heat transferred by them depends on the temperature of the heating
medium flowing through them - if it is lower than it was before
thermo-modernization, it will not be too hot in the rooms. To achieve this, it is enough to
change the heat source operation parameters - reduce the heaters supply
temperature.
How to reduce the power
of heaters?
The power of the
radiators can also be reduced by limiting the flow of the heating medium
flowing through them - by changing the settings of the control valves. If there are valves with thermostatic
heads at the radiators, they will automatically limit the flow rate so that the
room temperature remains at the selected level. When there are no such valves, it is
definitely worth installing them, because it will allow rational use of energy
and will bring greater benefits than replacement of radiators.
Replacement of heating elements
However, if the old
radiators are corroded, the renovation of the house related to the thermal
modernization of the house is a good opportunity to replace the radiators with
new ones. Old massive cast iron
radiators are characterized by high thermal inertia, which is an advantage when
the source of heat is a simple solid fuel boiler. Modern steel or aluminum heaters with
a small water capacity heat up faster and cool down. Thanks to this, they cooperate better
with gas boilers or heat pumps, controlled by electronic regulators that adjust
the temperature of the heating medium to the instantaneous heat demand.
