Choosing the bath, shower and taps are the fun bits of planning a bathroom. But… there’s also the very practical side of choosing a radiator and/or towel rail. We have a huge selection in varying finishes and of course, you may be choosing designs for other rooms in the house too. You’ll need to know how to use a BTU calculator to select the correct size for the room you want to heat.
1 – What Does BTU Mean?
The heat output of a radiator, heated towel rail or other type of heater is measured in British Thermal Units, referred to as BTUs. All Bathroom Mountain’s radiators and heated towel rails are labelled with their BTU output for each size. Our BTU Calculator is a straightforward way of helping you decide which size is going to be the best choice for your room. Larger rooms may benefit from two radiators – one at each end, or the position may be dictated by other features of the room such as doors and windows and the position of larger, bulky items of furniture such as sofas or sideboards.
2 – Vertical Choices
To calculate the BTU output required for any particular room, you’ll need to get the tape measure out… Click on our BTU Calculator and enter your measurements. A tall, vertical radiator can make good use of space in a ‘busy’ room, perhaps a dining room with a large family dining table and lots of chairs for example. A tall radiator can also make sense in rooms with higher ceilings too. This is our Athens Dove Grey Triple Column Radiator, which has a very generous 8039 BTU output, which would heat a large room – for example, a dining room measuring 3.5m x 4.5m with a high 3m ceiling.
3 – In the Bathroom
The bathroom definitely needs a reliable heat source, as it’s important to keep the room temperature even to discourage any chance of dampness or mould. A heated towel rail will keep towels warm and aired, as well as drying them out after use. An average-sized bathroom can probably work well with just a heated towel rail, although some people prefer a rail and a radiator. It all depends on the layout of your bathroom and the amount of wall space available. Our Naples Premium Matt Black Straight Heated Towel Rail has a heat output of 2958 BTUs in this size, and it also comes in four other widths too. This size would be perfectly suited to a bathroom measuring 3m x 3m – which is a fairly normal size for a bathroom.
4 – The Contemporary Kitchen Radiator
It’s good to be different! We love this Marseille White Single Vertical Mirror radiator… it’s a definite focal point for the kitchen and would work equally well in a bedroom, living room or hallway too. Especially a hallway – for a quick check on hair or makeup on the way out the front door. This is the 1800mmx500mm version, its also available in a narrower 380mm width. At 3884 BTUs this is a good choice for a larger kitchen-dining area, perhaps combined with another smaller radiator at the other end of the space.
5 – The Brushed Brass Bathroom Heated Towel Rail
The trend for brushed brass finishes opens a wide range of colour schemes for bathroom heating – visually, brushed brass will warm up a colour scheme, as well as looking very luxurious. Our Santorini Brushed Brass Flat Panel Heated Towel Rail can be paired with brushed brass taps and shower fittings, and it’s easy to find brass finish light fittings too. This heated rail has a BTU of 1803 BTUs, ideal for an ensuite bathroom or smaller bathroom. It comes in five heights and two widths, so there is bound to be a size to suit all bathroom situations.
6 – The Anthracite Designer Option
A monochrome bathroom (or kitchen) scheme can be enhanced with an Anthracite Designer heated towel rail – remember that a ‘towel rail’ with the required BTU heat output can be chosen just as well as a radiator, and has the added usefulness of being able to air and warm towels. A rail such as this can be a good option in the kitchen, where there are always tea towels and hand-towels that need drying. Our Palermo Anthracite Designer heated towel rail measures 1200x450mm and comes in both shorter and taller sizes. This has an output of 1997 BTUs.
7 – A White Double Column Vertical Radiator
Our radiators are described in various ways, including single, double or triple column, as well as flat panel, and vertical and horizontal. Vertical radiators are ‘tall and narrow’ and horizontal radiators are ‘shorter and wider’, in a nutshell! Single, double and triple refers to the number of ‘tubes’ that make up the radiator. This Athens White Double Column radiator has two columns, one behind the other, you can see close-up views by scrolling across all these images.
8 – Raw Metal Triple Column Radiator
Lastly, here’s a close-up look at a triple column. This is our Athens Raw Traditional Radiator, with a wonderful iridescent, raw metal finish. This finish is just right for a down-to-earth industrial kind of look, and also works very well indeed with bold shades such as olive green, steel grey, navy blue and darker neutrals. The more columns, the higher the heat output for the width/height, so this three-column model measures 600mm h x 1010mm w and has a heat output of 6096 BTU. See the details of the three-column design by scrolling across these images.
There you have our insight into how to use a BTU Calculator, Be sure to tag us in pictures of your final design over on Instagram, @Bathroommountainuk, we love seeing our products in your home!
