Existing homes & radiators
Warming a home that’s already built: radiators on a heat pump or a gas boiler, retrofits, older and character homes.
Which type of radiator is best for my home?
For most homes, a plain steel panel: the cheapest and as warm as any. When cast iron or columns make sense, and what matters more.
Can I paint my radiators?
Yes, in any ordinary colour. The one paint to avoid is metallic, and the parts to leave alone are the valves.
How much do radiators cost to install in a Perth home?
From around $3,500 a panel on a gas boiler or $7,500 on a heat pump, fully installed. What moves the price, and what it costs to run.
Radiators or floor heating: which suits my home?
Same warm water, delivered two ways. Floor heating when you're building, radiators when you're living in it, both when you're renovating.
Radiators or split systems: which is better for heating an older home?
A split system is the cheap way to warm one room. Why older homes with high ceilings lose blown warm air, and when radiators are worth it.
Can I add radiator central heating to an older Perth home?
Yes, with nothing dug up and about a day per radiator. Where the pipes go, and the cheap fix to do before any heating.
Can I put floor heating under the raised timber floors of an older Perth home?
The space under a raised floor is built to be draughty, and heat goes where it's coldest. The honest options, and why radiators usually win.
What size radiator do I need for each room?
Not from the floor area. What decides each panel's size, and why a radiator sized off a chart leaves the back bedroom cold in July.
What rules apply to installing radiators in WA?
Gas, electrics and the water supply need licensed trades and certificates. What the rules cover, and the part they leave to the designer.
Can I heat a renovation or extension with hydronic heating?
Floor heating in the new part, radiators in the old, one heat pump for both. What to decide before the extension's slab is poured.
Can radiators run on a heat pump?
Yes, and most of ours do. A heat pump makes warm water rather than hot, so each radiator has to be sized for it.
Radiators vs panel heaters and convectors: what’s the difference?
One is central heating fed by warm water, the others plug in. What each costs to run, and the room where electric is the right answer.