
Dimplex Heatbook
The Dimplex range of panel
convector heaters maximises
operational ability by:
• Having low thermal inertia,
thus heating up rapidly in response
to immediate heating needs
• Having a gas filled or electronic
thermostat, avoiding room
temperature ‘drift’
• Having a range of controls which
allows the user to time their heating
requirements in line with their
occupancy patterns
The Dimplex range achieves this
by using convection to heat a space
up quickly, meaning that the room is
warm for the period of time selected.
The room can then be accurately
held at the temperature required
for the duration of occupancy,
creating a comfortable environment.
Importantly, when the heater is
switched off it reacts equally quickly.
How does a panel heater work?
Panel heaters are ‘direct acting’ products
(please see pages 10 and 11 for an
explanation of the different types of heat
and their properties).
These heaters are slimline wall mounted
and provide rapid heat whenever it is
required by the user.
While the way in which panel heaters
deliver their heat differs, the cost at
the point of use does not.
There have been many spurious claims of
‘efficiency’ in the electric heating market.
Here are the facts.
What is the efficiency difference between
different types of direct acting heaters?
Efficiency is a widely misunderstood
term when it comes to electric heating.
The fact is that electric energy is
converted to heat with 100% efficiency
at the point of use. Therefore the actual
efficiency of an electric resistance
heater – any electric resistance heater –
is 100%. If your heater uses 1kWh
of electricity, 1kW of heat will be
transferred into the room for one hour.
This is dictated by one of the principal
laws of physics, The Law of Conservation
of Energy – “Energy cannot be created
or destroyed, but can only change from
one form to another.”
However while it is true that all electric
resistance heaters are 100% efficient,
they don’t all operate in the same way.
For example an oil (or thermodynamic
fluid) filled radiator has different
performance characteristics to a panel
convector heater.
The fluid in the radiator will transfer
the heat uniformly around the radiator
giving a higher proportion of radiant
as opposed to convected heat in
comparison to a convector heater.
This is particularly useful for certain
applications (see our oil filled range on
page 65 of this brochure), however the
very small thermal storage capacity of
a fluid filled radiator also results in slow
release heat to the room during start up
(see graph 1) and a slightly prolonged
release of heat to the room after
switching off. By comparison a radiator
or panel convector heater with no fluid
would release heat to the room more
quickly during start up (see graph 2)
and stop releasing heat more quickly
at ‘switch off’.
PANEL HEATERS
Introduction to panel heaters
Tested in a climatic chamber with a cooling load of 518W.
All electric
heating systems
are not the same
Time taken to raise room temperature from 9.2ºC to 21ºC
ROOM TEMPERATURE ºC
TIME
Graph 1 – fluid filled radiator
21ºC
9.2ºC
1 hr 34 mins
ROOM TEMPERATURE ºC
TIME
21ºC
9.2ºC
1 hr 12 mins
5
10
15
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
20
5
10
15
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
20
Graph 2 – Designer convector radiator
Graph 1 1.5kW Aluminium/steel fluid filled radiator
ROOM TEMPERATURE ºC
TIME
Graph 1 – fluid filled radiator
21ºC
9.2ºC
1 hr 34 mins
ROOM TEMPERATURE ºC
TIME
21ºC
9.2ºC
1 hr 12 mins
5
10
15
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
20
5
10
15
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
20
Graph 2 – Designer convector radiator
Graph 2 1.5kW Steel panel convector
18
Introduction to panel heaters
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