Is there still a place in this fast-changing world for gas-fired radiant plaque heaters? our radiant expert Steve Latimer explains.

I can remember one of my original radiant plaque projects dating back to 1988 where I was involved in designing the replacement and decentralisation of an old coal fired steam boiler heating system with gas fired radiant plaque heaters, over two hundred plaque type heaters were installed.

The project was awarded the prestigious North West Gas GEM award for energy saving. Following this I went on to be involved with many decentralisations all based on energy savings with paybacks mostly within three years.

Today I am still seeing the old building stock using radiant plaque heaters in localised and full space heating projects, one big psychological reason for their continued popularity is workers can see the cheery red glow on the face of the plaque heater, as well as feeling the warmth on cold mornings from its strong infra red radiant output.

Radiant plaques are classed as un-flued appliances and as such care needs to be taken to make sure adequate ventilation is available to dissipate the spent flue product. This is why older building stock with its poorer build quality and higher natural air change rates are prime contenders for such product.

At Powrmatic we see every year both new projects and the replacement of old unserviceable plaques. We can supply ex stock in many sizes, engineers need quick delivery where possible to ”keep the nation warm”.

So yes, a place in the H&V market still exists for gas fired radiant plaque heaters.

We at Powrmatic will be there to help you survey and recommend the correct heating solution for every application working in partnership with leading radiant specialists SRP.

Steve Latimer
Radiant Consultant