Wooden Low-H20 Radiator by Jaga
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02. 6.07
Jaga, the international radiator factory from Belgium, have developed a low-H2O range called Energy Savers. ‘A new standard for sustainable heating’ is what they offer you by having reduced the energy consumption up to 12% compared to traditional radiators, and the water volume to 1 tenth. That is an average of 2 litres instead of 20 per radiator. The principle is simple: the lesser water there is, the faster it heats up with lesser energy. A heat exchanger made of aluminium and copper instead of thick steel plates that take a while to heat up, allows for instant heat transfer. This and the reduced water volume allow the radiators to react faster in order to heat or stop heating. According to Jaga, ‘a home with Low-H2O radiators annually emits as much as 1000 kg less CO2’, and hence contributes to achieving the Kyoto standard as well as to keeping your energy and water bills low.
The Low-H20 heat exchanger comes standard for all Energy Savers. These pure copper and aluminium radiator bodies are totally non-corrosive and come with a 30 year guarantee. Plus they can be used in combination with high efficient or condensation boilers.
When it comes to choosing the design of the Energy Savers, many different casing options are available. The Knockonwood option certainly seems the most eco-friendly version as well as a very beautiful one. This removable wood casing comes with a 10 year guarantee, is scratch-resistant and safe to touch. Investigating a little deeper, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the wood used is FSC certified and that Life Cycle Analysis are being carried out to improve all their products. Longevity and weight reduction are already steps into the right direction apart from their more obvious goal of saving energy.
All in all not a bad option if you choose to heat your home with radiators, and certainly a very attractive one. Different wall models and sizes are available from their factories in Europe. At B&Q in the UK, the prices start at £199 for a Natural Beech radiator (600 x 300mm). Thanks Sergio for the tip! ::Jaga
More information from TreeHugger’s guide for How to Go Green: Heating.
Seems you've got either a typo or a misinterpretation of the information:
reduce "water volume by 1 tenth. That is an average of 2 litres instead of 20 per radiator"
Either they reduced the water volume by 90% to, rather than by 1 tenth, or they reduced the average to 18 litres.
writer's note:
Thanks James, it should be 'reduced (...) the water volume to 1 tenth'. The radiators contain only 1 tenth of the volume of traditional ones.
I'm pretty sure aluminum and copper will corrode fast without some sort of treatment in the water. And while the wood looks nice, it seems it would kill the radiating quality.
Don´t fall for the heath hypes..
Regularly the producer of heaters claim this and that regarding energy efficiency.
Its mostly hypes. The laws of physics rules.. The amount of energy needed to heath a living room is the same, it doesn't matter how fast or how quick its done. The summary will be the same.
The only qualities that may be embedded are design that prevents a heather from heating the back wall with loss. To distribute the heath in the room in such a way that the feeling of comforts is better, and to level out the temperature over time, preventing unnecessary turning up the heath. etc.
quick and very hot heating may turn air dry and burn dust, Slower heating with some mass involved and lower temps is considered the best in inside environment.
Of course any loss of heath in water distributed systems in the walls from the pipes are issues to discuss as well.
Some heath tech is different, a lot of Infrared radiation has the effect of heating objects instead of air. In outside use this is the best (but we frankly should not waste energy outside...)
Well, as I understand it, warm water underfloor heating is better than the common upright radiator. It can be more economical to run and apparently produces a more comfortable and even distribution of heat. At least that's what the manufacturer's of underfloor heating systems claim.
I know that copper pipes have been used in heating systems successfully for years, and Jaga's heat emitters are fully guaranteed for 30 years against corrosion, so that shouldn't be a problem.
This type of heat emitter works on natural convection not radiation, so the timber casing acts as a chimney and doesn't impede output.
The energy efficiency claims are backed up by independent testing at The Building Research Establishment in the UK, and are delivered through the low mass of the heat emitter, which means that you don't waste energy you want in the air by pouring it into a higher mass radiator, or even higher mass floor, but just get out the heat you need when you want it.