FOCUS ON
RADIATORS
“SpeedComfort distributes heat away
from the radiator and spreads it around
the room and into the living zone”
Turbocharge your radiators
The new SpeedComfort radiator fan is setting out to boost those hard to heat rooms in UK
homes, so HPM put it to the test.
A new radiator fan has hit UK
soil – claiming to improve
energy-efficiencies in the
home by up to 22%.
Dutch heating specialists
SpeedComfort has launched the
new fan through its online portal, as
a quick fix for homeowners looking
for an extra boost in hard-to-heat
areas of the home.
In some instances, it would prove
a useful add-on to existing central
heating systems not quite doing
their full job.
The device is made up of small
silent fans that attach to the base
of a radiator, designed to speed up
convection. This was claimed to
improve radiator heating power by
20%, increase space warm-up speed
by 50% and reduce overall energy
bill consumption by 22%
The overall average savings of
SpeedComfort’s customer base is
11.2%.
COOLER RETURN FLOW
These overall efficiencies are,
the company explained owing to
increased power plus by extracting
more heat from the water, the
return flow to the boiler is cooler.
For the radiators in question,
instead of heat being wasted as
it rises up towards the ceiling,
SpeedComfort distributes heat
away from the radiator and spreads
it around the room and into the
‘living zone’. In doing so, tests
showed this improved output by
1.2°C
More evenly heated rooms also
mean users can turn down their
room thermostats and still maintain
a comfortable temperature because
the heat should be in all the right
places. By lowering a thermostat by
1°C, a user can save between 6% to
7% on gas consumption.
One SpeedComfort radiator fan
has a power rating of 0.6Watts and
will cost less than £0.15p per heating
season to run. It uses 0.9kWh of
electricity per year, which equates
to less than £0.15p in real money,
SpeedComforts calculations showed.
Once installed, a smart
thermosensor switches on when
the radiator surface temperature
reaches 28°C (82°F) and switches off
again at 25°C (77°F)
“SpeedComfort is a simple
plug and play device that can be
quickly and easily installed under
the radiator, without the need for
special expertise or professional
installation tools. Within a few
seconds, SpeedComfort is clicked
into place under a radiator using
integrated magnets,” a company
statement added.
When the fitted radiator reaches
28°C, SpeedComfort’s thermosensor
will activate the integrated axial
fans in the device, which increases
the convection current around the
radiator at a rate of 89.7 cubic m/
hr (52.8 CFM), and the improved
air-movement will draw more energy
from the radiator.
WWW.SPEEDCOMFORT.CO.UK
TRIED AND TESTED
HPM road-tested the new SpeedComfort kit
at home, in a variety of in-room settings.
At first, the fan device was fitted in a
child’s bedroom. Thanks to the extra
attachments provided, and ample
magnetism, it was simple enough to slot into
the base of a narrow radiator.
The smart thermosensor, which is also
magnetic, kicks the fan into action when the
surface temperature reaches 28oC and
switches it off again at 25oC. Quite handy in
optimising heat and keeping to radiator
surface temperature at safe levels.
There is hardly any noise when the fan is
action – and certainly not enough to worry
about the kids waking up.
The only downside of this setup, however,
was the natural curiosity of young children
when it comes to new devices. And because
the SpeedComfort is plugged into the wall,
the temptation to explore was just too much
for my son.
Instead, we tried plugging the fan in the
lounge downstairs. During the evenings in
light whirling was no competition for the
sound of the television and it added a
noticeable amount of all-round heat to a
cooler part of the house.
Without a year-on-year comparison it was
difficult to gauge just how much the product
might bring down overall heating bills. But
this stands to help with efficiencies too.
Overall, starting at £49.99 the product is a
good solution for homes with cold pockets
and couldn’t be easier to click into place.
Just make sure there is a plug socket close
to hand and easy to hide.
Joe Ayling, HPM editor
www.hpmmag.com | MARCH 2020 | Heating & Plumbing Monthly 45
/WWW.SPEEDCOMFORT.CO.UK
/www.hpmmag.com
