PHPD talks to DiscreteHeat about ThermaSkirt, its radiant heating system that looks just like a traditional skirting board
Housebuilders are constantly looking for innovative products that will help them meet the latest sustainability requirements of the Building Regulations while meeting the energy efficiency and running cost reductions demanded by homebuyers – all while ensuring the homes they offer look fantastic and the technology they have is effective and simple to use.
ThermaSkirt, made in the UK by DiscreteHeat, is an energy efficient infrared radiant heating system, cleverly designed to look like a traditional skirting board. Easy to clean and extremely strong, it is made of aluminium, so once hot water enters the system, it works immediately, transferring the heat to the room like one large 360° radiator. It can work with any heating system, whether that’s a gas boiler, heat pump or electric heating, and can be controlled just like conventional radiators, using thermostats and timers or smart controls.
One of the many benefits of ThermaSkirt is its flexibility. It can be installed throughout the home, or alternatively, if underfloor heating is being installed on the ground floor during construction, ThermaSkirt can be fitted in the upper floors instead of, or in addition to, radiators. This is especially useful as part of a heat pump heating system, as ThermaSkirt replaces the need for oversized, low temperature radiators.
Laura Hughes-Jones, Sales and Marketing Coordinator at Lancashirebased Kingswood Homes, explains how the company is offering ThermaSkirt as an option in all its new homes. “ThermaSkirt is an optional upgrade in all our house types, which range from three to six bedrooms. There’s a choice of adding it to the whole home or by floor.
“The feedback we’ve received is that customers love the way it makes each room look clean and uncluttered. It allows them to use wall space more practically and be even more flexible with where their furniture can be placed without blocking any heat. There are different heights, styles and colours of skirting to choose from, to suit their preferred style which is another bonus.
“At the moment, Kingswood Homes come with a gas fired combi or system boiler, but ThermaSkirt can work with any heating system and is much more energy efficient than regular radiators. It also spreads the heat across the room, rather than it all coming from a single concentrated source, like a radiator.
“How easy was it to install? Very! It can be completed in a day. We have even retrofitted it in our Ribchester 5 show home at Green Hills Homestead, near Blackburn. And we’ve had a number of future customers enquiring about the product and showing interest for when they reserve their homes in the coming weeks and months,” concludes Laura.
Kingswood Homes is different from most housebuilders because it offers flexible floor plans, putting customers in charge of their internal layout. The ‘Shape your home’ concept means they can choose to have fully open plan living downstairs or they may prefer a separate lounge and dining room, or a home office or playroom. And they can choose to add or remove bedrooms and add additional en-suites.
ThermaSkirt is the perfect solution for this flexible approach to providing the space the homeowner requires. It is also a good fit with the other high-quality technologies that Kingswood Homes offers, so their customers can personalise their homes even further. These include smart heating controls, video doorbells, EV chargers and integrated appliances.
Ethan Wadsworth, Sales and Marketing Director at DiscreteHeat, says: “ThermaSkirt is available pre-cut and fits together easily. Because it combines fitting and painting the skirting with installing the heating, the installation time and costs are reduced. We are happy to work with builders, developers and contractors and will provide on-site training and technical support as required.
“ThermaSkirt carries ISO 9001 and is CE marked. We are proud to design and make ThermaSkirt in the UK to EN standards from up to 98% recycled aluminium, so as well as saving homeowners money on their energy bills, we’re doing our bit for the environment, too.”
