Without feet support, the Ecostrad iQ Wifi ceramic radiator has to be wall-mounted, which is a straightforward DIY job. The wall brackets provide a couple of inches of separation between the wall and the radiator.
Wall mounted heaters are notorious for ghosting marks, which are black marks that develop on the wall above the heater. This is caused by dirt (i.e dust particles) in the air and a damp/cold wall when heated air from the heater travels up, alongside the wall. The built-up of these soot marks is slow and depends largely on the humidity inside the room and the construction of the wall. Because the Ecostrad iQ is a ceramic radiator and not a heater the risk of black marking is much reduced because the heat is better distributed around the unit rather than having one very hot spot and the empty shell that convector heaters have to direct air (and burnt dust) upwards through the grill.
The lowest temperature you can manually set the Ecostrad iQ radiator is 7 degrees Celsius and the highest is 30 degrees Celsius. The screen display is backlit so, it can easily be viewed at night or in a dark room. From the display panel, you will also be able to enable key functions such as Wifi functionality. When enabled, you will see a Wifi icon flashing on the top right corner of the screen. The Wifi icon is not to be confused with the sensor mode icon, which looks similar.
The Ecostrad iQ sensor mode consists of a 5.8GHz motion sensor (doppler radar type), which can detect motion within a 6 meter range in direct path. This type of sensor works similar to a 5.8GHz microwave radar sensor but doesn't register all around movement and cannot detect motion through doors or glass windows. The change in heating is triggered when the motion sensor is not triggered for a set amount of time, and this change is not an instant drop – instead the temperature steadily drops before switching down through the modes to finally rest in anti-freeze mode. When the sensor is triggered, the radiator quickly ascends through these modes to be back to full comfort heating capacity within minutes.
If you do need to power off the unit completely, there is a mechanical power switch located on the back of the unit. The power switch is made of plastic but it's enclosed by heat-resistant rubber. Not far from the power off switch, you will also find the 1.5 meter long power cord (H05RN-F rubber flexible cable), which has been routed from the bottom corner of the radiator.
There are a total of 10 functions built-in to the Ecostrad iQ Wifi radiator all of which are displayed on the touchscreen via their respective icon. These include 3 working modes (Comfort, Eco and Anti-freeze), Timer function, Sensor mode, Pilot wire mode (not supported by this model), Heating on, Wifi mode, Open Window mode and Keypad lock, which locks the touch display.
The touch control functionality works well and, while it doesn't feel as responsive as pressing a mechanical switch or turning a dial, you can swipe on the screen, which makes switching back and forth between modes easier. Also, the touch display does turn off after a few seconds, which saves energy and makes the radiator unlit. To wake the display, you simply hold down on the touchscreen for a few seconds.
Being a class 2 electrical appliance, the Ecostrad iQ Wifi radiator is double insulated with at least two layers of insulation protection, which does not require an earth connection like class 1 electrical appliances.
out with the old, in with the new
Employers who use electronic appliances in an office know that they have to carry out PAT testing on all electrical equipment, including portable heaters; hence why most office electrical equipment tends to be class 2 rated. This is because it is cheaper to carry out a class 2 PAT check than a class 1, which also requires checking the external wiring in the building. Class 2 appliances are also a lot safer than class 1 appliances, which is super preferred in the workplace.
As far power consumption, Ecostrad has a handy tool on their website that calculates a rough estimate of the minimum wattage needed to heat a room, according to its size (square footage). The Ecostrad iQ radiator comes in 5 wattage versions: 1000W, 1500W, 1800W, 2000W and the 500W model pictured on this review, which measures 43cm tall, 57cm wide and 8cm thick.
Regardless of the working mode (i.e. eco, comfort), the Ecostrad iQ radiator always draws the full wattage; hence you cannot manually decrease wattage. In economy (eco) mode, the temperature is set between 7 degrees and 18 degrees. Comfort mode temperature is between 19 degrees and 30 degrees.
The Ecostrad iQ ceramic core retains very well the heat generated. When running the Ecostrad iQ radiator at 30 degrees, the surface temperature of the radiator's front panels is 73 degrees. After the radiator is turned off for 30 minutes, the surface temperature drops to approx. 53 degrees, which is still enough radiant heat to keep you warm. The key to ceramic radiators is that they don't use a regular heating coil element. Instead, they use a heating wire embedded inside a ceramic dry stone element. If you have small children, it's worth knowing that the front panels of the Ecostrad iQ do get hot to the touch similarly to an oil-filled heater or gas central heating radiator. See user manual.
Like most heaters, the Ecostrad iQ does make the air drier, which may not be suitable for nursery/ baby rooms or anyone with sensitive eyes. The benefits of ceramic heaters is that it reduces issues with damp in the walls and ceilings in a room.The Ecostrad iQ produces a lot of radiant heat, which feels instantly warm if you sit near it.Total weight of the radiator is 10kg.
A heater with a fan does spread the heat around much better but does generate noise. Oil filled radiators are also able to deliver heat after being turned off. That said, oil-filled radiators are slower to heat up than ceramic radiators, which can also produce heat for longer when cooling down. You can buy the Ecostrad iQ radiator from Electric Radiators Direct
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