18Nov / 2014

Private Colleges and Boarding Schools

There are hundreds of independent and private schools and colleges in the United Kingdom available. This means that, with so many independent school options, you are certain to find the right school for your children or college for your needs. Choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions that children and parents, especially when talking about specialty of boarding schools. In this article we’ll take a look at some of the factors involved and the different private and independent school option that are available in the UK today.

The first thing to understand when looking for private schools and colleges in the UK is the education system. There are slight differences depending on the region when it comes to compulsory education. In England, education is obligatory from ages five to seventeen (which will be raised to eighteen starting in 2015.) In Scotland and Wales, education is compulsory from five to sixteen years old. In Northern Ireland, the compulsory education ages are four to sixteen.

After the compulsory education period, most students in the UK continue studying, up until they are eighteen. After this, students can continue into higher education, offered at different colleges and universities in the UK. Compulsory education (and generally up until age eighteen,) is offered for free by the state in the UK. It is important to note that some state-funded schools are referred to as independent because they are not subject to the local education authorities. However, due to their state funding, these are not really independent or private schools. Is is also important to note that the curriculum in private and independent schools is often greatly expanded. This is because state schools must follow the UK National Curriculum, while independent schools are free to improve their curriculum to adapt it to their students’ needs.

Private schools available in the UK are not supported by the state. Parents usually pay a tuition fee and a fee to cover housing and meals if the private school is a boarding school. The UK has a many well established independent boarding schools with impressive histories and reputation. These attract international students from all around the world. Currently, about 26,000 international students are studying at independent boarding schools in the UK.

There are three different types of private schools for students that are yet not eighteen years old. For the youngest schools (from ages seven up to about twelve) are preparatory or junior schools. Senior or secondary schools are for students that are about twelve years old up to sixteen to eighteen years old. Independent colleges (also known as sixth-form, tutorial, or further education colleges) usually take students that are sixteen and up. After eighteen, students will usually opt for higher education in one of various universities in the UK. Some schools are specifically geared towards a specific sector, such as international study centers or schools specializing in music or the arts. There are also schools geared towards students from a particular country or background.

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21Sep / 2014

Energy Efficient Baseboard Heater

Heaters are very vital gadgets in every home. These versatile equipment are needed to generate heat in our rooms to allow the occupants achieve the needed comfort. There are myriad types of baseboard heaters in the market today. They come in varying designs, proportions and purpose. To know the exact type of heaters that is suitable for your room or house, it is vital to be familiar with some of the most common categories of heaters in order to come up with a wise decision, especially when you will be making purchases.

Electric heaters are grouped into two major categories:

·         Convectional Heaters

·         Radiant Heaters

Convectional heaters are based on the principle that hot air rises (because it is light) and capitalizes on natural convection to disperse heat around your room. On the other hand, radiant heaters heat objects in your room and not the air in the room. In most cases, therefore, convectional heaters are placed near the floor so as to heat floor-level cold air while radiant heaters are place at the ceiling level so as to heat objects in the room such as the floor, tubs, or occupants.

Types of Electric Heaters:

Electric Toe-Kick Heaters

These types of heaters are excellently designed to fit nicely under cabinets in your kitchen or bathroom. They are only 3 ½ inches and can fit in spaces that are below 4 inches. These include stairwell, hearth or your recreational vehicle. Their size and design allow you to use motorized air fan to distribute warm air around the house or room. For optimum performance, you can use them as supplemental heating source and have a remote controlled line voltage thermostat; though most models of today’s Electric Toe-Kick Heaters come with an inbuilt thermostat.

Electric Baseboard Heaters

These are similar in design to hydronic baseboard heaters; the only difference is that they use convectional electric heating coils and are non motorized. Through convection, cool air enters into the bottom slots of the heaters and are warmed or heated by the coils. The warm air then exits from the top slots of these heaters.  Generally, the design of these heaters does not allow for effective motorized cooling. As such, cooling of the heated air is often left to the old Mother Nature. These heaters are best placed beneath window to balance the heat loss through your glass windows. For optimum performance, you can control these heaters by a remote line voltage thermostat.

Electric Cove Heaters

These types of heaters use infrared or direct radiant heat to heat your room. The good thing about these heaters is the fact that they don’t heat or warm the air in your room but rather objects. When installed therefore, the occupants of the room, your tub, and tile works among other objects in the room get warmed by the radiant heat produced by the energy from the panel. Because these types of heaters produce radiant heat, they can be placed anywhere in the room- even on the wall below your ceiling.

Electric Wall Heaters

These are usually convectional style heaters that are recessed on walls, especially between wall studs. While some models use motorized fan, some use silent radiant heat (and have electric coils). Again, most models have internally integrated thermostats. Generally, you can use these heaters for supplemental heating, especially in small rooms such as in your bathroom. Remember, you shouldn’t install these heaters in your exterior walls because they may conflict with your exterior insulations.

By and large, heaters come in a variety of designs, styles and make. Therefore, when you are looking for a heater for your office, warehouse, home or industrial space, you should consider every heater’s effectiveness in meeting your heating and cooling requirements.

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