heated towel rails

Heated towel rails: An affordable luxury you need

Close up of Gordon heated towel rail non-slip coat

Let’s start this post by discussing the elephant in the room, which in this case is the title of this post.

Undoubtedly there are some people who will point out that we actually don’t need heated towel rails in our lives. And, in fact, to survive we really only need air, water, food and shelter. Others will be a little more liberal and add in things like health, education, family and friends. Many would also argue that alcohol should be added to this list but that’s a topic for another blog.

So, yes, we admit that the title of the blog probably should be 'heated towel rails: an affordable luxury you want', but it just hasn’t quite got the same ring around about it. Let’s just agree to move on and tackle this post by looking at the two aspects of the title: heated towel rails are luxurious and they’re also affordable.

Heated towel rails are affordable

When we say that heated towel rails are affordable, there are two aspects to this. Firstly, the purchase and installation cost are expenses that most homeowners can afford and, secondly, the running costs are very reasonable.

Purchase and installation costs will depend on a range of factors. When it comes to the purchase cost, you can buy one from as little as $100, not a lot more than a standard towel rail. But, of course, you do get what you pay for, and most homeowners will want to spend more than this to get a better unit. You can easily spend well over $1000, but most people will purchase a unit that falls somewhere in between the two extremes.

Installation can be nothing for towel rails that plug into the nearest power point and you’re reasonably adept at DIY. However, most people will want their heated towel rail to be hardwired as it looks so much better. This will require an electrician and you’re likely to be looking at between $100 and $200.

Running costs are also affordable. In fact, it may surprise you how little it will cost to run your heated towel rail. Again, costs will vary. The two main factors are the wattage of your unit and the price you pay for your electricity.

As a guide, it will cost around $1.70 a day to run a 200-watt heated towel rail. But that’s to run it all day, which you don’t need to do. With a timer installed, which is available for any good, heated towel rail, you’ll likely spend less than 30 cents a day. Pretty good when you consider a latte a day sets you back over $4. And that only warms you on the inside!

Gordon heated towel rail in black

Heated towel rails are luxurious

Okay, we could probably spare a few paragraphs in this section because few would argue that heated towel rails aren’t luxurious. You certainly wouldn’t argue if you’ve ever been faced with drying yourself with a wet towel on a cold winter’s morning!

It is worth pointing out, however, that few things in life are as luxurious as wrapping yourself in a dry, warm towel after stepping out of the shower on a cold day. While the prime role of heated towel rails is to dry towels, rather than warm them, a warm towel is a luxury you need… Oops, there we go again. Sorry!

In addition, of course, heated towel rails aren’t just luxurious. They have health advantages, because they can help prevent and reduce mould and other bacteria, can in some cases help keep your bathroom warmer, and are pretty impressive looking as well. If you’re using your clothes dryer to dry your towels in-between showers, they’ll also help you save money.

Gordon in blue bathroom scene

Gordon is an affordable luxury you will want!

Talking about impressive looks, take the time to look at the Gordon heated towel rail. It doesn’t look the same as most other units and it doesn’t operate in the same way either. It’s better.

The Gordon is what is called a vertical heated towel rail and instead of hanging your towels over the rails you drape them over the vertical fins. There are advantages to this. Firstly, it means that Gordon can dry four large towels at once, where most horizontal rails can dry only one or two smaller towels.

The other big advantage is that with much more surface area, your towels will dry more quickly. It can also reach the optimum temperature required to dry towels three times quicker than most units. This makes Gordon super-efficient.

Perhaps we can say that you do need a Gordon.

Reading next

Three colours of the Gordon heated towel rail range
Gordon electric towel warmer