It depends on the type of heated towel rail you choose. An electric-only towel rail's primary function is to dry and warm towels. Whilst they do provide some heat, their BTU output doesn’t match that of a conventional radiator. A central heating towel radiator will dry towels and provide some heat to the room providing that the BTU output of the rail meets the rooms BTU requirement. For some bathrooms, a heated towel radiator alone won't be enough to heat the whole room. In these cases, we recommend using a heated towel radiator in conjunction with a standard radiator.