The fourth power, and the zero it will not forgive
Every surface above absolute zero radiates. The rate is — P equals epsilon sigma A T to the fourth. (epsilon) is the emissivity, a bare number from 0 to 1: 1 is a perfect black body, oxidised steel and most paints run 0.8–0.95, and polished aluminium foil drops near 0.05, which is exactly why it is wrapped around hot pipes. (sigma) is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant, — a constant of nature, not something you look up per material. is the radiating area and is the absolute surface temperature in kelvin.
Absolute, always. A fourth power has no idea where you chose to put your zero: double the kelvin and you get sixteen times the radiation, but double the Celsius reading and you get nonsense. Convert first — — and convert BEFORE the power, never after.
A surface in a room is also being radiated at. The net traffic is , where subscript 1 is the surface you are standing at and subscript 2 is the surroundings looking back. Note what that is NOT: is not , and the two are worlds apart.
For modest temperature differences the radiant term can be linearised into a coefficient and simply added to the convective one: , with the combined coefficient, the convective one, the surface and the surroundings, both absolute. On a warm lagged pipe in still air the radiant half is often the LARGER of the two — the reason a survey done by convection alone always reads low.