Controlling your heating
There are many ways of controlling your heating. Having an energy efficient boiler and insulating your pipes can help reduce the cost of your heating bills.
TRV (thermostatic radiator valve)
Most radiators these days come with a pre installed thermostatic radiator valve. The valve allows you to control the temperature of individual rooms. The thermostatic radiator valve typically has a range of temperatures that goes up to 25 degrees Celsius.
For proper operation of the TRV, it’s important to ensure that it’s not obstructed by curtains or furniture, to allow it to read the room temperature accurately, and ensure it shuts the radiator down if the room has reached the preset temperature to conserve energy and cost.
Motorised Valves
Motorised valves are used to divert the flow of water from the boiler to either a hot water cylinder or central heating or zones of central heating in a large house or new build.
Room Thermostat
A room thermostat simply switches the heating system on and off as necessary. It works by sensing the air temperature, switching on the heating when the air temperature falls below the thermostat setting, and switching it off once this set temperature has been reached.
Smart Thermostat
Smart thermostats allow you to remotely control the heating in your home, wherever you may be in the world. So if you forget to switch your heating off before leaving home, you can do so on your mobile or tablet. Some smart thermostats can even learn your daily routines, so can switch on the heating automatically ready for when you arrive home from work. They can also adjust themselves according to the weather!
We can help you choose the best smart thermostat for your needs, install in your home and help set it up.
Programmer
A programmer can program your heating and hot water to switch on and off at independently varying times of the day, and also set the temperature at which you want your rooms heated.
Cylinder Thermostat
A cylinder thermostat keeps a constant check on the temperature of the water in the hot water cylinder. The cylinder thermostat will switch the boiler on and off, in order to maintain the required water temperature.
Summary
Whatever the age of your boiler, the right controls will let you set your heating and hot water to come on and off when you need them, heat just the areas of your home you want, and decide how warm you want each area to be. Here are the average savings you could make in a typical three-bedroom semi-detached home, heated by gas:
• Install a room thermostat if you didn’t have one before: £70 and 280kg carbon dioxide a year.
• Fit a hot water tank thermostat: £30 and 130kg carbon dioxide a year.
• Fit a hot water tank insulation jacket: £45 and 170kg carbon dioxide a year.
You can also make savings by using your controls more effectively:
• Turn down your room thermostat by one degree: save around £65 and 260kg carbon dioxide a year.
You can upgrade or install heating controls without replacing your boiler, and it’s a particularly good idea to think about this if your controls are over 12 years old. Room thermostats, for example, are much more accurate than they used to be.
