Energy efficiency at home
Energy efficiency at home
Visit the below websites for the latest news and information on how you can save energy and reduce costs in your home.
Central heating controls
Whatever central heating controls you have, they need to be able to do three basic things:
- Keep your home at a temperature you have chosen – you need a thermostat for this
- Turn the heating on and off when you want – a programmer or timer does this
- Depending on type, provide hot water at the temperature you want, when you want it.
Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)
What is a thermostatic radiator valve?
A thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) is shown in the images below. You will find it on the pipe work at the top or bottom of your radiator.
It gives you greater control over the heat from each individual radiator. Each TRV can be set to a temperature to suit you, so you can have different temperatures in different rooms.
How should I set my thermostatic radiator valves?
It's best to set your TRV to a middle setting and see if the room is warm enough. If the room is too warm, turn the TRV down by half a mark, if the room is too cold, turn the TRV up by a half a point . A middle setting corresponds to approximately 20ºC (68F).
Basically this would look like TRV set at 3, to cold turn up to 3 ½ to warm turn down to 2 ½
Do NOT turn the TRV fully ON or fully OFF to make the room you are in warmer or cooler - this will waste fuel. Turn it a little way and let it do the work.
Why does one radiator in my home not have a TRV?
There may be one (or more) radiators in your home, usually the bathroom, which does not have a TRV. This does not mean that one is missing. There sometimes needs to be one radiator always open to allow water to flow into it if all the others are turned off, to avoid damage to the pump or boiler. It is not necessary to have a TRV in the room with the main room thermostat.
Room thermostat
What is a room thermostat?
A room thermostat looks something like the image shown below. Room thermostats can usually be found in the living room, hallway or dining room.
It controls the temperature of your whole home based on the temperature of the air circulating around the home.
How does a room thermostat work?
When the air around it is warm enough, the thermostat sends a signal to the central heating pump and boiler to stop firing and circulating water around your pipes to your radiators. Your radiators will then cool down.
When the air around your room thermostat cools the thermostat sends another signal to the central heating pump and boiler to start heating up water again to pump around your pipes to your radiators. Your radiators will then warm up again.
Throughout the day your radiators will feel cooler and warmer to keep the temperature constant.
What temperature should I set my room thermostat to?
It depends on you and your situation. The industry recommendation is that If you're a pensioner or infirm then your room thermostat should be set at 21º-23ºC (70º-73ºF), otherwise 18º-21ºC (66º-70ºF) is fine for healthy adults. Try it and see!
If I turn my room thermostat up will my home heat up faster?
No. It is not like a volume control. Turning it up will simply mean that it will warm up to a higher temperature. It will not warm up faster.