Controls
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Effective heating controls can increase the efficiency of a central heating system. They can also help you minimise energy consumption by ensuring each room is at the right temperature for comfort, while avoiding overheating.
Timer or programmer
An electronic timer or programmer decides when the boiler is able to run. A 7-day timer makes it possible to set a different heating pattern for weekdays and weekends.
Some timers allow different patterns for each day of the week; this can be useful for people working part-time or on shifts.
Intelligent heating controllers
These combine several of the basic controls and can also learn how long it takes for a house to heat up in different weather conditions. They also often allow for different temperatures to be set between day and night.
Weather compensators
These measure the temperature, either internally or externally, and delay switching on the central heating on milder days.
Full zone control
Most homes have a single heating zone – the only controls in the rooms are by TRVs (see below).
When a new central heating system is installed, it's possible to fit a full zone control that has different pipe loops and separate thermostats for 2 (or more) areas. This can save significant amounts of fuel in larger houses.
THERMOSTATS
Room thermostat
This is best located in a living room or bathroom, which you'll probably want to be the warmest room in the house. The thermostat records the room's temperature, and if this is at or above the set level (20°C is usually adequate), stops the boiler from operating the central heating.
A programmable room thermostat lets you choose what times you want the heating to be on, and what temperature it should reach while it's on. Some allow you to select different temperatures in your home at different times of the day and days of the week.
Thermostatic Radiator valves (TRVs)
These detect the local air temperature and switch individual radiators on or off, depending on how hot the room is. It's not a good idea to have a TRV on the radiator in the same room as the main thermostat as, if you alter the TRV, the thermostat will adjust itself to be in line with this local radiator.
They usually have a fat valve at one end, marked with a * and numbers from 1 to 5. The * setting is to protect against frost.
Cylinder thermostat
This thermostat is strapped to the outside of a hot water cylinder near the bottom. It works by sensing the temperature of the water inside the cylinder, switching on the water heating when the temperature falls below the thermostat setting.
