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Recommended Minimum Standards

The recommended minimum standard for controls is that they should perform the following functions:

Automatically turn off heating when not required

This is usually referred to as ‘time control’ and generally requires a programmer to switch your heating off when you’re not at home, or when you can do without it, such as when you’re in bed.
 

Automatically prevent the building getting warmer than it needs to be

 
This is usually referred to as ‘temperature control’ and generally requires a room thermostat. This should allow you to set a comfortable temperature for your home and it will then automatically turn the heating off when that temperature is achieved. The heating will therefore only come on to maintain the comfort temperature that you require. A programmable room thermostat will combine time and temperature control and allows you to set different temperatures for different times of the day.

 

Avoid overheating parts of the house that are unoccupied or need lower temperatures

 
This is referred to as zone control. Separate zones are usually set to provide lower temperatures in bedrooms but can also be used to take advantage of ‘passive solar gains’ in rooms with lots of glazing, or to flexibly accommodate specific usage patterns such as a home office or granny flat. Zones are often provided through the application of thermostatic radiator valves, but can also be done with separate heating circuits each with their own programmer and room thermostat (or programmable room thermostat.)
 

Prevent stored hot water being hotter than it needs to be

 
If your hot water comes from a storage cylinder then you should have cylinder thermostat. This allows you to set a maximum temperature for the stored hot water and will then automatically stop the water being heated once this temperature is reached.

 

More information on the types of controls to deliver these functions can be found on the previous page. But there are two further elements of the controls system that you need to be aware of:

Boiler interlock – This is not a control but a term for the system of wiring that turns the boiler off when neither the room thermostat nor the cylinder thermostat is calling for heating. Without this the boiler can continue to ‘cycle’ (i.e. to use energy) even though none of this energy provides any benefit to you. So a boiler interlock is an important way of making sure that your system is energy efficient.
 
Boiler thermostat – Your boiler will usually have a dial type control on it, marked something like ‘Min’ to ‘Max.’ This sets the temperature of the water from the boiler which will then go through the radiators to heat your home. The higher this is set, the quicker and more effectively the system will heat your home. In fact, if this is not set high enough when the outside temperature is very cold then your home may never reach your desired temperature. As long as you have a room thermostat and a boiler interlock then it is reasonable to set the boiler thermostat on a high level, letting the room controls do their job. (Note: If there are vulnerable people in the household you may wish to avoid situations where they could come into contact with very hot radiators or pipework – it is best to seek expert advice on this.)