With fuel bills soaring and predicted to stay high for years to come, householders are urged to pay more attention to their heating controls. Experts from the heating industry have produced simple guidance showing how these simple tools can be used to make homes more energy efficient, and how modern technology can make sure that heating systems deliver the same level of comfort while using less fuel.
Recent research also shows that fully upgrading a home’s heating controls could save an average of £1,800 over the installed lifetime of those controls. If the worst predictions of fuel rises are correct, taking into account the current situation in Ukraine, this saving could be end up being over £5,000.
The role of heating controls as a powerful energy saving measure is often overlooked. Yet, with a gas boiler being the single biggest energy using appliance in the home, it is vital to make sure that this runs as efficiently as possible. The details of the guidance are set out below:
Tips for using heating controls:
- Use the programmer to only bring the boiler on when you need it – heating your home when no-one is in is a waste of energy.
- Familiarity with how to use the programmer will mean you can frequently change settings to match your lifestyle.
- The room thermostat should be set at a comfortable temperature and left to automatically adjust the boiler as needed.
- Turning the thermostat up will not warm a house more quickly – it will just lead to higher temperatures than you need.
- Thermostatic controls on radiators (TRVs) should be kept at a low setting in rooms that are not used very often. The boiler will respond by using less energy.
- Try to keep all temperature sensing controls, such as room thermostats and TRVs, free of obstructions such as furniture or curtains.
Options are also suggested on how you might update your heating controls.
- Replacing a standard room thermostat with one that incorporates load or weather compensation has been shown to reduce gas usage by 10-12% without any intervention by the user2.
- Smart controls allow you to adjust time and temperature settings using your mobile phone or sense occupancy and adjust accordingly. Field trials show 6% less gas used in homes with a smart thermostat3.
- If they’re not present, adding TRVs (Thermostatic Radiator Valves) to radiators avoids waste due to barely noticeable levels of overheating. Research shows that this can reduce gas used by 18%4.
Commenting on the new guidance, Colin Timmins, Director of Building Technologies at BEAMA said: “With predictions of annual energy bills hitting an average of £3,000 over the next few years, it is understandable that people will feel some anxiety over how this is going to affect them. With this guidance BEAMA aims to support the public by demonstrating how heating controls can allow them to be proactive in reducing the amount of energy they use without compromising on comfort.”
To download the heating controls infographic please click here.
