Upgrading Heating Controls

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Sometimes it may not be necessary to replace the whole heating system. By updating a few controls, you can end up saving a few pounds in these difficult times. These gadgets are vital in keeping your heating costs down, when fuel costs are rising. Whilst the regulation state, all new boiler installations must be high efficiency, the maximum benefit will be gained with the installation of heating controls. These controls will provide some intelligence ensuring when the heating is switched on or off, and at what temperature it will operate. If you currently have a band A high efficient boiler, leaving it running all day will be wasting a huge amount of fuel and money. In such a case it is ideal to invest in a heating control system, giving you the ability to actually control the heating system and the desired temperatures.

With wireless thermostats and timers providing automatic on and off options, they have become even easier to fit and flexible to situate. With timers you have the control to switch your heating on and off at set days, some even have the capability to be controlled via the internet, or mobile phone. So when you’re on the move, and you realise the wife is going home early from work, you can make sure she has a warm home to go to.

A great addition to the room thermostat is a weather compensator. Ideally a sensor is installed on the northern side of the house, which measures the outdoor temperature. This then determines how warm the water in the heating circuit needs to be. This provides comfortable ambient temperature with minimum energy consumption. Without this device when the outside temperature drops, heat lose is increased through walls and windows. The lower temperature is detected by the room thermostat, which signals the boiler to increase the burner to heat the radiators, which then gets the room warmer again. In this period of time you may have turned the thermostat up as you have felt the decrease in temperature. If the temperature increases outside you will begin to feel uncomfortably hot inside. With a weather compensator installed the process would be reversed. When the outside temperature drops, the sensor detects this decrease, and informs the boiler to increase the temperature of the radiators. The radiators get warmer to compensate for the heat loss in the room. This prevents the room temperature from changing, and you don’t have to do a thing. You may not even realise that the outdoor temperature has changed.

We all have different comfort temperatures, some people prefer it warmer than others. A thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) will give the option of controlling each radiator. When you want to control individual rooms, you set the required heat load. The trv has a sensing substance which expands of contract according to the temperature of the room. This adjusts the flow of hot water to the inlet of the radiator. Building regulations require all new systems to fit a trv on every radiator except on the radiator where the room thermostat is fitted and bathroom.

What about controlling the heating for a whole floor? without going in to each room to turn the trv’s down, well that can be done via a heating zone valve. This device is connected to a programmer which signals the zone valve to open or close. During the day when the 1st floor is unoccupied you don’t want to be heating all the rooms. This device is useful for large premises.

There are many more controls which can give you full control and will delivery energy and carbon savings. This will also allow you to use your heating system in a more sensible way, by preventing dwellings from overheating and unoccupied areas from wasting heat. All these controls are largely available from leading brands in stores and the internet.  
For any installations or repairs it is always advisable to seek a professional advice from us. Plumbers Leicester have the right plumbing supplies and tools to complete the job. Deciding to update your existing heating controls, won’t cost the world, but it can be a benefit to you in a number of ways. Adding theses heating controls will take you a long way towards reducing your energy budget. Less energy use means less dependence on fuels that contributes to global warming.