We are in the middle of winter, so how do we stay warm and not waste energy heating our homes? What is important in any energy efficient home is having heating controls. Heating controls sets the temperature of your house and tells your heating system when to come on and off, so you do not waste energy heating your home.

The advantages of having heating controls are that it will lower your energy bill, because the heating will only be on when it needs to be. It will be very effective at keeping your house warm, as you set the heating controls to make sure your home is at a certain temperature. Also, if you choose to manage your heating system from an app, it can be incredibly convenient for you. On top of this, it is one of the most effective ways to reduce your carbon footprint.

Thermostatic radiator valves

Thermostatic radiator valves control how much hot water goes into radiators. They usually have a dial from 0-6 and you can turn it up or down according to your preference. It is best to turn valves onto the setting that you are most comfortable in each room. Individual rooms do not need to be set at the same number if you use different rooms for different lengths of time.

It is possible to get programmable thermostatic radiator valves. Smart radiator valves let you control the temperature in individual rooms when the central heating is on. Using an app on your smartphone, you can programme and control individual radiators in different rooms. This ensures you do not waste energy and money warming unoccupied rooms.

Room thermostat

A room thermostat keeps your home at a steady temperature. A thermostat warms the whole home instead of individual rooms. A thermostat warms up a home to the temperature you choose, and switches of once it reaches this temperature and then back on if the temperature drops. Temperatures are usually set between 18-21 degrees Celsius. Buildings take longer to warm up in the winter, so they should be put on earlier during this season.

Programmer

A programmer or timer controls when your heating comes on and off. Depending on your central heating system, a programmer will be single channel where they control central heating with hot water on demand, or two channel or three channel where they control different zones in the home. You can use programmers to switch off heating when you are not in house or in the night time.

Smart heating controls

Smart heating controls are apps that allow you to control heating in the same way conventional heating controls do. They are a superior alternative because they offer more functionality. Smart heating controls allow you to put your heating and hot water on and off from your phone. Also, it can learn your behaviour and will automatically manage the heating system once it has learnt your preferences. It can track where you are using your smartphone’s location and turn heating off when you are out and turn it back on when you have returned.

Thermostats for hot water and the boiler

It is possible to manage the hot water cylinder and boiler by using thermostats. Thermostats for hot water save energy because it will make sure that the cylinder does not get too hot and switches off when it reaches a certain temperature. These thermostats should be set between 60-65 degrees. Thermostats for the boiler warm up the water before it goes to the radiators. This thermostat should not be set too high because it makes the boiler work less efficiently. Setting it lower will also save money. It should not be set too low either otherwise it will not warm the radiators up that