Your central heating might be the last thing on your mind in the middle of August but in a month or two it will start to get colder and you’ll want your house to be nice and warm, while keeping the bills as low as possible.
If your central heating does not already have TRVs fitted, installing these may be a good way to save money and energy. Thermostatic Radiator Valves allow you to adjust the temperature for individual rooms.
How do TRVs work?
If you set the TRV to number five, the radiator will stay on until the room gets to a high temperature and then it will switch off, whereas if you set it to number one it will switch off once the room is at a much lower temperature.
Once the room has reached the desired temperature the TRVs stop the flow of water through the radiators they are attached to. They do this by sensing the air temperature next to the radiator.
The TRV is made up of two parts – the valve head and the valve body. When the room temperature changes, a capsule in the valve head contracts or expands, which moves a pin in the valve body causing it to open or close. If the room is above the desired temperature the valve will close, causing water to stop flowing to the radiator, and when the TRV detects that the room has dropped below the desired temperature, the valve opens and water flows to the radiator once more.
This means that if you want a room to heat up faster, you shouldn’t turn up the TRV but adjust the temperature at your boiler instead.
Reasons you may want to use TRVs
TRVs are useful if you want a particular room to be set at a different temperature than the rest of the house, as they do not control the boiler but just that one radiator.
For example, if you don’t use one room much, you might want to set it at a lower temperature than other rooms as it doesn’t matter if that room is a little cooler. Or you might want to set a lower temperature if a room is heated through other means – for example through electrical appliances, fires
or if there is going to be a lot of people in the room – body heat can really make a difference to the room temperature. Other rooms where you might want a different temperature include conservatories or utility rooms, where the temperature is often different to the rest of the house.
All of this means that you could set the individual radiator for that room to a lower temperature, and this will save you energy and money, without compromising on your family’s comfort.
TRVs are available in a variety of designs. Some of them come with an energy saving button so you can ensure it is set at the most economic temperature. You can also get electronic TRVs which use batteries and electronic thermostats to monitor and adjust the temperature of the room and display the temperature digitally.
As part of our ongoing SPECIAL OFFER we will change your thermostatic valves and a range of other heating controls and pay the VAT on the total cost of materials as well as the cost of their installation. If you would like more information and advice on TRVs, or if you are interested in having them fitted in your home, get in touch with Sureway Heating Services on 01926 310900.