Get Control of your Central Heating with Electronic Radiator Valves
If your home is heated by radiators, the chances are you have manual thermostatic valves installed on each radiator and one or more room thermostats which will switch the heating on or off depending on the temperature and the time of day.
The thing is that manual radiator thermostats are a great idea if you use them properly. But so often, the thought of traipsing around the house to adjust each valve – especially when they are tucked away in dark corners or behind furniture – just sounds like too much hassle. Not using the lounge tonight? You know you should pop in there and turn down the radiators but you’re too comfortable watching the box in the kitchen – and it never happens.
Precise control
But there is an alternative now which doesn’t involve completely re-designing your central heating system but does give you precise control of the thermostat settings and scheduling of each radiator from a central point – and potentially from your smartphone or tablet.
The secret is a new generation of electronic radiator valves which can either be programmed individually or can be linked by the home-automation standard, Z-Wave, to a central controller.
These valves are a straight replacement for most standard manual thermostatic valves, and use battery power to open and close the valve according to the programmed settings. That means you can set a detailed schedule for each room according to how you use it.
Energy savings
The manufacturers claim that even reducing room temperature by one degree saves as much as 6% of your energy costs and if you decide to replace all of your old thermostats with these new electronic ones, you could save up to 23%– double that if your radiators currently have no thermostats at all.
The beauty of this technology is that you don’t have to do it all at once. These new
electronic valves cost between £50 and £60 each and you can just install them one at a time as your budget allows. To start with, just use the programmability built-in to each valve, which is pretty sophisticated. The Danfoss Z Wave radiator valve, for example, allows up to three on-off periods each day with separate programming for each day of the week. And most have built-in frost protection and an “open window” mode which shuts off the radiator if the room temperature suddenly drops – for example if a window is left open.
When you can afford it, get a central controller. This will not only let you programme each radiator independently but you will be able to do so from the comfort of your armchair or even from your office over the internet using a web-based interface.