Home and energy saving advice

These can be mechanical or digital and control the times at which the central heating and or hot water systems are switched on or off.

Timers - control one function heating hot water / space heating with a combination boiler.

Programmers - control more than one function, space heating and hot water.

Make sure the timer or programmer is telling the correct time. Remember when the clocks change in March and October you will need to reset the clock.

Heating time settings

The simplest timers have usually 2 on and off periods a day. For example, On 7am Off 9am, On 5pm Off 10pm. Set these by sliding the knobs or 'tappets' around the face of a clock face timers, or pressing the buttons on a digital or electronic timer.

If the programmer has a number of setting periods (some have more than 6) set all these. If the programmer allows for different settings each day, either copy from the previous day set, or change the setting each day.

To enable you to establish the times required for your central heating, first consider the times you are actually in the property, and then establish how long the heating system takes to warm up your home to a level you feel comfortable with. Then how long it takes to cool down to a level where you feel you need to put the heating on again. This can vary depending on how efficient the heating system is and how well insulated your property is.

Labelling:

• On, Constant, Continuous or 24 hours: means the function is on all the time
• Auto, Timed, Twice or All: means the programmer is following the automatic times set
• All day, or Once: means the programmer will switch on at the first 'On' time set, and off at the last 'Off' time set, ignoring the times in between
• Hot Water Only: the heating circuit will not operate
• Override or Advance: means the current phase can be overridden, bringing the next 'On' or 'Off' phase in earlier. The programmer will then revert back to its automatic operation
• 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours: current phase interrupted by a 1, 2, or 3 hour change for example, extending the programmed phase - wanting the heating on for an extra hour but not all night.

Room thermostats are usually placed in the hallway and it responds to the air temperature around it. They should not be placed where they can be affected by other sources of heat, for example direct sunlight or in very cold places such as next to an outside door.

When the room is warm enough the thermostat sends a signal to the boiler to stop so the water is no longer heated and pumped to radiators.

Recommended room temperature for vulnerable people (elderly or young children) is 21 degrees celsius, but if you are fit and healthy then 18 degrees celsius is adequate.

TRVs sense the air temperature around it and control the rate at which hot water flows through the radiator. They should not be placed in the same room as the room thermostat.

TRVs enable you to control the temperature for each room individually. Turn the TRVs down in rooms that are unoccupied to stop your boiler working harder than it needs to and to save money on your bills.

Boiler thermostats control the temperature leaving the boiler to flow around the radiators and the indirect coil in the hot water cylinder. It prevents the boiler overheating.

It alone cannot effectively control the room temperature although in some circumstances it can be the only thermostat present. Water needn't be scalding hot. Set your cylinder thermostat to 60 degrees celsius.

However if the boiler thermostat is the only temperature control, it is recommended that in winter it is set to maximum (or high), and in summer between minimum and maximum (or low).

Bottled gas fires have an advantage, as they can be moved and they do not need a flue. However, as a result all the water vapour produced by burning gas goes into the room. This makes the room humid and causes a lot of condensation, unless you ventilate the room very well.

Contrary to popular belief, bottled gas is one of the most expensive fuels for heating.

Wall convectors have the lowest running cost of all. They need to have adequate controls and they need to be the right size for the room to ensure you are warm enough without additional heating.

Open style gas fires are nice to look at, but a lot of heat is lost up the chimney. They are therefore inefficient and do not give you a great deal of heat for the money spent on fuel.

If you have both gas central heating and a gas fire, it is advisable to use the central heating system instead of the fire if it has good heating controls and used effectively.

Storage heaters use a lower rate of electricity known as economy seven as they use electricity during the night to charge up. Where they are installed you will have a dual tariff electricity meter fitted or, in some cases two separate meters.

At approximately 11pm, an automatic time clock will switch the metering to the low rate, (known as off peak); at this point the heaters are turned on. The heaters will then charge up and store the heat. The actual amount of heat that is stored will depend on how you have set the controls for that heater.

Your immersion heater that heats up the hot water can also be turned on at this time again taking advantage of the lower price electricity. By the morning you should have a full tank of hot water. If you use all this water up and cannot wait until the next morning the 'boost' facility on the hot water control switch will allow you to heat the water during the day, however this boost facility will cost the normal rate on your electricity.

Approximately seven hours later the time clock will automatically switch the meter back to the normal rate electricity and the electricity supply to the heaters will be switched off.

The temperature of the room can be controlled using the controls on each individual heater.

Most storage heaters have two control knobs:

• Input or charge control: older heaters have to be adjusted manually to ensure an appropriate amount of heat is stored overnight. Set this to low in summer months and high in colder weather. You may wish to switch them off entirely during summer months - you do this by switching them off at the isolator switch adjacent to each individual heater (on the wall). Automatic input controls include thermostatic sensors, so that the temperature of the room overnight determines how much heat is stored up for the following day. This also determines how much they cost to run.
• Output control: on older heaters a damper is lifted manually by turning a knob marked 'boost' or 'output'. This allows warm air to rise over the heated blocks and out through the grilles at the top of the heater. If this damper is left open (for example 'output' on max) the heat will escape from the heater early in the day. To obtain the most even temperature, close this flap as you go to bed and leave it closed during the day by turning the output control right down, and open it in the evening.

On newer models this flap is operated by a thermostat. As the room temperature cools down during the day the damper opens to allow heat to escape. It is important that the house is well insulated, so that the heat has not all escaped before evening - there are grants available to assist with installing insulation - look out for them in the press. If you live in private rented accommodation, a housing association property or in a council property, always ensure you get permission to install insulation.

Fan assisted storage heaters allow for better output control. On warm days the fan can be left off, so that very little heat is released. The next night, less electricity will be needed to bring the bricks up to full temperature.

Never cover up or attempt to dry clothes on a storage heater, they may get burnt and it can be a serious fire risk - the heater will overheat and trip out, resulting in the need for an engineer to be called to reset it before it will work again.

Warm air heating has a room thermostat, which controls the fan that draws air over the hot core of the heating unit, like a big storage radiator. This acts as output control along with the louvers. The other control on a warm air central heating unity is the core thermostat. This can be adjusted to alter the amount of heat stored overnight. The daytime boost operates only when the core thermostat is set to its maximum.

An air filter cleans the air before it passes over the heater unit. It is very important that this filter is kept clean and dust free so it must be cleaned regularly.

Electric elements are embedded in concrete floor slabs and run on 'off peak' or special tariff electricity.

The main control is a time switch that turns the electrical current on and off during the overnight off-peak period. There is also a thermostat to shut off the electrical current when the room reaches the desired temperature.

The thermostat therefore controls the amount of heat stored overnight. It is not possible to control the rate at which the heat is given out. It is advisable to insulate the property to limit the amount of heat loss.

An electric fire or fan heater, using full price electricity, is the most expensive kind of heating. Try to minimize the use if these if you have an alternative form of heating available.

When you are heating a room with these, make sure that they are fitted with timers to ensure they are only on when needed. If they do not have one, buy a time switch that plugs into the electric socket.

If the heater has a thermostat, make sure it is not set too high.