As part of Energy Saving Week 2025, we highlighted the importance yesterday of action to make homes more energy efficient and how to keep heat in. Alongside this it is important to consider how to heat your home effectively.
Homes are heated in a range of ways, including through natural gas boilers, oil boilers, LPG or electric storage heaters. With most of these systems there may be some level of controls allow this varies from home to home. In some instance, especially within sheltered housing, apartments may be part of a communal heating system where heating controls may be managed centrally.
Efficient heating management is particularly important because heating typically accounts for about 60% of a household’s total energy consumption. So understanding what controls you have, and you can use them effectively, will help you to maintain comfort and manage your energy costs.
Some homes will have a natural gas, LPG or oil heating system, with a timeclock to help determine when you would like heat. Understanding how to use a timeclock will allow you to set heating times to meet your needs. In some more modern homes there may be different zones and the ability to set different heating times in different areas of your home e.g. different times in living areas compared to bedrooms. Similarly, some homes will have controls to help you determine how much heat you would like, including TRVs on radiators and room or wall thermostats. Room or wall thermostats will help determine overall levels of heat in a home, or parts of a home. It is important to keep the temperature on thermostats at a reasonable level, normally between 18 and 21 degrees Celsius, although this will depends on the needs of those within the home. Similarly, Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) will help to control the temperature in individual rooms.
With both wall stats and TRVs it is important to understand that these respond to the temperature of air in the home, with heating automatically reducing when the desired temperature has been met. It is therefore normal for radiators to feel cold at times when heating controls are being used effectively.
Some homes are heated using modern electric storage heaters, with individual time and temperature controls on each heater. These heaters charge during the night using cheaper electricity and release heat during the day.
Please visit the energy section of our website for further information on heating and hot water controls.
Choice have invested in remote heating controls for a number of our communal heating systems, and also for heating in the common parts of some of our housing schemes e.g. in corridors. These additional controls are more efficient and allow improved access to make changes to improve comfort and to help in reducing future energy costs through heating or service charges.
