Installing TRV’s to your central heating system can help you save money on your bills and run your home more efficiently. TRV’s (thermostatic radiator valves) allow you to adjust each radiator temperature in each room. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) now requires individual room temperature controls, such as Thermostatic Radiator Valves TRVs, to be installed during the construction of new buildings, or when boilers are replaced. Member States will have 20 months to transpose the directive in national legislation, so this should be active in the UK by early 2020.
How do TRV’s work?
TRV’s can sense the air around them, they regulate the water flow into the radiator they are fitted to. If the room reaches the desired temperature the radiator will then turn off, or if it is below the required temperature it will turn itself on.
Why TRVs are useful?
TRV’s are useful if there is a certain room you do not use so much you can have the radiator on a lower temperature, therefore, in the long run, saving you money and being more energy-efficient.
Common TRV set up.
People most commonly in bedrooms like the rooms to be cooler for sleeping conditions, between 13-18 degrees celsius and then in living spaces like a living room, dining rooms and studies people generally like these to be warmer cosy places so they would typically be set between 18 – 22 degrees. Having said this there is no real right or wrong, these temperatures are a guide and its quite often trial and error to see what suits your personal needs best.
A Common Mistake!
You should not have a TRV on a radiator which is in the same room as a wall-mounted thermostat. The reason is that they will work against each other. Typically a homes room thermostat or thermostats should be sited in a cooler and centralised place within the home, which often is the hallway (or landings when multi-zones); so if a TRV on a hallway radiator was set to a low temperature causing it to shut off quite quickly, then the home’s wall-mounted room thermostats would not have a chance to ever reach the desired temperature, causing parts of the home to continuously heat, making an uncomfortable situation and also quite inefficient.
For more information regarding TRV’s please give us a call on 0203 602 8956 or email info@asplumbingandgas.co.uk
