Top tips for using boiler controls and thermostats

Standard heating controls

Heating controls that are common in UK homes include:

• a mechanical or electronic dial thermostat on your wall that turns the boiler on when the room it's in drops below the temperature it's set to (generally used in conjunction with a timer)

• timers that let you choose the times of the day the boiler turns on and off

• programmers that let you pick a schedule for the entire week – these are a lot more customisable than simple timers, but they're harder to configure.

Adjusting room thermostats

A digital room thermostat works by sensing the air temperature in the room. It switches on the heating when this falls below the thermostat setting, and switches it off when the required temperature is reached.

Because of this:

• your room thermostat should be positioned away from your boiler

• room hermostat with built-in air sensor, it will need a free flow of air to sense the temperature, so make sure yours isn't covered by curtains or blocked by furniture

•  room thermostat should be set away from electric fires, TVs, wall lights or table lamps, as these might stop the thermostat from working properly.

It's best to install a room thermostat in the room you want to be warmest, such as the living room.

On the market, there are many room thermostat, such as Smart Opentherm thermostat , Intelligent Heat Pump thermostat, Zigbee Smart thermostat, Becnet/Modbus thermostat etc, you can choose the suitable one as your preference.

Using built-in boiler controls

Built-in boiler controls are useful if your boiler is easy to access, but not if it's in a loft or garage.

Boiler on/off switch

The simplest boiler control is the on/off switch. Turning it on puts the boiler in standby mode until it needs to provide heat for your hot water or radiators – for example, when the room becomes cooler than the temperature set on the thermostat. Standby uses a small amount of electricity – usually less than 10W per hour.

Some on/off switches have an option to turn on just the hot water, so you can turn the heating off permanently during the summer. Bear in mind that some older washing machines and dishwashers need hot water from the boiler to run. Modern ones usually heat the water within the appliance itself.

Turning off your heating will save energy, particularly if you have an old boiler with a pilot light that's always burning. It's worth turning your heating on and off every so often over the summer, though, to make sure that valves and pumps don't seize up.

Temperature controls for your heating and hot water

Some boilers have separate controls for the temperature of the radiators and hot water.

If you have children, being able to control the hot water temperature is essential, as you can prevent scalding hot water from reaching the taps. It can also provide a boost in cold weather if your hot water isn't quite hot enough.

If you don't have separate controls for this, it's worth speaking to a heating engineer about getting thermostatic mixing valves fitted to regulate the temperature of the water going to your bath, shower or sinks to avoid scalding.

Temperature tips

Setting your thermostat to 18 or 19°C is usually adequate.

The recommended night-time temperature is 16-19°C.

Avoid turning up the thermostat if possible. According to the Energy Saving Trust, for every degree you increase the temperature, your heating bill will increase by about 10%.

Bear in mind that babies should sleep in a room with a temperature of between 16 and 20°C, according to the Lullaby Trust charity. For older people and those with impaired mobility, Age UK says the main living room temperature should be around 21°C, and the rest of the house at a minimum of 18°C.