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Making the most of your central heating
housing@knh.org.uk
- Central heating will keep you and your family warm.
- It will help prevent condensation dampness and mould.
- If you use it properly, it can cost LESS than other kinds of heating.
How your central heating works
Your central heating system has a boiler, which burns gas to heat the water that goes through your radiators.
The radiators heat the air in your home, which heats up the walls, the floors, the furniture... and you!
The room thermostat keeps your home at the temperature you choose. It turns the boiler off when this temperature
is reached.
You may also have thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs). These are fitted to the radiators and allow you to set
different temperatures in different rooms.
The time switch will turn the heating on and off automatically at the times you set.
KNH's Energy Team can give you advice on how to set your heating controls.
Making your heating work for you
Your central heating can keep you warm and comfortable at a reasonable cost if you follow some simple
guidelines:
- Set your room thermostat at a comfortable temperature (usually between 19° and 23°) and then leave it.
Don't be tempted to turn it up - it doesn't heat up your home any quicker.
- Use the TRVs if you have them. Set them at the temperature you want for each room. The radiators will not
be hot all the time. They will come on when needed to keep your room warm.
- Set the time switch for when you want to be warm. This could be from 7am to 11pm if someone is in most
of the day, or 7am to 8am and 4pm to 11pm if no one is home during the day.
- Leave your heating to run itself. When your heating is running, the boiler is only on for short periods,
just long enough to keep your home at the temperature you have chosen. The system is controlled by
thermostats and a time clock, so you don't need to turn it on and off.
- Keep your home warm. If your home gets cold, the boiler has to work hard - and use up gas - to warm it
all up. But once everything is warm your boiler only needs to come on every now and then to keep it that
way. Turning the heating on and off can cost you more than leaving it on. A little heating over a long time
costs less than a lot of heat for a short time.
- Some central heating systems have a hot water storage cylinder. On the side of the cylinder there may be
a cylinder thermostat which controls the temperature of the water that comes out of the hot water taps.
The recommended setting is 60°C or 140°F.
If you need more information on the setting of your heating controls or advice on being more energy efficient
to help the environment and save money, contact the Energy Team.
Problems with your central heating
Before reporting a fault, please check the following:
- Is the heating system turned on? There will normally be a switch near your boiler.
- Is the timer set correctly? If you are unsure how to set your timer contact your housing team or the
KNH Energy Team.
- Is your room thermostat turned up to the required temperature?
- Are your TRVs, if fitted, turned on?
- Is your gas turned on? If you have a pre-payment or token meter, does it have credit?
- If you have checked all the above and still cannot get the system to work, call the Repairs Call Centre.
Contacts
See also
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