Are you In Control?
Are your central heating bills too expensive?
Are you heating your whole house when you turn your central heating on?
Do you have independent control over your hot water?
Are you concerned about conserving energy?
Do you feel that your house gets too warm/cold?
If you answer yes, to any of the above, then installing a control system could help solve the problem.
With energy prices continuing to soar, now is the time for installers to bring to their customers’ attention the benefits of fitting efficient, new or replacement central heating controls. All heating systems must have suitable controls to achieve comfort conditions, maintain economic operation and to comply with Building Regulations & British Standards. There are many Smart ways to Zone heating system and the choice of controls depends on the system being installed, the building they are being installed in and the needs of the end user.
Homes and businesses are becoming "greener" because they have to. The energy challenges we all face are becoming commonplace. And so are the opportunities for plumbing and heating professionals to provide solutions to their residential and commercial customers.
What is a control system?
- A control system Zones your central heating/domestic hot water system and operates them based on time and/or temperature.
- With a control system, you can heat any one Zone of your home without heating the entire area.
- You can also heat your hot water independently, without turning the entire heating system on.
What does this mean?
- A correctly Zoned and Smartly-controlled system will greatly reduce fuel consumption as only the required zones are heated at the times they are being used.
- This adds up to huge savings on your fuel bills.
- You are also conserving energy which results in a more environmentally friendly and efficient system. This is particularly important as efficiency ratings are becoming more and more important for resale values.
The current Building Regulations Part L1 came into force in October 2010 for both new build and existing systems in England and Wales.
The Domestic Heating Compliance Guide (DHCG) was produced by the Government as guidance to comply with Part L1. To support the DHCG, the Energy Savings Trust publishes a set of standards Central Heating System Specifications (CHeSS), which lay out Basic Practice controls (to meet the Building Regulations) and Best Practice (better than the minimum).
Why are heating and hot water controls important?
An appropriate set of heating controls makes it easy to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. They’ll help you to waste less fuel and heat too – keeping your heating bills and CO² emissions down. Heating controls allow you to set your heating and domestic hot water to switch on and off when you need it. They are an essential for any home regardless of how old your boiler is.
Grants, cost and savings
Here are some savings that could be achieved in a typical 3 bed semi-detached home, heated by gas. Savings will vary depending on how much you pay for heating fuel:
- Install a room thermostat if one wasn’t present before: £55 and 280kg CO² per year
- Fit a hot water tank thermostat: £20 and 110kg CO² a year
- Fit a hot water tank insulation jacket: £35 and 170kg CO² a year
Savings can be made by installing new controls where there were none before and by using them more effectively. If you already have a room thermostat, turning it down by 1 degree can save 10% on heating bills over a year. This is around £50 a year for the typical heating bill and 260kg CO² a year. A comfort temperature between 18°C and 21°C is usually sufficient. Setting your hot water tank thermostat to 60ºC will ensure water is not being overheated (although it is still hot enough to scald). However, it is still hot enough to remove the threat of Legionella bacteria build-up.
Suitability
You don’t have to wait until you get a new boiler to upgrade or install heating controls. However, there are no minimum standards for existing systems. Adding or improving controls could help you to stop wasting energy and as a result, save money on heating bills.
If your heating controls are over 12 years old then you could benefit from replacing them with new more efficient ones, especially the room thermostats, which may not be as accurate as newer, electronic ones. You will need different controls for different types of heating systems.
Heating
Modern homes generally warm up quite quickly and can retain a comfortable temperature for longer. Older homes, particularly those with solid walls, can take a while to warm up. On a cold evening, time how long it takes for your house to warm up from cold to a comfortable temperature – this is the warm up time. Once the house has reached the set temperature, turn the heating off completely and time how long it takes for the house to cool slightly until it’s starting to get a bit less comfortable – this is the cool down time.
Hot Water controls
Your water temperature doesn’t need to be too high. Your hot water cylinder thermostat should be set at only 60°C or 140°F. Any higher is a waste of energy; any lower and there may be risks of Legionella bacteria build-up.
Your hot water should also be set to come on only when needed. It is a myth that it’s more efficient to leave your hot water on all the time. If you switch it on just in time to heat up the water for when you need it, it will use this amount of energy. But if you have the hot water on for any longer, you will need to keep adding energy to keep it warm. More energy means more money…
With the regulations now specifying that in new build, no heating zone should exceed 150²m, an electronic programmer is ideally suited.
Put simply, the new regulations dictate that larger houses should have the heating controlled separately - time and temperature - for upstairs and downstairs and have the hot water controlled independently of both.
Such a control requirement is beyond the capabilities of a single, conventional heating and hot water programmer.
Additionally, the new regulations require that replacement boilers must be replaced with energy efficient models and controls must be also upgraded to meet minimum system standards.
In terms of heating controls a programmable room thermostat is probably the most vital energy-saving domestic heating control to be introduced in decades. It not only brings worthwhile additional energy savings, helps today’s high efficiency boilers achieve optimum efficiency and reduces CO² emissions, but also considerably improves home comfort levels.
Unfortunately, there are still some installers who shun these controls as too complicated or not worth the trouble, which is a great pity as it means many users are missing out on the vast benefits these devices have to offer. A wide range of thermostats are available at a reasonable cost from Pulsar direct with guaranteed excellent quality and variations suitable for every customer’s needs.
Remember
Building regulations now apply every time you change a boiler or hot water vessel!
We recommend that you check all your heating controls to maximise the overall efficiency of your complete system.
Smart Zoning does bring further savings!
What is Smartzone?
With everyone looking for new ways to save energy, maximize system efficiency, and conserve fuel, we thought it would be handy to give you a way to find our more resourceful products quickly. You'll find the Smartzone icon on the box, in our ads, and on-line.
How can Smartzone help you?
The Smartzone logo is your assurance that you are installing a state of the art resource saver. Your customers will feel better too, knowing that they're doing their part to conserve energy and help the planet. Be sure to mention Smartzone to them every time you install.
Sustainability and Smartzone
In recognizing that the earth's resources are finite, Smartzone sets its sights on developing superior solutions that save materials, energy, time, and money. It has always been our goal to give back more than we take.
Our range of Smartzone Controls enables Smarter Energy Choices
Homeowners and business owners are interested in saving water and saving energy —areas which Pulsar direct have a wealth of expertise and knowledge in. We work with thousands of plumbers throughout the UK informing them of new opportunities within the market place. The better you become at helping your customers to achieve those savings, the more likely your business will prosper today and that you'll build a solid business base for many years to come.
Your customers are looking for ways to improve the efficiency of their heating systems, use less fuel and save money — all without sacrificing comfort.
So we've created a handy way for you to identify and choose the products that best help you accomplish those goals. We call them Smartzone.
For you, Smartzone means the assurance that you are installing a state-of-the-art product for your customer that has been designed and built from the ground up to maximize system efficiency and conserve water and energy resources.
Your customers are more interested than ever in energy conversation, living a "greener" lifestyle, and as always, saving some money in the process. Smartzone products do all three.
Be sure to call your customer's attention to Pulsar Smartzone products and explain why you chose them—efficiency, savings, proven quality and long-term reliability in the field.
The Smartzone family will continue to grow, with plenty of new products coming on line soon.
Smartzone products consist of controls, valves and pumps, but they all have a few things in common.
They're designed to save energy, installation and maintenance time.
They're manufactured with an eye to conserving the Earth's finite natural resources.
They're engineered to maximize efficiency throughout your customers' and provide superior, long-lasting, trouble-free performance for your customers.
Savings and efficiency is what Smartzone is all about. View our range of Smartzone products.
