How do I regulate the temperature in my home?
Setting the temperature in your home correctly can be an absolute minefield. There are a few factors to consider in getting it right, but a lot more where we accidentally get it wrong.
Along with being uncomfortable and never striking the correct balance, incorrect temperatures in the home cause energy inefficiency resulting in wasted money and energy.
Thermostats are often located in the wrong areas of a home, traditionally they were fitted in the hallway with the ideals of it being the centre of the home, allowing for a nice, balanced temperature, but times have changed and this is no longer always the best site for them. There are two ways to combat this, if you have a fixed thermostat in a poor location, consider upgrading your radiator valves to thermostatic valves so each room can be individually controlled or you could consider upgrading to a wireless remote thermostat so you can find a suitable location and move it at your leisure.
Poorly sited thermostats are usually in cooler, drafty rooms, above radiators or in direct sunlight and so neither allow the thermostat to give correct readings as the sensors are unable to be accurately responsive and unable to reliably heat your home.
There’s also a common misconception that turning the thermostat up higher will heat the home up quicker, this isn’t true and really the thermostat should be looked at more as a temperature limiter. Increasing your thermostat setting beyond your actual desired level, results in overheating the space and making the home too warm, again endi no with wasted energy, uncomfortability and wasted costs.
Often here at RJ Heating, we’re asked whether it’s best to keep the heating on constant all day or set a timer, to be honest, it’s all dependent on your patterns. If you’re someone who’s out for a lot of the day, then it makes sense to decrease the temperature when you’re out, and raise it to the desired temperature when you’re home, or if you have a programmer then set in time for your arrival. Leaving it on constantly when you’re not home will result in greater energy loss as the warmer your home is inside, the more heat loss you lose to the cold outside which ends up being wasted energy.
This is a basic explanation of some of the issues we come across when helping to keep homes heated but ultimately, there is no wrong or right answer when it comes to heating your home, thermostats and energy efficiency. Just a solution that suits you and your home best taking into account the structure/fabric of your space, your patterns and what you deem as comfortable.
If you’re having issues with heating your home correctly or feel like you have any of these issues, please don’t hesitate to contact us here at RJ Heating for some advice tailored specifically to suit the needs of you and your family.
