The news that gas bills are set to rise by up to 50% is a cause for alarm for many householders, particularly with other living costs going up. There is therefore likely to be a renewed interest from consumers in how to use less fuel, particularly when the vast majority of homes depend on a gas boiler for their heating and hot water, which will be responsible for about 80% of their energy bills. 

Given that installers are the main point of interaction between the heating industry and householders, and that those installers are seen as a trusted voice when it comes to the operation of heating systems, there is a clear opportunity to pass on some sensible advice on how to better use heating controls to reduce the amount of gas their boilers use, without compromising comfort.

Pretty much every heating system has a timeclock or programmer to manage when it operates, but how much effort do householders actually make to match the operating times of their system to when they are awake and in the house? It’s always worth encouraging customers both to familiarise themselves with the operation of their programmer, and also to regularly review the times of operation to see if they could be reduced to match their lifestyle. 

Tests carried out by BEAMA with a programmable room thermostat in the University of Salford Energy House in 2014 showed that a few small changes to operating times and temperatures could reduce gas consumption by 16% over a 24 hour period, so the potential cost savings are far from insignificant.  

One of the common misunderstandings is a belief that it is cheaper to keep the heating on permanently, and it is worth making clear that this is not the case in most circumstances. Yes, a heating system needs to do some extra work when it starts, as the building structure will have cooled down, but the same research referenced above also showed that the usual UK practice of having the heating on in the morning and then again in the evening used less energy than keeping the system on throughout the day. 

This obviously applies primarily to higher temperature systems and may be different with low flow temperature systems, such as underfloor heating. But given that radiators with high flow temperatures are the most common option in UK homes, the principle that customers should avoid running the system when no one is in the building should be emphasised. 

The increasing presence of smart controls in homes should, in theory, have made it easier for householders to match the operating of their heating system to their lifestyle and avoid wasted heat. Even so, it’s still worth making sure that people are engaging with the system settings, particularly where the novelty of an app-based control might have worn off. 

Inadequate zoning is another issue that can affect the economic operation of existing heating systems, which means that, in many cases, turning on the heating implies heating the whole house, even when this is not needed. Given that more people work from home these days, this is very wasteful when only one or two rooms need to be kept warm during the day. 

Householders may be unaware that this is the case, so it is a good idea to explain how lowering the setpoint of TRVs in other rooms when not occupied could provide a direct benefit with the boiler having to do less work.

An obvious factor in any discussions with householders on using their controls better is the need to consider the significant benefits that could be gained from the installation of better controls. For example, adding load or weather compensation can make the heating systems operate more efficiently. 
Individual room temperature controls, such as TRVs, can reduce wasted heat from rooms that are warmer than they need to be. Consideration of zoning can make a house more usable by only heating occupied areas. 

Providing a smart thermostat could enable the occupants to engage more with their heating system and match its operation more closely to when it’s needed. It is worth noting that the in-situ controls themselves (or the lack of them) might be sub-optimal, but the set-up and balancing of the system might also provide room for improvement.

The current focus on fuel bills is a likely precursor to the challenges that householders will face in coming years as targets for better energy efficiency come into focus and we move towards decarbonised heating. How we improve our heating controls and how we use those controls to minimise our use of energy are increasingly important discussions that we all need to be having.