With frosty weather forecast for areas in the UK this week, it’s important to keep the home warm in order to prevent mould and mildew. While the ideal temperature varies, it tends to be around 18°C. One way to keep your home warm while keeping bills down is to focus on your radiator temperatures.
A TVR, or thermostatic radiator valve, is the small device located on the side of the radiator, according to British Gas. They said: “Essentially, by fitting TRVs to your radiators, you can control the temperature in each room individually. They detect the temperature of the room, then adjust the radiator so that the room is as warm as you want it.”
They typically have a numbered dial, usually from 0 to 5, with each number corresponding to a temperature range.
According to British Gas, the numbers on the radiator typically correspond to the following temperatures: 1 = 10°C, 2 = 15°C, 3 = 20°C, 4 = 25°C, and 5 = 30°C.
They said: “So you can have a toasty lounge set to 3 or 4, with the empty spare room set to 1 or an already oven-warmed kitchen set to 2, for example.
“All you need to do is turn the dial on the TRV in each room so it is only as warm as you want it.
“This greater control over your heating can help reduce the amount of energy you use, which can in turn save money.”
If you have big windows that let in a lot of natural light, you’ll also get some extra heat.
So, when there is additional heat in a certain room, whether from light or a large number of people, the TRV will detect it and turn the radiator off accordingly.
Other ways to save on energy bills include adjusting your boiler’s flow temperature to a lower setting. If you have a conventional boiler with a hot water cylinder, there’ll be just one dial or setting to adjust.
If you have a combi boiler with no hot water cylinder, there’ll be two dials or settings, one for the radiators and one for hot water.
Try turning it down to 65C which is a safe temperature to keep bacteria away in the cylinder. According to research from Nesta, performing this simple task can improve your boiler’s efficiency and reduce your bills.
