How do Thermostats Work?

At Aspect, our central heating engineers frequently get asked questions such as: ‘what is a room thermostat’, and ‘how can it help when heating my home?’ To help with these queries, we’ve drafted in our central heating experts to help answer your questions.

A room thermostat is used to regulate and maintain a desirable temperature throughout your home. It works by switching on or off your heating system as the temperature varies throughout the day. For example, if the temperature drops below a certain level, a sensor in the room thermostat can be made to trigger the switch for your boiler which will heat the radiators and in turn, the rooms in your home. If the room rises above a certain temperature, the thermostat will then turn off your central heating system so that your house will cool down to its desired temperature once more.

The main reason that a room thermostat is useful is that it can reduce your central heating bills. This is because using a thermostat means your heating will only be in use when it needs to be, and you won’t be using more gas or oil than necessary. It can also ensure that your home is never too hot or too cold for comfort.

The placing of your thermostat is vital to how effectively it will regulate the temperature in your house. For example, if positioned too near a radiator, or in direct sunlight, it will be fooled into thinking your home is warmer than it really is.

It’s best to place your room thermostat approximately 1.5m from the floor, in a room with a radiator – ideally, a room which you use frequently, but not somewhere that other heating systems or cooking appliances are used.

TVR

TRV stands for thermostatic radiator valves. These are thermostats which are fitted directly onto the individual radiators in your home, meaning you can regulate the temperature of each room separately. This is useful as it means that rooms you don’t use regularly will not have to be heated all the time; when you want to heat one room in particular, such as your living room or bedroom, you don’t need to heat the whole house to do so.

Programmable

A programmable thermostat is a little more advanced than a standard room thermostat and enables you to programme different temperatures at different times of the day. For example, during the day when you are at work, you may want the house at a very low temperature compared to in the evenings, when you’re at home.

If you would like to learn more about what a room thermostat is and how it can help with heating your home, call us today on 020 3925 9941. Our central heating engineers can advise you on the options and, if you choose to go ahead with your room thermostat, they can deliver and install a suitable model for your property.