What is a programmable room thermostat?
... an explanation for householders
A programmable room thermostat is both a programmer and a room
thermostat. A programmer allows you to set 'On' and 'Off' time periods
to suit your own lifestyle.
A room thermostat works by sensing the air temperature, switching on
the heating when the air temperature falls below the thermostat setting,
and switching it off once this set temperature has been reached.
So, a programmable room thermostat lets you choose what times you
want the heating to be on, and what temperature it should reach while it
is on. It will allow you to select different temperatures in your home at
different times of the day (and days of the week) to meet your particular
needs.
Turning a programmable room thermostat to a higher setting will not
make the room beat up any faster. How quickly the room beats up
depends on the design ofthe heating system, for example, the size of boi-
ler and radiators.
Neither does the setting affect how quickly the room cools down. Turning
a programmable room thermostat to a lower setting will result in the
room being controlled at a lower temperature, and saves energy.
The way to set and use your programmable room thermostat is to find
the lowest temperature settings that you are comfortable with at the dif-
ferent times you have chosen, and then leave it alone to do its job. The
best war to do this is to set low temperatures first, say 18 °C, and then
turn them up by one degree each day until you are comfortable with the
temperatures.
You won't have to adjust the thermostat further. Any adjustments above
these settings will waste energy and cast you more money. If your heating
system is a boiler with radiators, there will usually be only one pro-
grammable room thermostat to control the whole house. But you can
have different temperatures in individual rooms by installing thermostatic
radiator valves (TRVs) on individual radiators. If you don't have TRVs, you
should choose a temperature that is reasonable for the whole house. If
you do have TRVs, you can choose a slightly higher setting to make sure
that even the coldest room is comfortable, then prevent any overheating
in other moros by adjusting the TRVs.
The time on the programmer must be correct. Some types have to be
adjusted in spring and autumn at the changes between Greenwich Mean
Time and British Summer Time. You may be able to temporarily adjust the
heating programme, for example, 'Override', 'Advance' or 'Boost'. These
are explained in the manufacturer's instructions.
Programmable room thermostats need a free flow of air to sense the tem-
perature, so they must not be covered by curtains or blocked by furniture.
Nearby electric fires, televisions, wall or table tamps may prevent the ther-
mostat from working properly.
1
