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Thermostats
Energy Efficiency Week 2021 / Monday
Level 2: Check the settings on boiler and hot water thermostats
Most modern boilers have a dial or digital display that allows you to set the temperature of the water that leaves the boiler to heat the radiators in the house. If you lower the temperature, your boiler will operate as efficiently as possible. If you increase the temperature, you will heat your radiators more quickly but your boiler’s efficiency could decrease by around 10 or 20 per cent.
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 Will you be checking the settings on boiler and hot water thermostats? |
If you have a conventional boiler system, try setting your boiler thermostat to 75°C (between medium and high) and adjust down if radiators feel too hot, or up if not warm enough.
Your water cylinder should have its own thermostat. This is usually fitted on the side of the hot water storage tank. You should set the temperature to 60 °C on your water cylinder thermostat. Any higher and you are wasting energy. Any lower and bacteria that cause disease can grow in the stored water. Thermostats fitted to hot water cylinders will look something like this:
Combination (or combi) boilers provide heat and hot water without a water tank or cylinder. The image below shows a typical combi boiler control panel. The dial on the left controls the temperature of the radiators, the one on the right controls the temperature of hot water. For combi boilers, the recommended output temperature for the radiators is 75 °C and for the water is between 50 °C and 60 °C.
If you are unable to figure out how to use the controls on your specific boiler, have a look in its owners manual. If you don’t have or can’t find the owners manual, you may be able to find one online by entering the make and model of the boiler into your preferred search engine.
If you still don’t feel comfortable adjusting the settings of any thermostats in your system, contact a qualified service engineer.
Will you be checking the settings on boiler and hot water thermostats?