People are being encouraged to use a specific setting on their radiators to help reduce costs. In most cases, the maximum setting is rarely needed, as lower values provide a more cost-effective way to stay comfortable this winter.
In a clip shared on Facebook, consumer organisation Which? claimed: “Don’t have this dial higher than three, unless it’s the room where your thermostat is. Whacking your thermostatic radiator up to five opens the valve to the max, letting loads of hot water run into the radiator when your central heating is on.
“If you have every room set to five, your heating bills could be higher than they need to be.” For most homes, rooms of a certain size do not need radiators working at maximum capacity.
When a radiator is turned down, it uses less hot water, which means the boiler works less and consumes less energy to heat the home. Following some simple steps can help make sure people are staying comfortable and not overpaying for the privilege.
Making small adjustments around your home doesn’t need to be complicated. In most cases, simply dialling down the radiator to a lower number might help save money on your usual energy bills.
What room valves should be turned down?
In many homes, the living room is often where the thermostat is located. Having these radiators set to level three helps keep a comfortable temperature of around 20°C, increasing to level four for around 25°C to offer a slightly warmer feel or for a bigger space.
It might be tempting to have the most heat flowing in the bedrooms, to make sure it is comfortable to sleep and get out of bed on cold winter mornings. However, these rooms might benefit from lower settings and still feel cosy.
Which? specialists claimed that, in bedrooms, the dial on radiators should stay between two and three. They suggest that this will “keep the room temperature between 15 and 20°C”.
Radiator settings as temperatures
Which? claims that setting the dial to a specific number will result in rooms reaching certain temperatures once the heating system kicks in. However, it may be difficult to determine whether a setting will feel too hot or too cold.
The clip includes a handy chart that shows what the different settings roughly work out to in temperatures:
- Frost sign – Up to 7°C (stops pipes from freezing when heating not in use)
- 0 – Off
- 1 – Up to 10°C
- 2 – Up to 15°C
- 3 – Up to 20°C
- 4 – Up to 25°C
- 5 – Up to 30°C
How do thermostats and radiator valves work?
According to another Which? report: “Your room thermostat and your radiator valves make sure you only use the energy you need in a directed way. If you use them wrong, you’ll be wasting energy.”
Which?’s specialists explain that thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) decide how warm a room should be before radiator valves close and hot water doesn’t run through a radiator anymore. They allow for control of your heating room-by-room.
They add: “If your thermostat is telling your boiler it’s too cold, while your radiators aren’t letting the warm water in, your boiler will just keep sending hot water around your pipes in a circle, wasting energy in a cold house.
“Your boiler will create hot water for as long as your thermostat tells it it needs to be on. This hot water will flow around your pipes, into your radiators and back to the boiler.
“If your thermostat is set to 20°C, but it’s in a room in which radiators are turned down to low settings or turned off, your thermostat will continue asking your boiler to run while your radiators refuse the hot water circulating around your home.”