Anyone Have a User-Friendly Central Heating Timer ?

PCarter99

Hi, I've got a standard central heating/hot water timer that allows you to program in an 'on' time and an 'off' time either once or twice a day. My wife is at home with our baby son, so the heating is on all day. However, she's often out visiting, going to kids clubs and stuff and the house is being heated with no-one in it. Re-programming this to go off for say 3 hours is fiddly and time-consuming. Does anyone know a) if it is energy efficient to turn off the heating for a few hours (and then make it work double time to heat a 'cold' house) ? and b) If so, can anyone recommend a user-friendly timer that would let you do this with a couple of button presses instead of a 're-programming' exercise ? Thank you!

fairenoughclough

I've not heard of an electronic one.

Have you thought of the older style mechanical timers which plug in to the socket and then plugging in your boiler plug to that.

Low tech solution, unplug boiler when you go out but leave in timer switch and it will keep correct time and settings.

kevinyork

Try a Danfoss 103e.

A simple clear electronic timer. Up to 3 on and off periods per day with 2 extra buttons, one to turn heating on for an extra hour after a program has ended and another to turn on the heating when timer is off which will then stay on until the next preset off period.

Have just installed it myself and reckon its the simplest Ive used.

Dunkwho

How about considering a programmable house thermostat? We use a danfoss TP7 (I think) stat that goes on in place of the normal twisty job, the new stat has 6 programmable temp changes per weekday, and 6 more at the weekends. We leave the boiler control at always on for the central heating and let the danfoss control the boiler etc - with the extra programs its more convinient. If you wanted to have an off at night\on in the day style program you could set timer 1 as the morning switch off (say 21 degrees), and timer 6 at the switch off time (set to 10 degrees), then space the remaining 4 out during the day. If you pop out and want the heating off for a while just tap the current temp setting down (the normal exposed buttons are just up and down, programming is hidden behind a flap), when the next set point in the day is reach it'll turn back on again. Not quite the same as a 3 hour delay, but might help if you can't find anything more suitable.

Duncan