To have a room thermostat or not;advice please!

CreditCruncher

Hi all,

I am not a DIY expert so easy with me please:)

I have a Worcester combi boiler which is located in the loft with a separate timer unit using which I can leave the Central Heating on constant, timed or OFF.Also, I have TRV's (thermoststic radiator valves) fitted to most of the radiators.

Eventhough the temperature of radiators could be adjusted individually, we sometimes feel it is either too warm or too cold depending on the outside temperature.

I was thinking of installing a wall mounted wireless room thermostat so that an ideal temp. could be set.

My queries are:

1. Would it be ideal for me to install a room thermostat and what does it consist of ? ( I read somewhere about a receiver or so...:question:)
2. Can I have it installed to work with my current boiler?
3. If yes, how much is it going to cost me to install one?
4. Would I need one each for both floors?
5. Would it ensure the same temperature inside all parts of the house?
6. Would it interfere with working of the timer unit OR would I have to completely stop using the timer?
7. Would I save anything on my gas usage?

Many thanks...

Pincher

The single room thermostat is meant to be placed in the coldest part of the house, usually the hallway. The idea assumes that if that part of the house is at the set point (desired temperature), then the rest of the house must be the same or warmer.

So having achieved pervasive balminess, the thermostat justifiably tells the boiler to switch off completely, thus saving on gas consumption. The TRVs in each room already allows you to locally control the temperature, so a second room thermostat upstairs is unnecessary.

There are now portable RF thermostats that you can take anywhere. So you screw the pocket holder in the usual hallway wall position, and keep the thermostat there. When you are alone in the house, and you only want to heat one room, you can put the thermostat handset on the coffee table, turn the TRV to 5, but the other rooms to 1. The thermostat will now switch the boiler on and off to maintain the temperature you tell it to for that room.

macman

Largely answered above except:
No, it does not make the temp uniform throughout the house (which it's most unlikely that you would want anyway-bedrooms are usually set a few degrees cooler than living areas)-you fine tune that with your TRV's.
It works with your existing timer, operating only when your timer has the CH on.
Personally I would spend a little bit extra on a wireless programmer, which willl alow you to control both the temp and the on/off cycles 24/7 to a more precise degree.

thomashenry_2

I recently fitted such a device to my Worcester Combi boiler. I emailed Worcester to find out the part I needed, then ordered it in from my local Parts Center, and fitted it myself, which was trivially simple. It allows very fine grained control over what temperature you'd like at different times of the day and on different days. Worcesters name for this was a 'Digistat Optimiser', and is the kind of thing macman refers to.

I wish I'd fitted it years ago!

Once you've got it, you'll need to experiment with the best place to situate it, and the best settings to use. Mine is the hallway, and during typical hours of occupancy is set to 17.5 degrees.

You do need to ensure that if the radiators primarily responsible for supplying the heat detected by the thermostat have TRVs fitted, then the TRV settings should be HIGHER than the thermostat settings, otherwise the thermostat will keep asking the boiler for heat, and never getting it.

The good thing about the system is that all heat generated in the house is now part of a controlled system - if you boil a kettle, this will release thermal energy into the house, this will have a (small) effect on the thermostat reading, which will in turn mean your boiler burns a little bit less gas.