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Working from home - how to avoid excessive gas bill this winter?
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Apologies if already mentioned as I have not read the whoe thread - you don't have TRVs downstairs but do the rads have manual valves? If so, you could turn those down/off when not needed - less convenient than using TRVs perhaps but also no extra cost to buy.0
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Be positive: think of it as preparation for the 3 day heating week that some of us are old enough to remember. I was fortunate enough to have three cold days at work followed by three days at home every two weeks. I recall, it was a very cold Winter.0
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macman said:The cost of the TRV's is trivial, maybe £12 each, and you can fit them yourself very easily. Ten minutes each?
They'll also save you money outside of office hours with their greater controlability.
I thought it required draining the system.0 -
Consider getting a smart thermostat system with wireless trvs. Then you can set programs not just for the whole house but on a per room basis. You can also easily override anything from your phone.
There will be an upfront cost but I strongly believe it will be recouped either this winter or over next winter. And you can enjoy better comfort and lower bills.
Many systems exist - tado, Drayton wiser, Evohome. Varying costs and abilities. I'm going for Drayton wiser because it still works if internet is down, no monthly fee, reasonable price to get setup, and lots of extra bits available should I want them (control for UF or electric heaters for example)
It will require trvs on the radiators missing them for best control. Might need a heating engineers help for this.1 -
ariarnia said:i agree with victor about considering the thermostatic room heater. before now i've used an oil filled radiator (only about £20 for a small one) to heat one room. its got a thermostat so if the room is warm then i turn the heating off when the kids and OH go out then it only pops on every now and then (which is actually normally just often enough to remind me to go make a cup of tea and stretch my legs
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k_man said:macman said:The cost of the TRV's is trivial, maybe £12 each, and you can fit them yourself very easily. Ten minutes each?
They'll also save you money outside of office hours with their greater controlability.
I thought it required draining the system.
It's not a massive job if you're handy, but it's not trivial either.3.6 kW PV in the Midlands - 9x Sharp 400W black panels - 6x facing SE and 3x facing SW, Solaredge Optimisers and Inverter. 400W Derril Water (one day). Octopus Flux0 -
Raxiel said:k_man said:macman said:The cost of the TRV's is trivial, maybe £12 each, and you can fit them yourself very easily. Ten minutes each?
They'll also save you money outside of office hours with their greater controlability.
I thought it required draining the system.
It's not a massive job if you're handy, but it's not trivial either.0 -
If you have an annual service for your boiler it's a good time to do the valve change..0
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kingkano said:
Many systems exist - tado, Drayton wiser, Evohome. Varying costs and abilities. I'm going for Drayton wiser because it still works if internet is down, no monthly fee, reasonable price to get setup, and lots of extra bits available should I want them (control for UF or electric heaters for example)
https://support.tado.com/en/articles/3387221-what-is-auto-assist0 -
BUFF said:kingkano said:
Many systems exist - tado, Drayton wiser, Evohome. Varying costs and abilities. I'm going for Drayton wiser because it still works if internet is down, no monthly fee, reasonable price to get setup, and lots of extra bits available should I want them (control for UF or electric heaters for example)
https://support.tado.com/en/articles/3387221-what-is-auto-assist
Evohome is very expensive but very nice. Can operate completely offline if necessary.
Hive is expensive and push the sub pretty hard from my reading.
Wiser will still work even if the internet fails, but you cannot access the app features like turning heating off from work. But your heating will follow the normal program and carry on. However, it's not as modern as some others, app is a bit dated etc.
Those are the main players that do wireless trvs I believe. It's a rabbit hole though that's for sure!
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