Your house has gas central heating and a hot water system made up of a condensing combination gas boiler with a programmer and radiators in each room the majority of which are fitted with thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs).

Gas central heating systems are safe, easy to control and efficient to run. They also have several controls which can be confusing. Most gas heating systems include the following:

Programmer

The programmer is usually found in the kitchen.  The programmer switches the heating and hot water on and off at the times you choose. Most programmers allow you to set your heating and hot water to come on two times a day for example, between 8am and 10am and again at 4pm and 10pm. You can set the times using the time clock on the programmer.

If you want to wake up to a warm house, set the heating to come on 30 minutes before you get up. It’s also a good idea to set it to turn the heating off at night about one hour before you go to bed as it can take a while to cool down.

Room thermostat

This room thermostat controls the temperature of your heating system and is usually on a wall in the living room or hallway. It’s best to set it at about 18°C to 21°C. 

Radiators and Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)

The most common radiators come from wet central heating systems which have water in them.  The water moves around the radiators and is heated by the boiler.

TRVs are controls that are attached to each radiator so that you can turn the heat up or down in that room, 1 being cold 5 being hot. Keep low in the rooms you do not use often. You can also set them to 0 to turn the radiator off completely.

Boiler

The boiler heats up your hot water tank which gives you hot water. If it’s a combi boiler it heats up the water only when you turn on the hot water taps. The boiler also heats up the water that goes through the radiators.

Hot water tank (cylinder)

This provides you with all the hot water in the house. Most hot water tanks have a thermostat which is best set at 60°C.  A hot water tank should have insulation around it to keep the heat in it. The insulation should be 8cm or more.