Room thermostats
- What is a room thermostat?
A room thermostat looks something like the one in the photograph here. Room thermostats can usually be found in the living room, hallway or dining room.
It controls the temperature of your whole home based on the temperature of the air circulating around the home.
- How does a room thermostat work?
When the air around it is warm enough, the thermostat sends a signal to the central heating pump and boiler to stop firing and circulating water around your pipes to your radiators. Your radiators will then cool down.
When the air around your room thermostat cools the thermostat sends another signal to the central heating pump and boiler to start heating up water again to pump around your pipes to your radiators. Your radiators will then warm up again.
Throughout the day your radiators will feel cooler and warmer to keep the temperature constant.
- What temperature should I set my room thermostat to?
It depends on you and your situation. If you're a pensioner or infirm then your room thermostat should be set at 21º-23ºC (70º-73ºF), otherwise 18º-21ºC (66º-70ºF) is fine for healthy adults. Try it and see!
- If I turn my room thermostat up will my home heat up faster?
No. It is not like a volume control! Turning it up will simply mean that it will warm up to a higher temperature. It will not warm up faster.
