Timers and room thermostats
Timers and room thermostats
Timers and room thermostats can help you keep your home warm without wasting energy.
This page gives you some advice about setting the timer for your heating and hot water and using your room thermostat.
Timers
You can use your timer or programmer to control when your heating and hot water comes on and when it goes off.
The less time you have the heating and hot water on, the more money you will save.
How to set your timer to save energy
There are lots of different types of heating and hot water timers so you might want to read the instructions for your timer.
If you do not have the instructions, you might be able to find them on the internet, or ask someone you trust to help you.
1. Plan ahead
Think about when you need the heating on.
You might not need the heating on at night, or if everyone is out at work or school.
On some timers you can set different times for different days.
2. Include warm up and cool down times
It takes time for a house to heat up after the heating comes on and will take time to cool down after the heating goes off.
The average house will take about 30 minutes to heat up or cool down, but every home is different.
It will depend on the type of boiler and radiators you have and how big your rooms are.
When the weather is cold, it might take longer for your room to heat up.
When the weather is cold, you might want to set your heating to come on earlier.
3. Hot water
Set your water to heat up only when you need it.
You might find that the hot water in your tank or boiler from the morning stays hot enough to use in the evening.
Room thermostats
Room thermostats stop your home from getting too hot.
Room thermostats let the room warm up to the temperature you have set, and then switches the heating off until the temperature drops.
Your room thermostat should be set to the lowest temperature which is comfortable for you. Most people choose a temperature between 18°C and 21°C.
There is a helpful video that you can watch about how to use your room and radiator thermostats.
How to get help
You can get help and advice on our
website
A website is a page you can go to on the internet like Google or YouTube.
at www.mencap.org.uk/COL
If you are worried about money, contact our Learning Disability A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. Helpline:
- Call us Monday to Friday on 0808 808 1111
- Email us at helpline@mencap.org.uk
Thank you to British Gas Energy Trust for funding.