Timersand controls Save energy – get in the zone
The energy price cap rose around 10% for a typical home from 1 October this year, meaning the average annual dual-fuel energy bill for households is set to rise to £1,717.
H ere, Matt Parton, product
development manager with ESP and Sangamo, looks at zone controlled heating as a means of conserving energy consumption.
With energy efficiency top of the agenda for homeowners, the ability to operate and control separate heating zones within a residential property is a way of increasing efficiency and reducing energy use and utility costs. Traditionally, UK heating systems and controls typically mean that the whole property will be heated when a call for heat is made from the system’s thermostat. For a certain size of property, however, heating is only required on one floor of a property or another at a given time, depending on the occupant’s routines. Therefore, heating the whole property based on one thermostat is not efficient.
Modern day heating systems for certain sizes of properties are now encouraged to have separated heating zones controlled independently in order to increase efficiency and reduce utility cost. In essence, heating systems should have the flexibility to only heat the property when and where it is required.
Part L
The Building Regulations which cover the energy performance of new and existing buildings have been subject to change in recent years with the approval of Part L (or Document L), which focuses on energy efficiency and outlines the minimum standards for insulation, heating systems and overall energy performance.
The new regulations officially came into effect on 15 June 2022 and require higher performance targets on all residential property builds and extensions, with further, more stringent regulations due to follow in 2025 as part of the government’s Future Home Standard. Part L of the Building Regulations states that, “for wet
heating systems in new dwellings with a floor area of 150 sq m or greater, a minimum of two independently controlled heating circuits should be provided”.
Programmable thermostat A programmable thermostat is one way of controlling and operating separate heating zones in a property. The Sangamo three channel programmable thermostat kit, for example, is suitable for properties with two-zoned heating systems. The kit comprises two RF programmable room thermostats to control heating for two zones and the control of hot water, and the supplied receiver which is complete with three independent channels – two for heating zones and one for hot water.
The thermostat’s scheduling capabilities mean that when a call for heat or hot water is made, it requires it to be within a specific time and a specific temperature. Up to six on and off periods per day can be programmed. Another key energy efficiency feature is the OWD (Open
Window Detection) function. This is enabled in the parameter settings and uses sudden changes in temperature or humidity to detect if a window is open and switches off the heating until the window is closed to save energy. Easy installation and ease of programming and operation makes these an ideal solution for installers. The thermostats control the receiver via radio frequency, so there is no need for cable runs, and they can be powered either by replaceable batteries or USB-C power source. With energy prices already around 50% higher than they were before the energy crisis began three years ago, this winter will be a challenging time for many households. Zone control is a relatively simple concept and one that installers can advise on and easily create for their customers.
ewnews.co.uk
December 2024 electrical wholesaler | 25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
