Frequently Asked Questions

You may already have a full set of heating contols in your home - but are you getting the best from them? Take a little time to find out what each control does using our quick guide below and you could save money and valuable energy. If you do have any of these controls already refer to the instruction manuals that came with them, for specific advice on your particular make and model. If you don't have any manuals to hand, copies can usually be downloaded from manufacturer's website.

Programmers allow you to set when the heating and hot water come 'On' and go 'Off' again. By installing a programmer, and heating your home and hot water only as and when necessary, you will save energy and money.

A room thermostat constantly measures the air temperature of a space and can be set to whatever temperature suits you best. They are usually in halls, stairs or landing areas to sense the temperature of a home's main living spaces. When the temperature falls below the setting, the thermostat switches on the central heating; once the room reaches the set temperature, the thermostat switches the heating off. Please note that the timer or programmer needs to be switched on for the thermostat to work.

A programmable room thermostat lets you choose the times you want your home to be heated and the temperature you want it to reach while it is on. In other words, it allows you to heat rooms or the whole house to different temperatures in your home at appropriate times of the day and week. And again, by heating your home and hot water only as and when necessary, it can save energy and money too.

A cylinder thermostat keeps a constant check on the temperature of the water in a hot-water cylinder. It switches the heat supply from the boiler on and off as necessary to keep the water at a set temperature. Installing a cylinder thermostat could save you up to £20 and 110kg of CO2 a year.

TRVs sense the air temperature around them and regulate the flow of hot water entering the radiators to keep a set temperature in a room. Again, they can help you save money and energy - by allowing temperatures in some rooms than in others, and to turn off the heating in rooms that aren't used. In the majority of cases TRVs can not turn off the boiler when the whole house has reached the right temperature. To do that, you will need a room thermostat as well. Radiators in the space containing the room thermostat should not normally have TRVs. But if they do, you should keep the TRVs on their highest possible settings, and set the room thermostat to the required temperature instead. By installing TRVs, you could save around £10 a year and around 45kg of CO2 a year.

Hot advice - programmable thermostats, room thermostats and TRVs all need a free flow of air to sense the temperature. They should not be covered by curtains or blocked by furniture. Nearby sources of heat such as lamps could also stop them from working properly.

This usually means you have sludge build up in the bottom of the radiator. This can be resolved by power flushing the system. However, before taking any action we recommend that you seek our expert advice totally FREE.

This usually means that there is air trapped in the top of your radiator. You may want to try to bleed the radiator to release the air. However, we suggest that you have your central heating checked by an expert in case there are any underlying system problems.

This usually means that your central heating system is incorrectly balanced. This results in the hot water not flowing evenly to each radiator. We suggest that you have an expert check your central heating system.

Older combination boilers often have a lower flow rate than newer models. This can be made worse by a build up of scale in the boiler over time. In this situation we suggest that you have an expert check your boiler and central heating system.

To make sure that you choose the right boiler or full central heating system for your home you can arrange for one of our friendly experienced engineers to visit you.We will give you a free, detailed quotation, not an estimate, which is tailored specifically to your needs.

We recommend that you have your boiler serviced annually. This will ensure that it is working at maximum performance and safety.

You can save up to 40% on your heating bills but this depends on the size of your home, how often you use your heating system what insulation you have in your home and the type of boiler you have fitted. We offer free site surveys where we can assess your requirements and give you a more accurate idea of what you could save.

The installation of a new system does involve new pipework being fitted and heating controls being installed. We aim to ensure that disruption in your home is kept to a minimum, we will keep you updated on our progress at all times.

We employ our own team of highly skilled and fully qualified engineers, all of which have to be registered with GAS SAFE REGISTER.

Benchmark is an initiative launched to improve quality within the heating industry. All competent heating installers should be aware of benchmark standards. Virtually every boiler sold in the UK comes with its own log book which should be fully completed by the installer and handed to you once your new boiler has been installed and commissioned. This log book becomes your certificate of compliance with all relevant building regulations and also is your guarantee. No certificate no guarantee.