Central Heating Guide
C/H Controls Introduction
C/H Thermal Controls
C/H Valve Controls
C/H Function Controls
C/H System Replacement
C/H Controls Installation
Energy efficient home
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Heating system function controls
This section explains the range of heating system function controls that are commonly available, what they
do and why they are important.
HOT WATER CONTROLLER
Time control for on/off-peak electricity use,
which ensures that the water is heated using
electricity during off-peak periods. This time
control is not usually accessible to the user.
The control also frequently provides a separate
boost control (usually one or two hours) so
that a smaller quantity of water can be heated
during the day but using more expensive
on-peak electricity.
BOILER ENERGY MANAGER
These controls are self-contained devices that
include a number of the functions described in
this section. They usually include weather or load
compensation and sometimes also optimum start,
frost protection, night setback, anti-cycling control
and hot water control.
‘CELECT-TYPE’ ELECTRIC HEATING CONTROL
Integrated central control system for electric
storage and panel heaters that provides
programmed space temperatures at different times
of the day for a number of separate heating zones
in the dwelling. It minimises the charge period of
the storage heaters according to weather and also
controls the switching of the panel heaters.
The following control functions are often built into heating units.
Compensator
Reduces boiler water temperature for space heating
according to internal/external air temperature and
should increase the efficiency of condensing
boilers by reducing the average return water
temperature of the system.
Delayed start
Reduces energy use by delaying boiler start time
when the weather is mild.
Optimum start
Adjusts the heating start time to give the required
dwelling comfort temperature at a chosen time.
Night setback
Allows a low temperature to be maintained at night.
Provides improved comfort and reduced dwelling
warm-up time in cold weather. A programmable
room thermostat can provide this facility.
Self-adaptive function
Reduces appliance ‘on’ time by learning from
previous temperature characteristics.
Anti-cycling control
Delays boiler firing to reduce cycling frequency but
is unlikely to provide significant energy savings[7].
In some circumstances their use may reduce energy
consumption, but usually at the expense of
performance or comfort. Standalone units (those
not supplied as part of the boiler) are not generally
recommended as they provide little or no
improvement over the minimum level of control
shown in this Guide.
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