What are they?
Programmable controls provide a comfortable living environment within your home and help to minimize domestic heating bills. Temperature data from thermostats and sensors is fed back to the boiler maximizing operating economy. These controls also give you a wide choice of control options to further optimize heating efficiency and fuel economy. Many of these functions can be set up by the installer and left alone. Those requiring homeowner inputs are very easy to operate.
How do they work?
Programmable controls are either fitted into the fascia of the boiler or wall mounted in a convenient location within the home. The thermostats in the heating zones and outside sensors are then linked to the boiler.
There are three areas of control that greatly improve the economy of your boiler:
- Load compensation
This reduces the temperature of hot water going to radiators as the target room temperature is approached, cutting back energy consumption.
- Advanced timing control
Offers different settings for groups of days of the week and three switching periods per day. Summer and winter settings, holiday mode, hot water advance and temporary over-ride options all further help to optimize boiler use, maximize your home comfort and reduce energy consumption.
- Weather compensation
With this option, outside sensors measure temperature changes and adjust the boiler performance to maintain the desired inside temperature, allowing your boiler to operate with maximum efficiency.
How energy efficient are they?
Correctly setting up controls of any type will help you to reduce your energy consumption. With daily switching period settings, seasonal settings, load compensation and weather compensation all maximizing efficiency, Vaillant estimates that a further 5%-10% saving on energy bills can be achieved with the use of programmable controls.
Are they suitable for your home?
All of these control options are available for use with all Vaillant high efficiency boilers in houses with one heating zone. Some controls are suitable for houses with two heating zones – for example independently controlled upstairs and downstairs areas. With an additional accessory, programmable controls can also be used with sealed system boilers and open vented boilers with hot water cylinders.
