How often do you leave appliances and electronic equipment on standby? Or you switch off the item, but don’t turn off at the wall socket. It can be difficult to reach that socket behind the TV! But are you aware that even if a product is not in use, it could still be drawing electricity?
Entertainment systems are typically the biggest energy drains in the house, consuming electricity 24/7. It is estimated that, left on standby, one system could be costing approximately £60 per year.
Belkin’s recently introduced a range of “Conserve” products could help this issue of wasted energy and increased electricity bills. Take a look at the Conserve Smart AV™ Auto-Off Surge Protector as a solution for your entertainment equipment.
We also particularly like the “Conserve Socket”, a portable socket that includes a timer which automatically switches the power off after a selected time interval – 30 minutes, 3 hours, or 6 hours. This prevents items such as electric toothbrushes or chargers for mobile phones, power tools or digital cameras to be left on charge unnecessarily.
This new collection of energy efficient products is available from high street retailers.
Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
The unit is very easy to install and setup. Simply remove your existing TRV head, fit the eTRV to the appropriate supplied base-ring and spacer (compatible with either existing 28mm or 30mm valves on your radiator). Then screw the unit to the radiator valve, vertically or horizontally, depending on the way the existing valve was pointing.
The manufacturer claims that the eTRV is compatible with thermostatic valves made by Barlo, Braukmann, Drayron, Honeywell, Landis & Gyr DuoGyr, Myson, Pegler, Regis (B&Q), Siemens and many others. It is also compatible with Danfoss RA, RAV or RAVL valves, but special adaptors will need to be fitted (not supplied as standard).
Before: standard mechanical Myson TRV
In our case, we replaced a Myson valve with an eTRV.
Programming the eTRV
Next, pop the supplied batteries into the remote control and the eTRV unit. The unit will start to function straight away as it comes with pre-programmed temperature and control settings stored in its memory. You can also program your eTRV to suit your own requirements for that individual room.
The eTRV has some simple energy saving features (1-hour boost, Sleep etc) and an intuitive remote control.
With 4 programmable temperature levels (Off, Low, Economy or Comfort) and a built-in 7 day timer with 3 daily heating customisable programmes every day, the eTRV gives you plenty of options. For example, you could heat a bedroom to a Comfort level in the morning, and to an Economy level in the evening. And turn the heating to Low levels or Off during the day when not in use, while still heating other rooms in the house.
eTRV remote control
Use the small, handy remote control to operate the eTRV and check its settings, such as the actual room temperature.
We believe that the remote control will be beneficial to users with back problems or mobility issues as it reduces the need to bend over to check or adjust the temperature on radiators.
Accurate temperature control
Designed to limit wasteful overheating of rooms, the eTRV has two embedded sensors working together (one monitoring the temperature of the water entering the radiator, one monitoring the ambient temperature of the room) to maximise the temperature control. This is a big improvement on standard mechanical TRVs.
Save potentially up to 25% off the cost of your heating bill
The British manufacturer of these new eTRV devices claims that if one is installed on each radiator in a property it could save the average UK household up to 25% off the cost of its heating bill.
Furthermore, general consumer advice suggests a 1°C reduction in thermostat settings can result in energy savings of up to 10%.
Other benefits
The eTRV “exercises” the valve weekly, which prolongs the valve’s life: some radiator valves can get stuck after long periods without moving.
And if buying British is important to you, then the eTRV has been developed, designed, patented and manufactured in the UK.
Cost of an eTRV
At the time of writing this blog, an eTRV costs approximately £60 and a remote control £12.
If you would like Chez-Vous Property Services to source and supply eTRVs for you, please contact us.
And finally!
Here’s budding young presenter Daniel to explain that installing an eTRV really is as simple as child’s play!
Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
With heating responsible for around 50 percent of an average family’s energy bill in the UK, unsurprisingly there is an array of carbon emission reduction and cost-saving devices available on the market. Recently, the Innovation Award winning new electronic Thermostatic Radiator Valve (eTRV) caught the eye of Chez-Vous Property Services.
The eTRV, a simple to install DIY kit, is retrofitted to most radiators which have existing TRVs in place, and regulates your domestic central heating performance. TRVs are the mechanical devices with digits connected to your radiator that you turn clockwise or anti-clockwise to adjust the required temperature for each room.
The British manufacturer of these new eTRV devices claims that if one is installed on each radiator in the property it could save the average UK household up to 25% off the cost of its heating bill.
Always on the lookout for simple, cost-effective and easy to implement solutions for our clients, Chez-Vous Property Services has decided to test a unit and then share our findings on its usability with you. If we like the device, then we’ll be happy to recommend it.
Chez-Vous Property Services provides plumbing, bathroom, heating and electrical services in and around Wokingham, Bracknell, Ascot, Reading, Maidenhead and other locations in East Berkshire. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
There are many simple ways to save energy in and around the home. We cover some easy tips that you can put in place to improve efficiency and save money, from the kitchen to the garden.
Turn appliances off standby
The average household wastes £30 a year simply by leaving appliances on standby.
to turn off an appliance completely, use the power switch on the appliance itself or turn it off at the plug
if a charger or power pack is warm or has a light on, it’s probably using power.
In the kitchen
boil a kettle with only as much water as you need
cover pots and pans when cooking – they will boil a lot quicker
defrost your freezer regularly
let hot food cool before putting it in the fridge or freezer
there’s emerging research that using a microwave rather than a conventional oven to heat up a small amount of food may save you energy.
Washing clothes
washing clothes at 30 degrees can be just as effective for a normally soiled load
run your washing machine or dishwasher with full loads
avoid tumble drying – dry clothes outdoors or on indoor dryers when possible to save money and energy. Turning off your tumble dryer during the summer months could save you around £16 a year.
Lighting
use energy efficient light bulbs – if every UK home installed three of them, it would save enough energy to power all the UK’s street lights
a 20 watt energy efficient bulb can save £60 over its lifetime compared to a standard 100 watt bulb
remember to switch the lights off every time you leave a room.
Garden
set up a water butt for the garden – you could collect 100-200 litres of rainwater in a water butt to use for watering plants, cleaning the car, and other outside water needs
start a compost heap – it reduces waste going to landfill and cuts associated greenhouse gas emissions. And your flowers and vegetables will flourish on free fertiliser.
Keeping the cost of your heating down can be a challenge, when winters are cold, utility charges are increasing and you are feeling the chill!
So here are some simple things that you can do to avoid wasting heat and to try to reduce those heating bills.
Heat your home effectively
Turning the heating off in the whole house is not an effective solution in cold weather. Instead, be efficient about which spaces you heat and how.
• Set the right temperature: usually between 18°C (bedrooms) and 21°C (living rooms). Simply by reducing the thermostat temperature by 1°C is enough to save up to 10% of your annual heating costs and you will barely notice the temperature drop.
• Keep your heating constant: a consistent, low setting is most efficient. This ensures that the boiler does not constantly re-ignite, reducing gas consumption.
• Don’t overheat unused rooms: turn the radiator down or off in rooms that aren’t used often, and keep doors closed
• Don’t overheat the kitchen: this is likely to be one of the warmest rooms in your house due to cooking appliances. So the radiator probably doesn’t need to be on a high setting.
• Set your hot water cylinder to 60°C: avoids overheating water. (Read “Setting your hot water cylinder thermostat to 60°C makes health and financial sense!” for more reasons why this is important.)
• Replace light bulbs: use CFL (energy-efficient) light bulbs. They will last considerably longer and save you money
Make your radiators work for you
Leave plenty of space around radiators:
• Radiator thermostats react to the air temperature surrounding them so other sources of heat should not be placed nearby e.g televisions, lamps, etc.
• Putting furniture in front of a radiator means it will need to work harder to heat the room.
• Don’t cover your radiators or use them to dry wet clothes as this prevents heat reaching the rest of the room
Reflect the heat: put heat-reflective foil behind radiators on outside walls (specially-designed radiator foil is available from DIY stores and not too expensive). This will reflect the heat back into the room, rather than letting the wall absorb it.
Add thermostatic valves to all your radiators: only turn them on in the rooms you use frequently and ensure you keep all the doors closed!
Use an electronic heating timer: it’s worth taking the time to understand how this works and use it correctly to efficiently heat your home and water.
Dress warmly: wearing adequate clothing indoors means that you could turn your thermostat down by a couple of degrees and still be warm enough. Several layers of clothes are far more effective at keeping you warm than one thick jumper.
Insulate your home
Insulating the walls, roof, loft, water tank, pipes and floors of your home can make an enormous difference to your heating bills. Around 40% of all heat loss is through the walls of an average UK home.
• Ensure your loft is insulated to a depth of at least 25cm. A well insulated loft can reduce heating bills by about 20%
• Check cavity walls are fully insulated.
You may be eligible for government assistance to insulate your home if you are over a certain age or meet other low-income criteria. Find out more from Directgov.
Prevent draughts!
Research suggests that around 20% of the heat in an average home is lost through ventilation and draughts.
• Fill all gaps: install draught-excluding brushes in letterboxes, and ensure that all windows, doors, keyholes and cat-flaps are adequately insulated.
• Stop heat escaping up the chimney: if you never use your fireplace, close-off the opening to prevent cold air coming in and warm air escaping!
• Close curtains and blinds: rooms are warmed by the sun, so during colder months close your curtains at sunset to keep heat in.
Keep an eye on your energy suppliers
• Switch energy supplier or tariff: could you save money by switching energy suppliers? Research by Ofgem found that around 46% of us have either never switched suppliers, or have done so only once. Alternatively, find out if you can get a better tariff with your existing provider. Try MoneySavingExpert.com for more information.
• Pay by direct debit: if you have chosen the best supplier and tariff, could you save money on the way you pay the bills? Government figures indicate that approximately 40% of customers still pay gas and electricity bills by cash, cheque or debit card. Whereas, paying by direct debit means you could make a typical annual saving of £55 for gas and £46 for electricity.
• Check meter readings: don’t forget to check estimated bills against your actual meter readings. If the estimate is too high then contact the energy provider, give them the correct reading and get a revised bill.
If you would like help with any plumbing, heating and electrical issues or projects, then please call Chez-Vous Property Services to talk to your Berkshire plumber and electrician on 0118 9770215.
The temperature setting on the hot water cylinder thermostat is something that most people don’t give much thought to – some don’t even know it exists. Indeed, when was the last time you checked the temperature on your thermostat?
As a Berkshire plumbing company, we see so many thermostats that are set either too high or too low. So why is 60°C the right temperature and why is it so important?
Why 60°C?
Current UK recommended best practice states that 60 degrees Celsius is the optimum acceptable temperature setting for the thermostat on your hot water heater. Heating hard water above approximately 63°C causes lime-scale to build-up (see photos). So when the temperature is set too high, the resulting scale accumulation reduces the efficiency and the working life of the hot water cylinder. This obviously has financial implications for your utility bills, not to mention the cost of replacing the cylinder more frequently.
And, critically, where the temperature is set too low, there is an increased risk of growth of Legionella bacteria, which can lead to very serious health problems, including severe pneumonia!
6 good reasons to set the hot water cylinder thermostat at 60°C!
Prevent lime-scale build-up
Prevent Legionella bacteria
Prevent scalding
Save money
Save energy
Keep noises and rattling to a minimum
Changing the thermostat temperature
The thermostat has a gauge on the outside that can be raised or lowered either manually or using an appropriate tool.
Combination boilers usually have a hot water temperature setting. Standard systems using a hot water cylinder (usually found in the airing cupboard) have a thermostat mounted on the side and this should be preset to 60 degrees.
If there is no thermostat, then the system is older and it is the thermostat in the boiler that will control the hot water temperature. During colder months you may find that if you turn this down low enough for hot water at a moderate temperature, then the radiators may not be warm enough. The solution to this problem would be a system upgrade.
If your water is heated by electric immersion heater – this is fitted to your hot water cylinder as either the only method of heating your hot water, or as a backup to the central heating boiler – it contains an internal thermostat which also controls the temperature of the water, switching the current on and off as required. The temperature should have been set to 60 degrees when it was installed although this is not always the case. If you are unsure of the current settings, ask a qualified plumber to check it for you.
Water cylinder thermostat positioning
The placement of the thermostat on your hot water cylinder is also very important. The recommended position is at a height of between one quarter to one third of the way up from the cylinder base. This correct position ensures adequate hot water for your household needs.
Important: for reasons of safety, please ensure that any changes to your system are carried out by a qualified plumber .
If you would like more information about the points raised in this article, or would like help with any other plumbing, heating and electrical issues or projects, then please call Chez-Vous Property Services to talk to a Berkshire plumber and electrician on 0118 9770215.
According to BBC weather forecasts, another cold snap is on its way in a winter that looks set to be the coldest for at least 13 years.
So it is critical to ensure that your home will be keeping you warm and secure from the elements outside, rather than causing you plumbing nightmares inside with frozen pipes and water leaks!
Last week, we covered five tips to protect your property from burst pipes and here are a further five preventative measures:
Dripping taps or faulty ball valves are signs of a problem and should be repaired as quickly as possible; even a gentle trickle of water could freeze and block the pipe.
If you have an outside tap, insulate it. You should have a stop valve on the inside of your property, Find it, open up the tap on the outside (to allow any water and ice to escape), close the valve on the inside and drain the pipe ensuring that no water remains during the winter period.
Make sure that all exposed pipes and storage systems are properly insulated, particularly in the roof space and lofts, as they are more liable to freeze in cold weather. All cold storage tanks in the loft, including central heating expansion tanks, and all water pipes, including overflows, must be insulated.Do not insulate the floor of the loft under the tanks; heat coming up from the area below should help prevent the tanks freezing. The UK recommended thickness of tank and pipe insulation is at least 50mm (2”).
a. Any water tank in the loft should be insulated around the sides and on the top with boards or insulation jackets.
b. Water pipes should be insulated with mineral wool mat (wrapped like a bandage around the pipes and secured with tape or string) or with pre-formed pipe sleeves (available to suit different sizes of pipes and special formed sections are available for taps and stopcocks). Ensure that the pipes are completely covered with no gaps. The bodies of taps and stopcocks must also be wrapped in insulation.
Protect the pipe leading to your water meter (if you have one). This tends to be in an area that is particularly vulnerable to the cold and could also freeze, blocking your water supply.
Keep the number of a reputable plumber handy.
For a plumber in Berkshire, call Chez-Vous Property Services on 0118 9770215.
In the meantime, if you would like help to protect your home against the effects of winter or have other plumbing, heating or electrical issues then please contact your Berkshire plumber at Chez-Vous Property Services, on 0118 9770215.
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Cold weather has many attractive and enjoyable attributes: winter sports; snug, cosy afternoons in front of a warm fire; sunlight glistening on frost-covered trees… But sadly cold weather can also cause problems and damage to our homes.
When a water pipe in your home freezes and bursts, then not only is it extremely inconvenient and upsetting, but also very expensive to repair. The culprit pipe itself may be relatively minor, quick and easy to repair. But it is the leaking water cascading down walls and through ceilings and floors that causes the most damage to your furniture, appliances and sentimental items. And the most heartache and frustration for you.
So please ensure that your home remains a cosy haven this cold winter: follow our series of tips and advice, prepare your home and prevent a winter burst pipe nightmare:
1. Day and night, and especially if your property is vacant, make sure that the heating is set to a minimum temperature of no less than 12 degrees Celsius. It is tempting to turn the heating right down, particularly when you are away, to save on utility bills. However, the resulting costs from burst pipes will be a lot higher than the gas or electricity bill from maintaining a low heat.
2. Ensure that you know the location of the stop valve / stop cock on the incoming water supply main, and regularly check that it works. It is usually found in the kitchen, utility room, under-stairs cupboard, ground floor bathroom or the garage – most often wherever the water pipe enters the property. Label this stop valve so that it is easily identifiable by anyone concerned.
3. If you are going away in winter and circumstances mean you must leave the heating switched off, get a plumber to drain the heating and water system of the entire property to prevent frost damage.
4. Switch the stop cock / valve off before going on holiday. Should there be a leak during your absence this will stop the flow of cold water into the property, and will prevent repeated flooding as your water tank and pipes continually refill.
5. Check your home insurance so that you understand what level of insurance you have and whether it will cover you for any emergency repairs.
Our next blog will cover more tips to help prevent burst pipes and problems in your home this winter.
In the meantime, if you are concerned about water leaks, unprotected pipes or other plumbing, heating or electrical issues then please contact your Berkshire plumber, Chez-Vous Property Services, on 0118 9770215.
How often do you leave appliances and electronic equipment on standby? Or you switch off the item, but don’t turn off at the wall socket. It can be difficult to reach that socket behind the TV! But are you aware that even if a product is not in use, it could still be drawing electricity?
