A thermostatic radiator valve is a self-regulating valve which controls the heat to an individual radiator in a home.
The benefit to a thermostatic radiator valve is that they can balance the heat in each room of your house. Without them, heat is dispersed throughout the house depending on what the temperature is in the room of your thermostat.
Temperature in rooms can vary for many reasons including the amount of people in the room and the time of day. The sun may shine through your bedroom window in the morning and living room in the evening, creating a green house effect in those rooms. This is why it’s beneficial to have thermostatic radiator valve, as it will regulate the radiator depending on the rooms temperature.
As the temperature in a room increase, the valve will slowly start closing, limiting the amount of how water able to pass into the radiator, and therefore limiting the heat given off. This way, you can set a maximum temperature of a room. For example, you may set a very low temperature in a spare room which is not used very much.
Digital thermostatic radiator valves are now available which are more efficient and cost effective as you’re able to set your desired temperature depending on the time of day. This way you can set your home’s temperature nice and warm for when you come back from work and slightly cooler when you go to bed.
Thermostatic radiator valves aren’t particularly expensive, they can vary in price from £3 to £60. Though because of their cost-effective self-regulation, they save about 17% a year off your heating bill, so you can make you money back in only a few years. They’re also the choice for those of us who are environmentally conscious as reduce CO2 emissions.
Top tip: When taking off a radiator (e.g. for decorating or flushing your radiator) ensure that you replace the head of your thermostatic valve to the cover that comes with the thermostat. Otherwise once the radiator is removed, if the thermostat head is left on the valve, when the temperature falls the thermostat will automatically open allowing water to run onto the floor.
