TRVs-What sort of savings

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pennypincher

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I've read through some of the previous posts on Thermostatic Radiator Valves,but didn't find any info on what sort of savings could be made ,other than generally knowing you're saving something because some of the water returns hotter to the boiler therefore requiring less heat,is there anything a bit better than that?For example if it's costing me 100 Euro a month to heat the rads at present what would the TRVs reduce this by?I'm not expecting to save 000's but I would like to think it's worth doing financially
 
There is no answer to your question. To many factors are involved to calculate the exact savings in €s per investment sum.
One major point is that the comfort level increases with an even, not frequently changing room temperature. This can cause two different behaviors of the occupants: a.) they turn down the room temperature-the thermostat- and save money or b.) they enjoy the higher temperature as it is.
In most cases both happens.
 
As Heinbloed says it is not easy to put euros on this without knowing much more about your situation but suffice to say in almost all cases there wil be a payback on the investment in a relatively short space of time
 
Someone suggested to me that there is a difference in terms of the quality of particular makes of TRV's. I would have assumed that this would be a fairly standard sort of product and there would be no major difference. When i got round to it, i planned on buying the cheapest there was.

Anyone got any experiences?
 
I would hope some worthwhile savings could be made,if I could re-coup the cost of the investment and only have more comfortable rooms then that would be fine,If I could actually save money ongoing then that would be great,I have nine rads in the house all doubles,the living area takes a while to heat up as it's quite large but the sitting room is to hot,I can adjust it manually but it's a pain...
 
To Serotoninsid: the cheapest ones are not neccessary the best-neither are the expensive ones. Get a reputeable brand, keep the receipt and look out for the guarantee time. Some manufacturers give more then the standard two years. The problem with a defect TRV lies not in the loss of mney/replacement costs(they're cheap enough) but in the working hours the plumber would charge you for the job.
So to keep these (maybe) re-occuring costs low go for a standard product.
The standard TRV has a standard valve. Only the temperature sensor and the expansion cartridge differ from other products - as well as price and design. So once a standard valve has been fitted to the radiator and the sensor breaks down the valve can be left on the radiator. Only the handle containing the sensor and the expansion cartridge would have to be exchanged. No mess with dirty water, the system stays closed during that operation. So you could change the design of the TRV all the time whenever you wish, upgrading from a manual to a fully remote controlled one with a timer if you wish.

To Pennypincher: Most EU countries have a binding paragraph in their building regulations demanding TRVs on all radiators. It would be illegal not to have them installed. No planning permission, similar to the rules for the insulated window glazing. It really makes financial sense to install TRVs, these laws are not made to employ the plumbers.To whom it wouldn't matter if he installs a TRV or a simple tap valve, the job is the same.
 
Heinbloed,I'm convinced by all I've read so far,just one last question before I buy,do I need a Bi-Directionall flow valve.What is it etc....
Also to get the best out of them do I need to leave the heating on for longer or maybe all of the daytime as the rads now keep the temperature,so even though the heating is on it won't actually burn any gas until one of the rads requires more hot water?
 
To Pennypincher:
About the bi-directional flow valve- I don't know. It depends on the layout of your heating system, where the pipes end, where they go. Usually the pipe feeding the radiator sits on one side of it and the pipe leaving the radiator sits on the other side of it. But there are also installations where
the both pipes would sit at one and the same side, here you MIGHT need a speciall valve.
Collins DIY book deals with these situations and explains them better then me, check your library or invest in it yourself.
Good luck.
 
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