Thermostatic radiator valves—or TRVs—are an ideal solution for optimal control over the temperature of the radiators in every room around the house. Once fitted with thermostatic valves, your radiators allow you to regulate the heating in your home with ease and precision. The end result is better comfort and significant savings through lower heating bills.
What Are Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs)?
TRVs are small but very useful parts that can be fitted directly onto a radiator. Each consists of a valve, a sensor, and a handle for manual control. Any hot-water radiator can be fitted with a thermostatic valve, regardless of the type of central heating: solar-powered, oil, gas, wood, or heat pump.
How Do TRVs Work?
In practice, TRVs control the flow of hot water that moves into the radiator. These valves, therefore, allow you to easily and efficiently regulate the level of temperature in each room in the home.
Thermostatic valves allow you to optimise this temperature control further than you would be able to with a simple thermostat adjustment. In fact, thermostatic valves allow you to regulate the temperature of each radiator in each room independently.
What Are the Different Types of Thermostatic Valves?
There are three main types of TRVs: manual, electronic, and smart thermostatic radiator valves. Let’s delve deeper into their respective characteristics.
Manual TRVs
Manual radiator valves are the most common model found in homes throughout Europe. To use them and adjust the temperature, you simply turn the handle. This type of traditional TRV typically has 5 settings, allowing you to adjust the temperature between 15°C and 23°C. Most models also have an anti-freeze function.
Electronic TRVs
With their digital screens, electronic thermostatic radiator valves offer a higher degree of precision. The valve includes an electronic sensor that automatically regulates the room temperature according to a programmed schedule.
Smart TRVs
Last but not least, connected or smart radiator valves support automatic management through a dedicated mobile app. These models allow you to control the temperature remotely and optimise your energy consumption according to your lifestyle, providing personalised comfort and promoting more efficient energy management practices.
Logically, however, a connected system is slightly more expensive. That said, thermostatic radiator valves last a very long time (usually at least fifteen years), so investing in an advanced model is typically a very cost-effective decision.
What Are the Benefits of Thermostatic Radiator Valves?
Electronic and smart TRVs are installed in place of the manual valves typically found on hot-water radiators. This simple and cost-effective improvement to your home is compatible with any hot water heating system, including communal boilers and furnaces!
Thanks to this more advanced version of the thermostatic radiator valve, the temperature in each room is regulated according to your presence and requirements, as well as passive or free sources of heat, such as the degrees gained when the sun hits a bay window.
Fitting your radiators with TRVs offers three main advantages: comfort, energy efficiency, and savings on energy bills.
Pleasant, Gentle and Regulated Heating
Installing thermostatic radiator valves lets you fine-tune the heating in your home. So, you can better control the temperature levels that your radiators emit to maximise thermal comfort.
These thermostatic radiator valves allow you to specifically adjust the heating levels for each radiator in each room so that they perfectly suit your heating needs.
Energy Efficiency
Precise heating control allows you to save energy in your radiator usage. Reducing our energy consumption is key for protecting the environment, as well as for bringing the price of our energy bills down.
TRVs allow you to avoid overheating certain rooms and to maintain pleasant levels of heating exactly how and when you need it. Adjusting your home radiators to match your actual needs is, therefore, beneficial for many reasons.
Savings on Your Energy Bills
Reducing the energy you use for radiator heating naturally means you can bring the price of your home heating bills down. Installing thermostatic radiator valves really supports energy savings, regardless of the energy efficiency levels of your home central heating system.
Optimising your energy consumption thanks to thermostatic radiator valves is a great way to optimise the price of your energy bill, too.
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Netatmo Smart Radiator Valves let you change the heating levels of all the radiators in your home, room by room! Remote control allows you to optimise your heating wherever you are. You can even turn on your radiators as needed, so your heating is all set up for when you get home from work or from a trip away!
Are There Any Downsides to Installing TRVs?
While highly effective in adjusting temperatures in each individual room, thermostatic valves do have some limitations when it comes to how much energy they can save. This is especially true for electronic models. Using them can only reduce energy usage by about 5 per cent because they do not regulate the temperature through the central boiler system that controls heating throughout the home. This can lead to losses in energy efficiency, particularly when certain rooms are heated unnecessarily.
However, adding a smart thermostat to your installation lets you independently centralise temperature management in each room. Connected systems optimise energy efficiency by switching off the heat in the main room as soon as the desired temperature is reached, leaving the TRVs to fine-tune the settings in every other area of the home.
How Do You Install Thermostatic Radiator Valves?
To install your thermostatic radiator valves yourself, rather than getting a handyman to come in to install the valves on your radiators for you, you’ll need to follow these steps:
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Drain the radiators and central heating circuit as needed
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Disassemble the current faucet, making sure to collect any water that might run out
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Unscrew the nut connecting the old valve to the radiator
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Secure the new valve in place of the old valve
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Seal in the new valve
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Tighten the plastic ring on the new valve to affix it onto the radiator
If you are unsure how to proceed, you can also call upon a professional to install your TRVs for about €50.
With Netatmo Smart Thermostatic Valveshermostatic Valves, you can control your home heating with super levels of precision. Smart programming lets you go above and beyond in your home heating regulation.
How Much Do Thermostatic Radiator Valves Cost?
The most basic types of thermostatic radiator valves carry the lowest price tag, but do offer lower levels of potential heating regulation. Plus, they’re much less precise than more modern thermostatic radiator valves.
Higher-priced thermostatic radiator valves will offer more modern designs (possibly digital rather than manual), wider programming ranges, and improved heating regulation. These more modern thermostatic radiator valves will often also offer remote programming options.
If you’re looking to have your thermostatic radiator valves installed by a handyman, you’ll need to factor in the cost of installation as well. Check out the steps above if you’d like to take care of installing your thermostatic radiator valves yourself.
Overall, you can expect to pay between 30£ and 200£ for all thermostatic radiator valves, excluding installation.
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Netatmo TRVs stand out from the competition thanks to their numerous smart functionalities and our free, user-friendly energy management app. These thermostatic valves use external data to enhance the automated decision-making process. The Open Window Detection functionality, for instance, automatically turns off the radiators in a room where the windows were left open. As for the Auto-Adapt function, it optimises heating according to the outside temperature and the thermal characteristics of your home.
Installing thermostatic radiator valves is a smart, modern option for controlling and optimising your home heating. With manual and digital options to choose from, there are thermostatic radiator valves to suit every price range. A sleek, modern look in white or nickel makes thermostatic radiator valves a subtle addition to your home heating, letting you control exactly how and when your radiators emit heating into your home. Save energy and save on your bills!