Individual room temperature controls become mandatory under new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

The addition of mandatory individual room temperature controls to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is a welcome validation of best practice for the plumbing and heating industry, and also represents an extraordinary energy saving opportunity for the UK, experts in the field believe.

Article 8.1 in the EPBD will require new buildings to be equipped with self-regulating devices for individual room temperature control where technically and economically feasible. In the case of existing buildings, they will be required to install them when heat generators are replaced, and it is viable.

A recent white paper clearly shows the scale of potential energy savings across the UK from the application of readily available and highly cost-effective technologies such as Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs.).

• 9 million homes only have manual radiator valves (MRVs)
• This equates to 62 million radiators that could be upgraded from MRVs to TRVs
• A further 43 million radiators with old TRVs could be economically upgraded to newer models.
• The annual energy saving would be 23 TWh, preventing 4 million tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere each year
• UK householders would save a total of £1.4 billion from their energy bills
• The return on investment would be £6.40 for every £1 spent with an average payback of two years

TRVs are too often not installed at the time of a boiler replacement, despite the building regulations saying it is ‘good practice’ to do so and it being cheaper to do so while the system is drained down. This is an opportunity to ensure that all systems are made more efficient, underpinned by a legal requirement in our UK Building Regulations, which will result in householders having a lower lifetime cost for their heating system as well as greater comfort.

HeatSave wireless TRVs – making individual room temperature controls easier

The HeatSave wireless programmable thermostatic radiator valves work with the majority of radiators available on the market (either directly or via a dedicated adapter) and allow users to attain even higher savings in terms of energy and bills, of up to an impressive 30 percent. They are extremely easy to set-up and install, since one will only have to unscrew the existing TRV by hand and replace with the HeatSave wireless radiator valve.

Furthermore, the user friendly, web-based HeatingSave software lets you wirelessly check and control individual radiators from any smartphone, tablet or laptop.

This feature will allow you to turn down the heating in rooms that you’re not using and one can also easily plan up to four years in advance for times when the heating will not be in use with the heating holiday diary, while the ‘hands on’ override button on the valve means quick changes are easy from within the room.

If you want to find out more about the HeatSave wireless thermostatic valves, just contact our dedicated product team, or if you’re ready to get one for yourself, you can visit our retail partners and get one for yourselves.