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With the Met Office predicting yet more snow and icy temperatures, the ‘big freeze’ looks set to continue. So, the heating control experts at Drayton have come up with some handy tips for keeping warm in your home.

1.Save money and keep your heating on – it may sound unlikely but keeping your heating running on a low temperature rather than switching it off completely, actually saves you money and keeps you warmer. By keeping your heating at a low or moderate temperature when you’re out of the house, this makes it quicker to get your house up to the desired temperature when you’re in the home. Plus, as this uses less energy, you’ll be saving money too.
This feature is known as a setback function, and products such as Drayton’s Digistat+ and Digistat+1RF room thermostats both include this option.

2.Keep rooms at 18°C to 21°C – when you’re at home the lowest comfortable temperature for warmth is around 18°C to 21°C, as advised by the NHS. If you can’t afford to heat all your rooms, then use thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) or room thermostats to heat the main living room during the day and the bedrooms just before you go to sleep at night.
Drayton controls offers a range of TRVs and programmable room thermostats, suitable for most heating systems.

The Digistat+1RF room thermostat is ideal for those looking for a quick update to their heating system during the cold snap. The wireless design means there’s no need to chase out brick or plasterwork, so installation is quick and easy. Plus, the simple to use thermostat features user-adjustable minimum/maximum temperature settings and a clear digital temperature display.

3.Draw your curtains – drawing the curtains at night or when you return from work can help to insulate your home, keeping you and your family nice and toasty and reducing wasted energy. Similarly, block out any obvious draughts including your letterbox and consider attaching film to your windows to block out any smaller draughts.

4.Allow the heat to circulate – no matter how high you have your heating if you place large furniture directly in front of your radiators you won’t feel the benefits. Moving furniture away from radiators will allow the heat to circulate around the room, heating your home more efficiently.

5.Fit a frost protection kit – whilst we may feel we’ve had more than our fair share of snow and cold weather, the Met Office has predicted yet more snow for later in February. To avoid being caught out by the unpredictable British weather, you should consider installing a frost protection kit to prevent your heating pipes from bursting, especially if your boiler or parts of the system are in garages, outbuildings or conservatories.
The Frost Protection Kit from Drayton includes a frost and pipe thermostat, which work in conjunction with each other to prevent pipes from bursting and/or overheating. This can save you from costly call outs and ensures your heating system continues to work during the cold snap.

For further information on Drayton’s heating control products visit www.draytoncontrols.co.uk, or for further advice on how to keep warm this winter, please visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk.