Heating and Hot Water
Introduction
Heating and hot water costs can account for up to 60% of a building’s total energy costs. By
understanding the systems installed, ensuring they are working efficiently, and only heating
spaces to the minimum level to achieve comfort, it is possible to save up to one third on these
costs.
Understanding your Controls
The main controls used in a heating system are time, temperature and boiler controls and
ensuring these are set correctly is the best place to start when looking for savings in a heating
system. The key characteristics are described below:
Major Opportunities for Savings
Time controls:
Simple time controls turn the heating on and off at pre-determined times. The on time needs to
be set to ensure the building is up to temperature by the time the building is occupied. The off
time can be before the building is vacated as it will take time to cool.
Advanced time controls, called optimum start controls, monitor internal and/or external
temperatures and switch the heating on at the right time to ensure the building reaches the
correct temperature by the time it is occupied. The “start” time set in this type of controller needs
to be the occupancy start time.
• On and off times should be set according to the occupied periods on each day. Switch
off, or at least turn down the heating on days that are not occupied. If your system uses
simple time controls the warm up time on Monday morning may need to be longer than
the rest of the week to ensure a comfortable temperature is achieved come 9.00am
• Areas with different occupancy times should, where possible, be controlled separately so
heating only occurs when a location is occupied
• Buildings with different occupancy times on different days of the week should be
controlled using a seven day timer (available at most hardware stores)
Temperature controls:
Temperature controls are essential to avoid space overheating and should be used to ensure the
minimum comfort conditions for em