Radiator mistake could be costing you hundreds of pounds - how to use it correctly

Homeowners are being urged not to make some common mistakes with their radiators as this could be costing them hundreds of pounds a year.

A plumbing expert says many people may be using their radiator controls incorrectly. Most radiators have large knobs located towards the bottom corner where they are plumbed into the pipes.

The cylinders, which are called thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs), usually have the numbers one to five around them. Many believe the numbers relate to the temperature of the radiator but instead they work by responding to the temperature of the room they are in, reports the Liverpool Echo.

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Mark Ingram, technical gas and plumbing tutor at Engineering Real Results, said: "TRVs operate by limiting the amount of hot water that runs into your radiators. This gives you greater control over the heating of your house because you can alter the temperature in each room individually. Essentially, it means you’re not spending money heating up rooms you don’t use, or you are controlling the temperature of rooms which might naturally be a little warmer such as kitchens."

On radiators, zero indicates the radiator is shut off and won’t allow any hot water in, while the snowflake or frost protection symbol is equivalent to 7°C. The other numbers increase in 5°C intervals: 1 = 10°C, 2 = 15°C, 3 = 20°C, 4 = 25°C, 5 = 30°C.

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The plumbing expert added: "When the room reaches the required temperature as set on the valve, this will restrict the amount of hot water let into the radiator and stop it from getting any hotter. To save money you really need to use the TRVs properly, which means not turning the valve on every radiator to 5 if you don’t need to."

Mark said homeowners can benefit by treating radiators in each room differently according to their use. The advise is: "Living rooms might be set at 2 or 3, which will allow the space to warm up to a comfortable temperature without your boiler working in overdrive. It’s important to remember that little changes such as this can make big savings over the course of the year, which is really important as we head into the colder months and the cost of living is putting even more pressure on people’s finances."