A thermostat (as one is sure you are all aware) controls the amount of heat in a room by measuring its ambient temperature and turning on the heating when that temperature drops below a pre-determined mark. That’s the ideal way to marry economy with necessity. Houses need heat, the people in them need heat – a thermostat gives that heat out in affordable packages and doesn’t let anyone get too carried away. Which, of course, is good for the environment, too: or so, at least, we can all console ourselves while we’re trying to stop our toes from freezing.
Heating thermostats, fortunately, need not cost the earth in money terms either. You can pick up a perfectly functional thermostat for as little as £17: when you consider how much money that could potentially save you in terms of heating and energy bills, you’ll see that the thing pretty much pays for itself before you’ve even turned it on. The thermostat can be installed as a single room thermostat (much better, if you’re trying to gain proper control of the amount of heat and money your heating system kicks out) or as a kind of overall system thermostat, which usually doesn’t work very well because it doesn’t take into account the siting and use of different areas of a house.
Heating thermostats allow their users to maintain a deliberate temperature in every room, according to preference, time of year, intended use and of course cost. They’re an outstanding way to make that much needed compromise between comfort and cost effectiveness, allowing home owners to feel that they have some form of control over the atmosphere and pleasantness of their home without having to worry all the time that they are overspending on their utilities. Now that, unlike much that the energy companies have done for us recently, really is a bit of warming news. Thank heavens for heating thermostats, and the companies that make them: at least someone is still looking after the basics.
