New Electronic Thermostatic Radiator Valve manages room temperature - not just the radiator

A new innovative radiator valve makes it possible to maintain a warm home and reduce heating bills. The eTRV (Electronic Thermostatic Radiator Valve) will be launched this month by Chalmor, specialists in energy-saving devices. The DIY valves can be fitted to most radiators and programmed individually with a remote control. The user has complete command to only heat rooms when they are needed, ensuring that rooms in use are never too cold and no energy is wasted.

Steven Henry is Managing Director of Chalmor, which has over 25 years of experience of energy efficiency in the non-domestic market. He says, “The big problem with central heating is that it assumes we have the same routine every day of the week, and it heats the whole home. However, families with children of different ages and couples who work different hours have complex requirements. Even in modern homes where the heating is divided up into different zones each zone is large so you can’t control individual rooms.

“We have developed the eTRV to maintain the temperature of each room at the level required by its occupants. Each room can be individually controlled with a unique time and temperature programme using a remote control. Different settings are possible every day of the week for each room.”

The patented eTRV incorporates two sensors, so it can accurately maintain the room temperature and react very quickly to temperature changes. This overcomes the limitation of conventional thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) which are less effective because the sensor is so close to the pipe work. Even if the room is cold, the heat from the pipe can fool the TRV into thinking that it’s the right temperature. This can result in an ever changing room temperature that causes users to alter the thermostat and even to open the windows, wasting energy through overheating or trying to make the room comfortable.

A further problem with traditional valves is that the radiators all go on and off together according to how the central heating is timed. With the eTRV, individual programs for each room ensure that the homeowner has the most efficient heating regime possible and so maximises savings. Each room can be programmed to an efficient base level dependent upon how long it is empty for. The remote control lets users boost heating for an hour, or can even send a radiator to sleep when it is no longer needed that day.

By ensuring radiators come on at different times, the eTRV allows homeowners to adjust the heating to suit the lifestyles of their whole family, keeping each room warm and comfortable whenever it’s in use. For example, someone working from home during the day can control the temperature in their study without heating the whole home. In the evening a young child may only need their bedroom heated until they are asleep at 8pm, whereas their parents need a warm room later in the evening.

Fitting the eTRVs is an easy DIY job; they just screw on to almost all radiators to replace an existing TRV. There is no need to cut pipes, call out a plumber or even drain the system to upgrade existing TRVs. It is possible to fit an eTRV where there are no TRVs already installed, although professional help maybe required.

Steven Henry is looking forward to installing eTRVs in his own home this winter, “My family are used to me following them around to turn down radiators, but an eTRV will beat me when it comes to energy savings. I can’t be there all the time.” We are now taking orders for eTRV.