TRVs - worth the expense?

I would treat EPCs with the contempt that they deserve. When we had our house EPCed for selling it, the woman wrote that it did not have loft insulation. I pointed out that the glass wool was clearly visible for the five feet or so in the eaves either side of the boarded area which is the majority of the loft floor space. But she said that because she couldn't lift the boards to verify this, she had to put it down as "loft has no insulation". Crazy. Didn't affect the sale because I mentioned it explicitly to anyone who asked about the loft, and showed them the insulation.

you can do that with or without TRVs

so buy from ebay

NT

Do they still mark you down for having incandescent light bulbs?

David formulated on Thursday :

Boiler replacement recently meant that TRV's had to be fitted, I had bought Drayton TRV4's and intended to fit TRV's all the last boiler swap, but never got to it. This time I did.

They have not been in long, just since the back end of the cold weather, so I don't know about any savings yet, but they do seem to much better control the room temperature without the constant hot / cold cycling evident with just a room stat. They also allow different temperatures to be set in different rooms, rather than the crude control of a single room stat and hope.

They also seem to obviate the need to balance the rads and rads which were out on a limb, suffering poor flow, got a much better flow - a result of other rooms being satisfied for temperature.

Yep - energy savers all the way.

Cheers

Dave R

Like NY said, EPC's are completely worthless.

Look to see what controls the system has, and add thermostats and timeswitches if missing. Fire up the system to make sure it heats all the radiators, and do any fixes necessary.

Other than that, I would wait to see how the system performs when you start to use it. For example, you might then want to add TRVs in rooms which seem to get too hot when you try getting others up to temperature. You might find you need to add radiators in areas which don;t heat up. I wouldn't bother with installing TRVs arbitrarily/everywhere until I had seen the system operating for real.

IME, Drayton TRV4 is worth extra, but it's not worth Screwfix prices. I found them for less than half screwfix prices by not being in a hurry and keeping an eye out for offers. I bought a box full direct from Drayton in the end, ironically at the Screwfix trade fair. Actually, I just remembered they were the kit with the lockshield valves too, each for less than half the normal TRV4-only price in the sheds.

BES didn't used to stock the TRV4, but they now do:

And you probably would have to. I had 'shed' TRVs which failed regularly. Drayton have lasted a lot better. Well worth the extra considering the hassle to change them.

Thanks.

I am assuming that I won't be needing a lock shield as the radiators should already have these.

Cheers

Dave R

I have nothing but contempt for EPCs as well.

From the 2012 one I am looking at:

Roof Pitched, no insulation (assumed) - i.e. didn't look

Floor solid, no insulation (assumed) - not that likely in a traditional

It does say the cavity wall is filled (how do you check that?) so I assume that it probably is because they seem to be pushing the Green Deal and cavity wall insulation would be one thing they could flog.

Cheers

Dave R

If they are saying the cavity is filled. How can they flog ?it? ??

Cavity wall insulation.

Would only ever use TRV4s available for

Yes more investigation is needed..

my EPC says only partial TRVs fitted and ignores the fact that there are timers, thermostats and zone valves on all the major rooms and the TRVs are fitted to stop the bathroom overheating as its on the same zone valve as the living room.

EPCs aren't particularly informative as the people doing them and the software are pretty cr@p.

More likely they got it free. I could have got it free three years ago if I hadn't paid to have it done a few decades ago. I am not really bothered as its saved far more that it cost over the years.

I did get free loft insulation even though I had some.

You pay for it on the green deal.

I think programmable thermostats are much better than TRVs. A TRV will try to maintain a constant temperature whereas a programmable thermostat allows the temperature to vary. The TRVs I had failed. I replaced them with conventional valves.

Doesn't everyone take all their light bulbs ?.

Especially if you have now bought expensive LED bulbs !

A relative works for a council where properties are exposed to altantic storms, and is responsible for housing improvements,insulation etc.

They have spent £120 million on insulation, re-roofing etc but have had to go back to at least a *third* of the properties and rip the cavity wall insulation out, and in some cases remove poorly installed internal and external wall insulation from solid-walled properties because of all the problems it has caused the occupants.

I paid about £9 for them in Homebase.

But that was in 1994 :-). One day I might get round to fitting them.

You've forgotten the resident female who will object to mismatching lock-shield valves and TRV's :-)