TRV’s have come a long way but do we really understand them?
May 1, 2019
With the first radiator thermostats coming into the market in the 1940’s we have seen technology develop leaps and bounds but we still seem to see more of the traditional manual radiator valves in the market.
It could be that your customers don’t understand the benefits and difference between the types of valve available to them and that’s why we wrote this article to help you explain to your customers why they should be considering an upgrade.
The energy saving potential
Did you know that approx. 500 million radiators in the EU are fitted with manual rad valves? (European Building Automation Controls Association (EU.bac)) For the UK alone we could save a whopping 18,111 Gwh (gigawatt hours) of energy and with the introduction of individual room temperature control this could be reduced as well as saving your customer up to 30% on fuel costs. That’s a huge benefit to the environment and to your customer!
When should we suggest an upgrade
If you are asked to attend a customer’s home for an upgrade of the boiler or to install some insulation you should be asking you customer, why? If they are wanting to save money on their fuel bill or to save energy in general, then this would be a great start to the conversation about the benefits of individual room temperature control.
What should you recommend
We suggest giving your customers a few facts about the types of valves and then letting your customers make an informed decision so we put together this handy list to help you out:
| Valve Type | The Up-side | The Down-side | Approx. reaction time |
| Wax filled | Low Price | Slow reaction time Setpoint changes over time Relatively short lifetime | 40 mins |
| Liquid filled | Stable setpoint Long lifetime | Reacts with medium speed (reacts based on average room temperature) | 22 mins |
| Gas filled | Stable setpoint Long lifetime Fast reaction (reacts on the coldest spot in the room) | 12 mins | |
| Electronic | Stable setpoint Long lifetime Fast reaction Smart technology benefits | 1 min |
Smart Technology just upped the anti
There is so much to consider when it comes to Smart Technology and what things to consider when suggesting this to your customer including what features they would most likely find the most beneficial. Things like Holiday Mode, IFTTT, Open Window Detection, Geo-location and app controlled devices are all things that your customer may consider and if you want to find out more take a look at our Smart Technology Guide.
A great example…
…of how technology has developed over the years can be seen in the Danfoss Link central controller which gives wireless control of the heating system via individual TRV’s. This next generation product comes into the market some 75 years after the first ever radiator thermostat was brought to the market by Danfoss and just shows you what technology can now do for you and your customers.
It’s not just your customers that benefit
You can benefit too from the development of technology over time with simple click-on coupling and menu-driven user interfaces which make installation and maintenance so much quicker and easier for you!