What is a thermostat?

We talk a lot about boilers and their importance in heating your home.
But a thermostat plays an equally large part of your homes central heating system.

So what is a thermostat and how does it work?

There are many options for thermostat, some super techy and others very simple. But we will explain that another time. At its core, a thermostat is simply a control system used to monitor and alter the heat in your home. You can set a preferred temperature for your boiler to work towards and if your home drops below a certain temperature, the thermostat will pick up on it and instruct the boiler to jump back into action. When the room has reached the right temperature again, the thermostat will tell the boiler to switch off until it is needed again. It is that simple.

Whether the thermostat is wireless or wired does not overly matter. Most thermostats these days are wireless as it allows you to best position them without the need for drilling holes in the wall. There are also digital thermostats which are very accurate and mechanical thermostats which are old school, less reliable but operate on different types of metal expanding and contracting based on the room temperature. The metal strips take time to expand so the process in a mechanical thermostat is more gradual however this can play to your advantage as it takes into account the warm up and cool down temperatures of your home.

A digital thermostat in comparison, because of its more immediate reactions can heat your home too quickly. But that can all be compensated for using the timer.

Find out more

If you would like to know more about thermostats, what is best and how to get the most out of them, call us today. We are always happy to help.