The best central heating controls

Central heating controls - which ones are easy-to-use AND can save you money?

Life costs more for disabled people and their families, spending more on essential goods and services such as heating. And over half (55%) of disabled adults have worried about paying their energy bills. There are 4.1 million households with a disabled person which spend over £1,500 a year on energy. The average UK household spends around £1,200 a year. Having the right central heating controls can help people save money.

Now some online practical advice on heating controls can help disabled and older people find easy-to-use controls that also have money-saving features.

The Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC) identified 11 easy-to-use controls with members of its consumer panel from a series of tests. Ten people from the RiDC panel tested the controls including people with dexterity difficulties, cognitive impairments and blind and partially sighted users.

The controls were scored on accessibility features, such as: Can they be used hands-free? Is the device compatible with a smart speaker or home hub? Are voice commands available? Have they got good large clear displays or good colour contrast? Are there tactile features? And, overall, how simple do users find the controls?

Check out the RiDC tests results of the top 11 easy-to-use heating controls

The products tested included:

• two thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs). A TRV is attached to radiators to set your chosen temperature
• two programmable thermostats, which control the temperature and timing
• three manual room thermostats which can be attached to the wall
• four smart programmable thermostats to use with a smartphone app

“As a blind person, the heating controls research provided me with an opportunity to test as well as learn more about the various heating control devices and thermostats currently available on the market.”  RiDC consumer panel member

New smartphone technology now offers people greater control of their heating and the possibility of saving money. Many people want to know about how easy the heating controls are to use before they buy and this independent research from RiDC can enable people to have a more informed choice.

1. Out in the Cold report - challenges disabled people face in the energy market. Scope (2018)
2. Heating controls can cut bills by 40%. So why aren’t they in every home? BEAMA (2013)  
3. RiDC is a UK charity providing independent research with disabled and older consumers:  www.ridc.org.uk  RiDC believes that products and services should be inclusive and accessible for all, from the word go, not as an afterthought. Features that make products usable for disabled and older people make them easier to use for everyone.
4. The RiDC consumer panel consists of over 1,500 disabled and older people of all ages throughout the UK, who provide RiDC with its collective wisdom to review, compare and rate products and services.