Taking Control - A guide to buying or upgrading central heating controls(view report contents)
Programmers buying guide
Some digital types give you a lot of information, if you can read it
You have to consider what type of programmer you need, as well as find one that is reasonably easy to use.
Which type of programmer?
- If you want the programmer to control hot water (see tables) you will need one with a hot water circuit. Some of the programmable thermostats tested did not control hot water. However all manufacturers have one in their range which does. Or you can fit a separate controller for hot water.
- If you want the programmer to do more than switch the heating on and off at the same times, twice a day, go for a digital programmer or a programmable thermostat
- If you want to control more than one zone in your home separately, you will need a programmer designed to do this. Only one of those tested did this. See Tables.
- If you want to have an easy way of overriding the programmer – for example by switching the heating on for an extra hour or two – you will probably need a digital programmer.
Impaired dexterity
All of our testers with dexterity impairments managed to use
the digital programmers, although this was not always easy. Rated as good
were the Danfoss Randall SET 3E, Drayton Lifestyle
LP722 and the Honeywell ST6400.
However, they found moving the tappets on the mechanical programmers was difficult and sometimes impossible because of their size and shape. Some could be painful to turn. On some models the dial turned when the tappets were moved – difficult for people who had the use of only one hand and fiddly for everyone else. None of the mechanical programmers were rated as being good. Use the comments below to help avoid the worst.
Programmable thermostats were also difficult. The only ones rated as good by testers with dexterity impairments were the Danfoss Randall TP5E and Honeywell CM67.
Impaired vision
If you are visually impaired you will be hard put to find any digital
programmer that you can use easily. Most had displays which were small
and faint. None of those tested had audible signals and it was not possible
to set them by touch.
If you cannot see information on an LCD screen, you will not be able to use a digital programmer or a programmable thermostat. The photo above gives a typical example. They should help you decide if you would be able to use them.
The only digital programmer our visually impaired testers rated as good was the Danfoss Randall SET 3E. Indicator markings were also too small on most of the mechanical programmers, and this was a particular problem with the tappets. This will be less of a problem if you can tell the colours apart - on and off tappets were always in contrasting colours. See the comments below to pick out one that avoids any important drawbacks.
Report Contents
About this guide
Central heating basics
- Room thermostats buying guide
- Room thermostats - summaries
- Thermostatic radiator valves buying guide
- TRVs - summaries
- Programmers buying guide
- Digital programmers - summaries
- Mechanical programmers - summaries
- Programmable thermostats - summaries
Tables
Help with money
Keeping bills
down
Main gas
and electricity operators
Helpful
organisations
Help
with seeing and gripping
Manufacturers
