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Home About us Research services Reports Childcare products Continence Household products Mobility Telecoms and alarms General Surveys Design Ordering Links Site map change text size and colour ?		Taking Control - A guide to buying or upgrading central heating controls(view report contents) Room thermostats - Buying guide We tested nine room thermostats, including two digital types. Impaired dexterity Some dials were too small and fiddly. The best dial types tested were the Drayton RTS5 energy saver, Siemens RAA20, and the Sunvic TLX 2259. Digital thermostats were adjusted by pressing small buttons. Most people found this easy – no strength was required and most testers managed the small buttons. Both models, the Honeywell CT200 and Drayton Digistat 3, were rated as good by the testers. The Honeywell thermostat we tested has been replaced by a similar model. Impaired vision They were not well designed for visually impaired people. Even when using a magnifying glass nearly half our testers could not read the markings on controls with a dial, because they were too small or were difficult to pick out against their background. Similarly, around half of our testers could not read the displays on thermostats which showed characters on an LCD screen because these were either too small or the colours did not stand out. Some found that reflections on the screen obscured the display. Some models have backlighting which may help. If you cannot read an LCD screen, a digital thermostat is not for you – go for one with a dial because you can learn to adjust it by touch or buy a tactile marker to guide you (see help with seeing and gripping). Danfoss Randall and Honeywell tell us that they can provide dials with tactile markers to help you set the thermostat by touch. When you turn the dial on some room thermostats, they click when you pass the room temperature. This may be useful as a guide if you can’t see the markings. Others have a light (LED) or screen display which shows when the thermostat is ‘calling for heat’. If this would help, ask for a model with a light. Back to top Report Contents About this guide Central heating basics Types How to buy What consumers want from central heating controls Registering for priority service Thermostats Room thermostats buying guide Room thermostats - summaries Thermostatic radiator valves buying guide TRVs - summaries Programmers Programmers buying guide Digital programmers - summaries Mechanical programmers - summaries Programmable thermostats - summaries Tables Digital and mechanical programmers Programmable thermostats Help with money Keeping bills down Main gas and electricity operators Helpful organisations Help with seeing and gripping Manufacturers
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Taking Control - A guide to buying or upgrading central heating controls(view report contents)

Room thermostats - Buying guide

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