Consumers across the UK are demanding greater control from their heating system as new research shows one in five households lack even a basic thermostat or radiator valve.
The latest UK Pulse survey of consumer habits shows that the growth in smart-phones and app-based technology, has created a new demand for boilers that can be controlled via mobile devices, while others seek systems that offer greater level of manual control, such as timers, valves and thermostats.
The latest UK Pulse study also revealed that:
- A fifth of all householders admit their existing heating system is ‘very difficult’ to control
- A quarter say their system is old and inefficient
- A quarter of householders will invest in a secondary heating system because their existing thermostat is too cumbersome to understand
- 40% of householders say they are planning to install new heating controls in the long-term
Elaine Berry, client relationship manager at the Energy Saving Trust (EST), said: “Increasingly, we live in a society where people demand that products and devices fit around their lifestyle, delivering comfort, convenience and control with the minimum of fuss.
“We found that the need for convenience and comfort results in half of the UK’s households leaving the heating on all day, just to make sure they aren’t cold when they get home. Clearly, these consumers lack the control of their system to ensure they get the comfort and convenience from their system.
“Through UK Pulse we’ve found that more than a quarter of all homes don’t have heating controls installed, so the heating is simply on or off – with no way to determine the temperature the house is heated to, or even which rooms are heated.”