You don't need to rush out and completely replace you heating system for an energy efficient one, although you could if you wanted but think first about what you could do to make things better, it could be a whole lot cheaper in the long run.

Radiators, are they old and sluggish?

Maybe you should consider new ones with stylish grills and side panels, they look so much better and emit so much more heat than the older finless ones.

TRV's - Thermostatic Radiator Valves

Fit these on all of your radiators except the room where your room thermostat is to help control the temperature in each room. They really can improve comfort and save you money.

Pipe Work in Voids and Lofts

Make sure all exposed pipe work is insulated to protect from frost and to prevent heat loss, as soon as water leaves the boiler it is dropping in temperature naturally so why make it worse?

Boiler

For safety's sake alone your boiler should be serviced annually by a suitably qualified engineer, see www.trustcorgi.com for details of an engineer near you.

Maintaining the boiler annually allows you to keep on top of any issues relating to reliability and economy thus helping to reduce running and maintenance costs whilst giving you peace of mind that your boiler is safe and running to its optimum.

Controls

Important to any heating system whatever the fuel or type of boiler, heating controls consist of time clocks, room thermostats, motorized valves, pumps and cylinder thermostats where applicable.

If you controls are over 10 years old it is well worth looking at replacements. Timers with optimum start and stop or optimization as it is also known will benefit you greatly because they intelligently know when to turn the heating on to give you what you want when you want it.

Dataterm IHC can replace you existing time clock and room thermostat and control your heating so much more that you will notice an increased level of comfort and reduced fuel bills, it gives you more for less in some circumstances and should be considered in all circumstances with fuel prices rising like they are.

Old noisy pumps should be replaced with new ones that are more efficient and quieter, the heating system as a whole should be overhauled and balanced to ensure you are getting the most from it.

More importantly anyone with gravity hot water systems should seriously consider refurbishment as soon as possible as this type of system is very uneconomical.

It is illegal to install this type of system now and any work carried out on a system like that must be brought up to standard. This is usually just a simple case of altering a small amount of pipe work and adding a motorized valve and cylinder thermostat. You will notice more heat from your radiators a more controllable temperature from you hot water and reduced fuel bills.

Insulation

It goes without saying that insulation is very important, any exposed pipes in lofts, voids, under sinks and behind areas that are not going to benefit from heat from exposed pipes should be insulated in order to reduce heat loss and save fuel. Hot water tanks and header tanks should always be suitably lagged, old cylinders with removable jackets should be replaced with modern alternatives that have the jacket sprayed on (foam) and are more efficient.

Simple things like this could save you £'s in the long run and make you feel good because you are doing your bit to help the planet.