Product category:
Heating Systems, Controls and Management
News Release from: Invensys Climate Controls - Drayton | Subject: British Summer time changes
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 October 2006
Call-outs for installers when time
change occurs.
Llinos Jonathan, of Drayton Heating Controls, offers some advice on how installers can avoid these time consuming visits.
On 26 March, British Summer time begins and the clocks move forward one hour Whilst the time change marks the start of British summer time, with lighter evenings and warmer days, it also brings with it a nightmare period for installers, who may have to make numerous visits to customers simply to adjust the time on their heating controls
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 27 Apr 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Keeping tenants safe and landlords happy
Drayton has introduced a new range of heating controls specifically designed for tenanted properties in the private and social housing sectors.
Drayton launch Digistat+ programmable thermostats
Drayton has introduced two new programmable room thermostats - the Digistat +2 and +3, with both models available in either battery powered or mains powered versions.
Llinos Jonathan, of Drayton Heating Controls, offers some advice on how installers can avoid these time consuming visits.
Customer research at Drayton Controls has highlighted that there is a definite increase in call-outs for installers when the summer/winter time change occurs.
Although the majority of calls tend to come from the elderly there are also some from people who have lost their operating instructions and simply do not understand how their heating controls work.
Further reading
Drayton new Digistat+ Thermostat
Drayton Heating Controls' new Digistat+ combines total and accurate temperature control with familiar, simple to use technology.
Making life more efficient with Drayton controls
Drayton Controls, looks at what new Energy Performance Certificates will mean for homeowners and the educational role that installers have to play.
Drayton new controller for solar heating systems
Drayton Heating Controls new Solar Controller has been designed to provide maximum operating efficiency and flexibility for solar heating systems.
This can present installers with a dilemma.
Many installers feel that they should not charge for time change callouts even though they significantly reduce time away from more profitable installations.
Like many things within the home, heating controls have become much more responsive to people's lifestyles and hectic schedules over the past few years.
Increased functionality, designed to help the user better integrate the control into their lifestyle, can frequently be forgotten when it is only used on an intermittent basis, such as the bi-annual time-change.
Demographically we have an ever-increasing ageing population who are used to a level of service and are more likely to use call-out services for what is actually a very simple procedure such as changing the time on a heating control.
It is essential that manufacturers ensure that controls don't just look good but are as easy to use as possible.
This will make a difference to installers by helping to ensure they are not called out to make very minor and routine adjustments to the clock.
Drayton has just launched the Digistat +2 and +3 programmable room thermostats with a real time clock.
The real time clock will automatically adjust to compensate for the hourly change at the beginning and end of British Summer/Winter Time The real time clock, which is set accurately at the factory, means that installers no longer need to manually set the clock during the installation process.
Both products also feature a memory saving function so that in the event of a power failure, the time programs are saved and there is no need to reset it.
The range is easy to install and use, enabling homeowners to set different temperatures for different periods during the day or week according to their requirements and changing lifestyles.
Changing the controls for the Summer/Winter time change can be complicated when it comes to the social housing and local authority sectors.
The additional problem of gaining access to certain properties causes further problems for installers who are called out to change the time on heating controls.
Landlords do not have the right to enter a property without the tenant's prior permission so it may prove difficult and, at times, very costly for installers to gain access.
There are approximately 7.7 million rented properties in the UK, 5.5 million of which are under local authority control.
Therefore any technology which can help landlords and tenants with the day-to-day running of a property will help both installers and landlords overcome the issue of difficult tenants in terms of access.
Drayton has recently introduced a range of heating controls specifically designed for tenanted properties.
The LPSi range has the same features as the LP range including automatic clock setting and summer/winter changeover.
In addition, the LPSi range of programmers and timeswitches has a number of other benefits.
The LPSi range allows landlords to set service intervals so that tenants know when their boiler service is due.
This will avoid putting the safety and welfare of tenants at risk, especially for those who are not keen to allow landlords access to properties.
Heating controls are becoming increasingly important, enabling us to accurately monitor the temperature in our homes and keep control of our gas bills.
However, with key developments taking place in the marketplace in terms of technology and design, it is essential that manufacturers develop products, which are easy to operate and maintain.
With the LP controls from Drayton, there is no longer a compromise between ease of use and aesthetics.
We believe that the innovative engineering behind the range will help to make life easier for consumers and that call outs to simply change the time will become a thing of the past for installers.
• Invensys Climate Controls - Drayton: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Buildingtalk email newsletter
• Buildingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
