Q & A of the Day - For this large house's many zones, is there a suitable heating programmer?

Question: We are overhauling the central heating system in a large country house. The occupants do not live in all of the house, but need to maintain frost protection and heat certain zones just when they have visitors. There is also some underfloor heating.

Is there a single programmer that can provide control for a building and lifestyle such as this?

Answer: This is a classic case for the 'zoning' technique.

To ensure full compliance with Part L1 of the England and Wales Building Regulations - affecting existing homes as well as new properties - it is essential that the central heating programmer has the capability to meet the zoning and individual timing and temperature control requirements for the application.

The regulations now specify that in dwellings with a total usable floor space greater than 150²m, the fully pumped heating circuit should be split into a minimum of two zones with the hot water supply circuit being a separate (third) zone. This would require a three-channel programmer.

However, the recommendation in this instance would be for a four-channel programmer that will offer control of (at least) two heating zones plus hot water and the underfloor heating.

One of Voltimum's partners Horstmann Controls, had a similar application in a grade two listed farmhouse (circa 1650) that has been the subject of extensive renovation. The architect created a highly effective hot water and central heating zoning network with a Horstmann Controls' ChannelPlus H47XL electronic programmer at the heart of the control system.

The H47XL offers a combination of four independent seven-day timers each giving up to 3 'on' and 'off' functions per day in a single unit. Zone control is achieved using the H47XL in conjunction with conventional electrically-operated room thermostats and conventional two port zone valves.

There is a conventional hot water/central heating boiler supplemented by an AGA which, in the winter months can also heat the hot water. When using the conventional boiler the hot water is switched via a zone valve. Three further zone valves are fitted between the boiler and heating zones, activated individually by the ChannelPlus.

The heating zones in the house have been designed to give flexibility when the owners are in the house during school term times which need to change when their children are on holiday.

Because the ChannelPlus can offer the four zoning options - hot water from the boiler and three individual heating zones - they are able to heat the house to reflect the areas in use or proposed for use. There is a standard conventional electrical room thermostat in each heating zone.

From the installer viewpoint standard back plates coupled with the automatic clock and simplicity of programming ensure ease of installation and commissioning in all applications.

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