One of the simplest way to save energy at home is to only turn your heating on when you really need it. It not only saves energy, and therefore money for your household, but also helps in fighting climate change.
Nowadays most boilers come with a timer, that allows you to set a time for your heating to switch on or off automatically at specific times of the day. Boiler timers can be either mechanical or digital. Older system will have mechanical timers that look like a dial, whereas modern boilers are equipped with a small screen, that looks like a digital clock.
Boiler timers can come in many different shapes and sizes. This post will explain what the different settings and modes on your boiler time do. How to get to these settings, we recommend that you find your user manual, or if you don’t have it, find it online for your specific brand and model.
There are at least 3 settings on most boilers: On, Off and Auto/Timed. On and Off are pretty straightforward. The Auto/Timed settings allows you the give specific instructions for your timer.
Here are some common settings that you may find on a boiler timer:
On / 24 Hours:Â the heating will stay on until you manually turn it off
Off: the heating is off
Auto / Twice: the heating will turn on and off at the times of day you programmed it to do so
All day / Once: this means the heating will turn at a specified time and then will remain on until the end of the day
1 hour / Boost: gives you a one hour boost of heating
Advance: this setting moves the timer along to the next setting in its daily cycle
Setting a mechanical boiler timer
Also known as an analogue timer, it is usually a round dial with a 24-hour clock in the middle. There are pins around the outside of the dial, each representing 15 minutes of time.
Before you change your settings, make sure that the dial is pointed to the current time. Mechanical timers have to be manually updated when we move the clock forward or behind, to ensure that the central heating isn’t coming on too early or too late.
Simply push the pins in at the time you want your heating to come on. For example, if you want to have a warm home between 10:00am and 11:00am, you might want to set your timer for half an hour before your desired time, since it usually takes that amount of time to heat up your home entirely. Simply push in the 6 pins between 9:30am and 11:00am. You can choose to set your boiler to turn on and off multiples times throughout the day.
Once you have all the times selected for your boiler, find the switch that turn your boiler on or off. Look for the option that says Timer or has a clock next to it. Change the switch to this setting and your boiler will run during the times you selected.
Setting a digital boiler timer
Digital boiler timers are increasingly popular due to their user-friendly interface. Always refer to your user manual to ensure you set the timer up correctly. The first step is to make sure that the digital boiler timer is set to the correct date and time. This can be done automatically, but it is best to check to make sure that your boiler turns on at the correct time. Once the timer has been set to the correct time, we need to switch to scheduling mode. This allows the boiler to turn on and off at specified times. Use the digital display to choose when you want to boiler to turn on. You should specify a time in the morning and in the evening, for example 6:00am – 8:00am and 17:00pm – 20:00pm.
Â
Mechanical boiler timers usually feature a 24-hour round dial with pins around the outside marking 15 minute intervals. Setting a mechanical timer involves pressing these pins towards the centre of the dial at the time of the day you want the boiler to turn on.
Digital boiler timers are becoming increasingly popular because they’re easy to use. Setting a digital timer involves setting it to the correct time and date, activating the scheduling feature and selecting the day and time you want the boiler to turn on
Jennifer Breakwell
2025-04-17
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Very professional and helpful. I have been using ELC to rent out my property since August 2022 and they have been very easy to deal with and very responsive to all property related matters. Would highly recommend to anyone. I then used ELC to sell my property and was very lucky to have Christina as my selling agent. I was selling from abroad and Christina just consistently went above and beyond for me throughout the whole process. I have never received such a personable and professional experience selling or buying a home, as I did this time with Chris. She was a godsend from start to finish and a true credit to Elc. I would recommend to everyone!
D Bro (Alotoffish)
2025-04-15
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I have had a fantastic experience, from the first moment I felt listened to and respected, throughout the entire process I have felt supported and we were able to get the sale we were hoping for, and I know it is due to the hard work of Christina and everyone else at ELC
Jade Taylor
2025-04-15
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Christina is a fantastic agent and was so helpful & assuring throughout the process of buying our first house. She was upfront, genuine & always came back to us very quickly whenever we had questions (& we had plenty!). Christina really steered the ship for us & got a lot done in quite a short timeframe. A lovely, first-class sales consultant. From J&S
David Garcia
2025-04-09
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Morgan was on time, very nice and helpful answering all my questions throughout the flat viewing and made me feel welcome. Thank you very much.
Adebayo Excel
2025-04-08
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Great đź‘Ť
Louise Sofokleous
2025-04-08
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
I am a novice landlady but Alex of ELC was brilliant in helping organise all the relevant certificates and advertising the property. He informed me every step of the way. Morgan was also brilliant and answered all my many questions. ELC found tenants straight away and they moved in a couple of weeks later. Great service and would highly recommend.
Lisa Venter
2025-04-07
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
The team at ELC have been a breath of fresh air.
Alex came back straight away with an application form and Holly was personable and helpful during the viewing. This was reassuring as it’s good to know you can communicate with your agents if you are renting and need support later down the line with the property. Loads of agencies out there are pretty rubbish at comms and use lengthy, clunky web processes so it’s good to experience this.
Helen
2025-04-04
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
