Helping elderly parents with heating controls

[Needtosoundoffandbreathe]

My parents, in their 80s, are struggling with their heating controls. They've recently had the traditional pin circular timer on the fairly new boiler (it's maybe 2 years old) and separate wired in thermostat replaced with a digital controller and thermostat in one because they couldn't get the heating to do what they wanted it to. I had to go round at short notice at the weekend because the heating hadn't come on.

Well it wasn't on because the temperature in the house wasn't below the temperature the heating is set to come on at. They had the boiler on the incorrect setting too so it wasn't communicating with the controller. Anyway, I demonstrated correct setting and showed them how to manually put the heating on when they need it.

I've now realised there's a fundamental lack of understanding of how the thermostat works. Added to which, 21 or 22 degrees is not warm enough for them. I feel like I'm going mad because I've suggested turning up the setting to 24 or 25 degrees if they're not warm enough, but there's a reluctance to do this, which I think is because they're worried they'll get it wrong and either break it or get a huge gas bill. I'm going to have to go round again (50 mile round trip. I work full time in a demanding job and my sibling is 200 miles away) to change it. It's a two minute job.

Does anyone have any tips for how to deal with this? I think a large format display controller would be helpful as both were struggling to read the controls. Maybe they should get something like Hive and I can control the bloody thing from a distance? It's not even particularly cold yet.

We use the Ember app to control my Mum heating. It cost £100 to be installed by a heating engineer, but there are no ongoing costs.

We moved and realised our boiler is in the loft so we have a remote controller. It is extremely complicated and the symbols are tiny. My DH is fairly good with tech but he really finds it difficult to adjust; I haven’t even tried. Im quite old but really sympathise with people in their 80s!

I ended up getting a hive installed for my mum, best thing we did! It took her a while to understand that it was a thermostat, and if the temp wasn’t below the setting the heating wouldn’t come on. I had a few stressed calls at 730am complaining the heating wasn’t on, when the house was actually nice and warm. Anyway, it has all settled down and so easy now. She hasn’t quite got the hang of boosting the heating so just calls me and I pop it on for an hour via the app. She can turn the thermostat up and does do this sometimes. Basically it has made life a lot easier and was definitely worth the initial learning curve. Good luck!

@Chelmewthank you

@EmeraldRoulette Not a stupid question - I have shown them how to do this. My mum has written a note with a diagram of what to do and put it by the boiler. When I went round, they had the boiler on the wrong setting so nothing they tried on the controller did anything.

The real issue is that the thermostat is set too low for them.

@HarDeHarHar does that control have one button you press that overrides programmed settings, putting the boiler on manually and allowing you to increase the temperature it works to heat the place to?

I very strongly suspect that they have been living with whatever setting on the thermostat the heating engineers have set the thing to. I actually don't know why they had the timer and thermostat replaced last week. I was just told there was a problem and someone was coming out to them. My dad has had a lifetime of not understanding how things work so he's not going to change now.

I have similar to that. If it’s cold then yes you just press the plus sign and it shows the temp programmed and increases it from there

My severely sight impaired elderly mother lives with me and we have a Nest thermostat which was chosen because it’s easy for her to adjust and the number is big enough for her to see. If she’s cold she can just turn the thermostat until it goes orange. And when I’m not here I can adjust it remotely which was useful when I was still working.

She’s kind of forgotten how thermostats and heating systems work though which can get frustrating when it’s cold enough for the boiler to be on and off to maintain the house temperature but not cold enough for the radiators to be hot all the time. She’s never really got to grips with tech and that’s not going to change now. She doesn’t have dementia but she’s a hundred and she can’t really see and doesn’t hear much so lots of things are baffling to her now.

I would be highly recommending Nest but Google has declared itself baffled by UK heating systems so it’s not really supported here any more so I think other options are probably better now.

That's what my mother does. Thermostat is set to never cut the heating, timing is on for a blast in the morning and evening, otherwise she just presses a button for 'more heat please'

I wonder if Hive is even harder to use than the manual control. Mine is very easy to use though as it's simply a dial that you move up and down! Very old school, it wasn't changed when I got a new boiler.

I agree with the OP that trying to do things on a small screen is awkward as you get older - and actually just generally. A couple of years ago I went to an event about consumer law regulation and there was a behavioural scientist there who said that people are far more likely to buy things they don't want on a phone than they are on a computer screen (which is probably also why so many retail sites now only let you see half the screen on a computer as well).

Mine are just like this!

That's why I occasionally mis-order things when doing the shopping on apps. I thought it might be the wine!

OP sometimes you just have to be realistic about what is going to make things easiest for you. Sounds like Tado is it. Also sounds like your db isn’t being very helpful so might not be the one to sort it but worth a try first of all. Central hearing systems are nothing like what they were when I was little. DM 89 would still be fine if she had the little controller thing from the 1970’s with a basic override switch but hers is much more complicated now.

sending you good thoughts because long distance IT support is flipping hard work

dm can do FaceTime on her iPad that does really help but sometimes it’s just easier to go round

and no she wouldn’t figure it out she’d just sit in her coat and be cold or go to bed early to those saying leave them to it

Envious of people whose parents set to 24/25. Mum had hers set at 28/29. Even in a vest top I boiled. I used to keep a flask of iced water in the car to cool down when I left. Meanwhile mum would sit there in a thick jumper.

I’m a bit younger than your parents in my 70’s. I moved house last year and inherited the previous owner’s Hive and I love it. I’m not sure how much they are to buy but I don’t pay any subscription. It’s not necessary for the basic functions ie to control the heating.

My tech skills aren’t great but I find it very easy to use. Maybe it would be worth the initial outlay of buying one and setting it up without a subscription. If they still struggle you could set the app up on your phone and control it from your end.

I'd get a remote device as PP have suggested. It's only going to get worse as they age.

My 85 year uncle had a smart thermostat ( Hive or Nest) installed and learned to use it on his phone. His children also have the app, so if he’s in hospital and they need the house, they can crank up the heating before they arrive. If your parents can't or won’t learn, install the app on your phone.

😂

British Gas installed a manual timer for my mother when she didn’t want a digital one. They still stock them