HOUSEHOLDS in Bolton could save thousands of pounds in gas and water charges by fitting a small but revolutionary valve to their hot water supply pipe, according to the manufacturer.

The valve is being fitted locally by heating specialists BHE Services (Bolton) Limited and can save up to about £200 per year compared to a typical combi-boiler or instantaneous water heater installation.

The valve works by restricting the flow of warm water out of the boiler to three litres — until it has heated up.

Once the target temperature of 42°C has been reached, the valve opens fully to allow the water to return to full flow.

Once the water is fully heated, flow increases to the standard 10 to 12 litres per minute.

A typical UK home will needlessly waste up to 50,000 litres of water and 1,500kWh of gas each year simply through waiting for the water to heat up fully.

The valve manufacturers say more than 18 million UK homes could benefit through saving wasted gas and lukewarm water, which typically goes down the drain at full flow until water is fully-heated.

Operations director for BHE Services (Bolton) Limited, Paul Wilkinson, said: “Nobody likes to wash, shower or shave in cold or lukewarm water.

"People run their tap or shower until the water gets fully warm. This small valve ends all that waste.

“Only one valve is required for a home’s hot water system and once fitted, the valve requires no maintenance or servicing. Households can simply ‘fit, forget and save’ once the valve is installed.”

“The valve uses a thermostat and innovative flow-stabilisation technology, which compensates for natural changes in water pressure.”

It costs £93 plus VAT to install the valve.

BHE Services is an installer of the latest renewable energy technologies including solar panels, heat pumps and other products approved under the UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme.