My name is Steven Duval. I left school at 15 to start a five-year apprenticeship in central heating, back when most homes in Britain were still heated by coal. That apprenticeship turned into a career spanning over 50 years — and eventually, my own company, Duval Heating.

Over five decades I installed complete central heating systems from scratch: boilers, hot water cylinders, radiators, valves, and every generation of control system in between — from basic mechanical timers to today's smart wireless thermostats.

I was Gas Safe registered for both natural gas and LPG, a specialism that kept me busy long after many engineers had retired. I also held the qualification to install unvented hot water cylinders, the modern replacement for the old loft water tank.

I worked across the South East — starting as a young gas engineer in Central London, moving to Essex when I married, returning to London as old customers tracked me down, and finally settling in Suffolk in my sixties, where I specialised in LPG until I retired at 66.

I watched the heating controls industry change completely. I fitted the first wireless controls when they were a luxury item people showed off to friends. I watched smart thermostats arrive as the government began pushing energy efficiency from the late 1990s onward. Today the choice is overwhelming, and most homeowners have no real way to know which system actually suits their property.

That's why I started this site.

I've seen smart thermostats become the heating world's equivalent of a new phone — everyone wants one, but not everyone needs the same one, and the wrong choice can waste money or even damage your system. Products like the Google Nest changed the market, and rightly so. But knowing which system works with your boiler, your wiring, and your home takes real experience, not a marketing brochure.

Everything on this site comes from five decades of hands-on work — not AI summaries, not guesswork. When I recommend a product, it's because I understand how it will actually perform on a real heating system.

If you have a question, drop me an email. I'll do my best to help.

Steven Duval Gas Safe Registered Engineer (Retired) — Natural Gas & LPG 50 Years in Central Heating & Plumbing South East England — London, Essex, Suffolk