How does central heating work?

It’s not just you! Every newcomer from a warm country I know who’s moved to the UK has had a moment of, “uh, what are all these wavy boxes on the walls and how do I work them?”. Welcome to the world of central heating, my friends! 

Here’s a nice Scottish woman calmly explaining what’s going on with the radiators and here’s her explaining the boiler. Here’s a more detailed writeup if you’re still confused. If your radiators aren’t heating all the way to the top, you might need to “bleed” them (search YouTube). Don’t panic if they make weird clicky noises all the time, it’s pretty normal. 

What temperature should you set your home at? Congratulations, this is a new thing your family will be fighting about for the rest of your lives. Answers range from 16 - 22. Start at 18 and adjust until you’re comfortable.