condensing combi boiler temperature setting

want2bmortgage3 · 24 March 2008 at 12:33AM

well i can control the hot water and central heating temp's on my boilers control panel

i am happy with the water at 50 degrees as its just hot enough for a hot bath/shower, but not scalding

however, i'm unsure what to set the central heating to. ive tried 65 and 70. but my main concern is whats best to save money? is it better to blast it out hot for a shorter time, or have it on longer at a lower temperature?

also i have thermo valves on the radiators is it worth using these or have them all fully open ? if someone knows the most efficient way of controlling heating id love to know. for note, i dont have any room thermostats, just a heating timer (3 periods a day) and the rad valves.

Canucklehead · 24 March 2008 at 9:07AM

Hi

As an installer I am working to this.... http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/home_improvements/heating_and_hot_water/heating_controls

You need a room stat ideally.How long you run the system for depends on your use of the house , are you home all day or out? If you're not home all day turn it off.

If you have young children at home or the chance of an older person falling and getting stuck next to or against a rad then a lower temperature would be better. It will take longer for the house to heat up from cold though.

Corgi Guy.

want2bmortgage3 · 24 March 2008 at 11:21AM

thanks for the reply. good article there, people need to know about this stuff. i'm after a little more detail though. i've currently got a basic timer connected to the boiler, drayton something. how easily could i fit a room thermostat? as you said it would be the best solution.

say i did fit one, i'd still be asking whether its more efficient to have the heating set at say 80c to bring the room up to temp quickly, or say 65c but take a lot longer?

want2bmortgage3 · 24 March 2008 at 1:35PM

for example, say you've got your room thermostat set to 20c, then what is more efficient with all rad valves fully open:

- boiler sending water out at 80c and needing less time to reach the 20c
- boiler at a lower 65c but needing longer to get up to temp?

Canucklehead · 24 March 2008 at 5:09PM

.

If you have young children at home or the chance of an older person falling and getting stuck next to or against a rad then a lower temperature would be better. It will take longer for the house to heat up from cold though.

I thought that kind of answered your question . Yes run the boiler at near max . Turn the TRVs down to make the room comfortable for you.

I go to quite a few houses where all the TRVs are on max and no one seems to worry about it

want2bmortgage3 · 26 March 2008 at 4:44PM

hi canuckel
thanks or your reply, i just wonder though that turning up the boiler then turning the rads down with the valves might cost more due to the gas needed to keep the boiler at max temp

jteez · 31 January 2012 at 1:58PM

I know this is an old thread but it is a useful one nevertheless so...

Basically you won't get a simple answer because it's complex and there's no simple answer.

I think superficially as Canucklehead said, the boiler is designed to run most efficiently at it's maximum tempurature. So there is your answer. The overhead of having the boiler up high I assume is out weighed by the benefits of radiator efficiency, etc....

However if it is a condensing boiler its important to ensure that the flow/return (at the boiler) doesn't exceed 20degC so that the boiler can maintain it's own maximum efficiency.

If it's a modulating boiler supporting openTherm, make sure you get an openTherm thermostat which not only turns the boiler on and off but also controls the boilers temperature to maintain max efficiency.

Modern wireless room thermostats are very easy to fit, if you are 'competent'... These still need a device wired close to the boiler. Many boilers are wired externally so no need to open the casing. However there is a risk of knackering the boiler computer if you wire it wrong.

With a thermostat you could continue to use the boilers timer, and have an additional temperature control (just to adjust weather you're sitting around and want it warmer or doing the cleaning and want it a little cooler).

But there are many ways to boost the efficiency of your system. But absolutely best is dealing with drafts (even just cracks in ceiling/wall plaster - easiest to test on cold windy days)

Multiple zones (separate bedrooms/living rooms) are great and relatively simple to install.

However if you're not sure about what you're doing, definitely best to get a gas safe central heating specialist. Though make sure your talk to the about efficiency to gauge their abilities because sadly as with every industry (not picking on plumbers) there are many people that just don't really care about what they do.

What temperatures did you decide on in the end, or have you upgraded to wet solar in the meant time

lanto · 6 March 2012 at 6:15PM

Thanks jteez. Even though it is an old post people like me are still looking for good answers, yours has enough tech speak for me understand. :beer:

condensing combi boiler temperature setting

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