Is it cheaper to keep your heating on all the time or turned on at intervals?

Clarkee21

I've asked some colleagues this question and got some mixed answers so I thought I'd ask on here to see what others think.

Is it cheaper to keep your heating on all the time and maintain it at a certain level or have the timer set to come on for a set periods of time during the day and put it on mnaually when things get a bit chilly?

I'm ignoring other energy saving techniques which could help just now and really aiming at the basics to see what people think. What are your thoughts?

Thanks a lot,
James

doraexplorer

well i have gas central heating and i dont have it on a timer i just put on the heating for the 1 hour boost when it gets cold. its not on all the time as i think it would be more expensive. i do feel doing it this way that it is the cheapest option for me.

what kind of heating do you have ?

HarryH_3

Clarkee21 wrote: »

I've asked some colleagues this question and got some mixed answers so I thought I'd ask on here to see what others think.

Is it cheaper to keep your heating on all the time and maintain it at a certain level or have the timer set to come on for a set periods of time during the day and put it on mnaually when things get a bit chilly?

I'm ignoring other energy saving techniques which could help just now and really aiming at the basics to see what people think. What are your thoughts?

Thanks a lot,
James

It is always cheaper to have your heating intermittent than constant. The energy you have to put into your building is a function of the difference between internal and external temperature. So, if your heating goes off, the internal temperatures falls and you are saving energy/money.

HarryH_3

doraexplorer wrote: »

well i have gas central heating and i dont have it on a timer i just put on the heating for the 1 hour boost when it gets cold. its not on all the time as i think it would be more expensive. i do feel doing it this way that it is the cheapest option for me.

what kind of heating do you have ?

I went from an intermittently heated system on a timer to one where I just did the +1 hour boost. I reckon it saved 50% in energy terms. ie it doesnt go on if you stay late at work/pub etc. It doesn't go on unless you can be bothered to get up and press it. It really does make a big difference.

Clarkee21

Sorry I should have mentioned that it's Gas I have. Currently we have it on all the time at around 20 but top it up every once in a while.

We're looking at ways that we can shrink bills and this seems like an obvious place however we have two very young children (3 and 1) so we're slightly paranoid at the idea of putting extra covers on them at night. Hence why I wondered if it was better to keep it at a certain level or maybe put the timer at certain times

espresso

Do you leave your kettle on all of the time?

DGJsaver

espresso wrote: »

Do you leave your kettle on all of the time?

To the point

Clarkee21

espresso wrote: »

Do you leave your kettle on all of the time?

:rotfl:For the amount of tea I drink I should. I know what you're saying though and that is true.

I think we'll be stocking up on some nice thick jumpers next week

Cardew

This question in various forms must have come up 50 times over the past couple of years.

It is fed by an 'Urban Myth' that more energy is needed to warm up a building from cold than keep it at a constant temperature.

Apart from the kettle example above, the best anology is to think what you do if you go away on holiday.

If you are away for a month would you keep the CH and HW on constant? A week? A weekend? Out at work all day? For 7 hours at night?
It is exactly the same principle.