Heating how long?

Lesley_Allan

I have not long moved into my very first house, its been a pleasant experience so far, and i am looking forward to Christmas time, I am trying to watch what i am doing money wise and although i want to try to save as much as i can , I am of the opinion that you only live once, so I am certainly not freezing my way through this winter, If i am cold then the heating will be going on, i know some people cannot afford to do this and i understand that.

my question being, I have had to put my heating on from yesterday, it is on a timer from 5.30am until 6.30am and from 5pm until 9pm.

total 5 hours per day, it is controlled by my Thermostatic valves and combi boiler is at 2

My bill is not due in until the 15th december.

do you think having my heating on for that amount each day is ok or might i expect a rather hefty bill in mid december time.

any help is much apprecaited, i know its like asking how long is a piece of string but every little bit of info counts.

thanks.

EliteHeat

Do you not have a room thermostat?

Lesley_Allan

No, it is just a normal timer attached to the boiler for either on/off or on timer,
having to control temperature with the valves on radiator.

daveyjp

Read your gas meter every day for a week to see how much gas you are using.

EliteHeat

If you want to save money then get a room thermostat, better yet, get a programmable room thermostat, best of all, get a wireless programmable room thermostat that you can move from room to room.

27col

I do not know how you are paying for the gas, but I think that paying a regular amount every month by direct debit is a good idea. In the summer months you will build up a cash credit and in the winter you will run this credit down. That way you do not get any large and unexpected bills. Alternatively you can pay the bills as they arise and then after getting 4 quarterly bills you will know how much gas you use in a year. At that point you can start paying a regular amount monthly. I believe that the gas supplier will estimate how much you need to pay, but i have heard tales about them over charging monthly. At least, if you find out what your annual usage is you are in a strong position to resist their guessitimates.

Kandipandi

That is about the same timing as mine - with no thermostats on the individual radiators and an old boiler. I know it varies and supplier prices vary but my heating is heating a 1920's 4 bedroom terraced and it costs me about £43 a month and they owe me about £150 quid. I hope this gives you a rough guide.
It is a good idea (in my opinion) to set up a monthly direct debit, which will give a bit peace of mind as even if you get a large bill you will have already paid a chunk of it off IYKWIM.
p.s. hope you are happy in your new home

BitterAndTwisted

I second the suggestion of taking weekly meter-readings: that way there won't be any nasty surprises and you can adjust the timer accordingly. Four hours of heating in the evening sounds quite a lot in the current mild weather

withabix

Get yourself on a budget account.

EliteHeat

And a hot water bottle.

withabix

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Four hours of heating in the evening sounds quite a lot in the current mild weather

Depends where you live. We had frost today!