This house is cold

loulou41

I have just moved in this house 3 months ago. The central heating is on at 20 centigrades and this old house still feels cold. The thermostat is in the hall which is long and narrow. I wonder whether I should let the central heating on constantly at 19. We are both out all day and do not get home until 6 pm. It is a 2 beds and it has 11 radiators, am concerned about the heating cost. Also should I turn the valve off in the spare bedroom? Thanks

Premier_2

You're concerned about heating costs and you are thinking about leaving the heating on constantly?

You are moaning about how cold you think the house is and you are thinking about reducing the thermostat temperature and turning off one of the radiators in the house?

You've not really thought about this very well have you?

penrhyn

Buy yourself a few thermometers so that you can measure the room temperature accurately, and adjust your room stat accordingly.
11 radiators in a two bed property seems a lot, I've only got 8 radiators in a three bed.
For starters you could check your loft insulation (around 10 inches is the norm now), and take draft proofing measures. Heavy curtains that you draw at night, seasonal double glazing (cling Film).

Mankysteve

I live in five bed and only have eight radiators. It cheaper to only rub the CH when your in the house, the old its better to be on low all day is an urban myth.

If your worried about the heating cost as long as your fit and healthy its not that cold yet put an extra layer on.

macman

11 rads in a 2 bedroomed house? Certainly shouldn't be cold!

samtastic7

that isn a lot of radiators

LisaLou1982

11 rads in a 2 bed house is crazy! Average of 1 rad per room (sometimes 2 if the lounge is big) is common.

Are all of your radiators getting hot when the heating is on? If not, try bleeding them and see if that works. If not, maybe a power flush or a heating system upgrade might be necessary. Putting the heating on all day is not economical and will cost you a lot of money - pointless if youre not in the house.

Not_So_Naff

I agree that there does seem to be an excess of Radiators, but they were probably put there to try to make the place warmer without tackling the root cause of the problem.
Before being able to provide useful input to the problem it is essential to know more about the property concerned.

You mention that the House is 'old' and this in my experience possibly means damp.
Not that newer houses are all as damp free as they should be.

Can you tell us the age of the property, and as much as possible about the type of dwelling, construction of the building and it's insulation?

Fire_Fox

loulou41 wrote: »

I have just moved in this house 3 months ago. The central heating is on at 20 centigrades and this old house still feels cold. The thermostat is in the hall which is long and narrow. I wonder whether I should let the central heating on constantly at 19. We are both out all day and do not get home until 6 pm. It is a 2 beds and it has 11 radiators, am concerned about the heating cost. Also should I turn the valve off in the spare bedroom? Thanks

Are you actually dressing appropriately for winter or expecting to wear thin sleeves around the house? What is the insulation like - loft, double glazing, cavity wall, decent curtains, draft excluders? Is the house damp, do you ventilate properly? Is the thermostat working properly, have all the radiators been bled and balanced? When are where are you cold, sat on the sofa/ in bed/ all the time? If you are concerned about the cost are you reading the meters regularly?

consultant31

loulou41 wrote: »

I have just moved in this house 3 months ago. The central heating is on at 20 centigrades and this old house still feels cold. The thermostat is in the hall which is long and narrow. I wonder whether I should let the central heating on constantly at 19. We are both out all day and do not get home until 6 pm. It is a 2 beds and it has 11 radiators, am concerned about the heating cost. Also should I turn the valve off in the spare bedroom? Thanks

2 bedrooms/ 2 radiators
1 kitchen/ 1 radiator
1 lounge/1 radiator
1 bathroom/1 radiator
Upstairs landing/1 radiator
Downstairs long hall/2 radiators

Not hard to see how they could easily have 8 radiators

We have a 5 bedroomed house with 24 radiators :eek: many of which are in the split level hallway which is 92 feet long (it was 2 bungalows which we knocked together). However, we only have the heating on for 1½ hours in the morning and 3½ at night and that's only been since the weather turned very cold. I always wear a jumper with a fleecy jacket or gilet over the top indoors during the day. Ours too is an old property but we have all the insulation possible (too much actually since we now have problems associated with condensation).

C_Mababejive