Central heating on or off when away

loulou41

Going away for Xmas, do I leave the central heating on low or on timer? Thanks

rigsby1967

When i have been away in the winter what i usually do is have it on in the morning and evening for a while but i also have the back up of someone coming in everyday to check on the house so if the temperatures are really low i get them to override the timer and have it on all the time but on low.

Better safe than sorry.

rigs

Andy_WSM

Depends where you live. If you live in the Caribbean then it might seem a bit wasteful

If you live in an exposed area of the UK then leaving it switched on with the thermostat set to a low setting (10C should do it) will mean it will only come on if there is a danger of the house freezing.

You will burn no gas and consume no electric unless the temperature drops low enough for freezing pipes to be a concern - it's then clearly cheaper to use some fuel than to have to pay to fix the damage caused by frost.

This assumes you have a central thermostat, in a hallway, for example.

macman

Don't all modern boilers have frost 'stats fitted now?

GOLFER

Hi

Me also going away for three weeks at xmas and live up in Scotland.

If i were to leave the heating on LOW for three weeks should i also have the hot water on as well.

Or just one or the other.

I have a 4 bed detached house so would be keen to know which would be cheaper on all time or set on timer for a couple of hours in morning and evening. If later option what temp should Ileave it at.

thanks

Golfer

C_Mababejive

Turn it off. Leaving heating on when home is unoccupied is wasteful and an expensive luxury.

GOLFER

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Turn it off. Leaving heating on when home is unoccupied is wasteful and an expensive luxury.

well my inlaws did that came home from usa to find water tank had frozen and burst,

they were in rented accom for 6 months till the house was totally gutted and rebuilt inside.

So I think we should leave it on somehow

thanks

macman

GOLFER wrote: »

well my inlaws did that came home from usa to find water tank had frozen and burst,

they were in rented accom for 6 months till the house was totally gutted and rebuilt inside.

So I think we should leave it on somehow

thanks

Assuming your cold water tank is in the loft, then heating your house is not going to heat the loft (assuming you have decent loft insulation). Most pipe bursts are due to poor lagging and draughts getting to the supply pipes on the way to the tank, and to the fact that there is no flow when the house is unoccupied. If the former is taken care of then the risk is minimised.

Andy_WSM

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Turn it off. Leaving heating on when home is unoccupied is wasteful and an expensive luxury.

No, leaving the heating set on a thermostat is a sensible precaution.

My first house was flooded due to a frozen / burst pipe in the hallway (there were no tanks in the loft). Ever since then I will not go away without leaving the heating with the ability to come on should the temperature drop.

The cost of repairing the damage was ~£4,500 at 1980s prices - a few YEARS worth of gas even if I had chosen to leave the heating on!

Fire_Fox

Re C_Mababejive: Don't feed the trolls, people!!

dogshome

Hi loulou41 - Have a look at your house insurance policy. It may well have a clause that the CH should be left running at 15 degrees if the house is unoccupied in winter