Central heating on or off when away

Biggles

I've always left mine on at 12C whenever we're away as a frost prevention measure.

If the weather's mild, it won't cost you a penny. If the weather's cold, it'll use a little gas but will be worth it.

glider3560

I've got the same problem. Not sure whether to leave the heating on or off. I don't have a central thermostat - each radiator has a temperature controlled valve, except for the bathroom. My letting agents have sent me a Merry Christmas letter (very nice of them), which recommended that I leave the heating on for an hour every day but not really sure whether to do this or not?

savemoney

I would leave it on low around 12c as Biggles suggested

glider3560

savemoney wrote: »

I would leave it on low around 12c as Biggles suggested

I don't have a thermostat. I can adjust the water temperature on the boiler - between 0 and 5 - whatever that means.

Biggles

glider3560 wrote: »

I've got the same problem. Not sure whether to leave the heating on or off. I don't have a central thermostat - each radiator has a temperature controlled valve, except for the bathroom. My letting agents have sent me a Merry Christmas letter (very nice of them), which recommended that I leave the heating on for an hour every day but not really sure whether to do this or not?

TRVs have a 'frost' setting. I'd be inclined to set them all for that and set the heating to run for two or three hours a couple of times a day. If the room temps remain above the frost setting, all it will do is heat the water in the circulation pipe, not the rads, and cost very little.

glider3560

Biggles wrote: »

TRVs have a 'frost' setting. I'd be inclined to set them all for that and set the heating to run for two or three hours a couple of times a day. If the room temps remain above the frost setting, all it will do is heat the water in the circulation pipe, not the rads, and cost very little.

Thanks - just checked the radiators and they do have a frost setting (never noticed that before). Also, the boiler has a setting called "Min" on the temperature, which according to the instructions can be used in the winter. Only radiator which doesn't have a valve is the bathroom.

What sort of time would be best? I would think middle of the night as it will probably be coldest then?

C_Mababejive

Fire_Fox wrote: »

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

Hardly..anyway if people are talking about frost damage,what would happen if you had a gas leak when you were away due to the gas/heating still being left on? There could be an explosion. It happens.

Seriously,on modern heating systems there is no need to leave it on. Most have frost protection built in and the voulme contained in a sealed system is minimal anyway.

As always,it depends on the situation. I always turn it off as it fits my situation. If you have an old ,clanky system and you live on a windswept moor somewhere and are worried about freezing then insulate your pipes/tanks.

glider3560

A huge thank you to everyone on this thread.

I left my boiler on "Min" for 2 hours a night with the heaters set on the Frost setting. It cost about £4 in gas and about £2 electricity but has been worth it as it was so cold over the winter.

A friend who lives in a shared house was telling me how they "forgot" to leave the heating on and the pipes burst. Three bedrooms (out of five) were flooded, plus the kitchen and lounge area. The landlord's insurance will cover this but they are being asked to fork out the £600 excess!

Andy_WSM

glider3560 wrote: »

A huge thank you to everyone on this thread.

I left my boiler on "Min" for 2 hours a night with the heaters set on the Frost setting. It cost about £4 in gas and about £2 electricity but has been worth it as it was so cold over the winter.

A friend who lives in a shared house was telling me how they "forgot" to leave the heating on and the pipes burst. Three bedrooms (out of five) were flooded, plus the kitchen and lounge area. The landlord's insurance will cover this but they are being asked to fork out the £600 excess!

So you "saved" £594?