Keeping heating on..

pocketrocket_2

Hi does anyone have central heating they leave on all the time on a low setting in this freezing weather?

I have suffered from burst pipes in the past so am keeping the heating on to a very low under 10 on thermostat over night and just touching it up to 13 during the day. I know it will cost more but I do this for a only on a few days every year when its incredibly cold.

Also having to switch on and power up the boiler to get the house warm takes ages so that is costly too.

penrhyn

I'm retired so I tend to run the system during the day.
I'm fortunate in having a programmable thermostat, its usually set as follows

7am - 9am 18 c
9am- 5pm 16 c
5pm - 10pm 19 c
10pm - 7 am 12 c

Katie-Kat-Kins

Bear in mind that you are heating with a thermostat control not just an on off switch.

If you have your heating on with the thermostat at say 10C then this will only cost you money IF the interior temperature of the house drops below 10C. The rest of the time it will be off.

A reasonably well insulated home is unlikely to drop below 10C in 24 hours unless there is extreme weather. So it will cost you nothing. It will save you burst pipes etc though if you do this rather than turning off and there is a cold snap.

You should not need to adjust your heating settings for season or weather with gas central heating and a programable thermostat.

NeverInDebt

Dont keep mine on when its bed time but do during day if I am at home or kids are

Cant see a problem of having it off, house has never dropped temperature to less than 14c and thats during a very cold snap

Katie-Kat-Kins

NeverInDebt wrote: »

Dont keep mine on when its bed time but do during day if I am at home or kids are

Cant see a problem of having it off, house has never dropped temperature to less than 14c and thats during a very cold snap

See end result is that you will have spent exactly thhe same as if you had set your stat to 10C but you would have peace of mind in the event of extreme weather. Costs you nothing if it is on but the stat is down below the ambient temperature!

Cardew

pocketrocket wrote: »

I have suffered from burst pipes in the past so am keeping the heating on to a very low under 10 on thermostat over night and just touching it up to 13 during the day. I know it will cost more but I do this for a only on a few days every year when its incredibly cold.

Also having to switch on and power up the boiler to get the house warm takes ages so that is costly too.

You cannot be serious? 13C during the day?

That is dangerously low!

gemstars

Can I ask a question -

This probably seems really silly but does the same principle apply to water pipes and immersion heaters? We have all electric heating so I don't really put the hot water on. Am I at risk of the pipes bursting?

atwitsend_2

I have my heating on permanently. I just adjust it using the thermostat. This was recommended by the man who came to fix my ideal combi boiler a few months back.
I asked him to check my thermostat too, and he said it was fine....
During the day I haven't had to set it past 15, and at night it is about 10, and I still wake up hardly able to breathe and open a window I like to walk around in as little clothes as I like and not feel cold :rotfl: Oh and I have a disabled son who needs to stay warm as he can't regulate his own body temperature.
Everyone is always shocked how hot it is in my house and my mum is always saying her thermostat is at 20 :eek: and its freezing in her house!

penrhyn

atwitsend wrote: »

I have my heating on permanently. I just adjust it using the thermostat. This was recommended by the man who came to fix my ideal combi boiler a few months back.
I asked him to check my thermostat too, and he said it was fine....
During the day I haven't had to set it past 15, and at night it is about 10, and I still wake up hardly able to breathe and open a window I like to walk around in as little clothes as I like and not feel cold :rotfl: Oh and I have a disabled son who needs to stay warm as he can't regulate his own body temperature.
Everyone is always shocked how hot it is in my house and my mum is always saying her thermostat is at 20 :eek: and its freezing in her house!

I suggest you get yourself a good room thermometer, something is not working correctly.

Cardew

atwitsend wrote: »

I have my heating on permanently. I just adjust it using the thermostat. This was recommended by the man who came to fix my ideal combi boiler a few months back.
I asked him to check my thermostat too, and he said it was fine....
During the day I haven't had to set it past 15, and at night it is about 10, and I still wake up hardly able to breathe and open a window I like to walk around in as little clothes as I like and not feel cold :rotfl: Oh and I have a disabled son who needs to stay warm as he can't regulate his own body temperature.
Everyone is always shocked how hot it is in my house and my mum is always saying her thermostat is at 20 :eek: and its freezing in her house!

You either have a faulty thermostat or the thermostat is situated in a cold room - perhaps a a hall?

If you put the thermostat in a garage and set it to 5C you will still be sweltering in your house;)

15C is cold! It is way below the recommended temperature and is dangerous. As for 10C!!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5372296.stm

24C - top range of comfort
21C - recommended living room temperature
Less than 20C - death risk begins
18C - recommended bedroom temperature
16C - resistance to respiratory diseases weakened
12C - more than two hours at this temperature raises blood pressure and increases heart attack and stroke risk
5C - Significant risk of hypothermia

Source: West Midlands Public Health Observatory

raebhoop

Quote
Less than 20C - death risk begins

My my....how did humans survive before central heating.As a kid I slept in bedrooms with ice patterns inside on all the windows.I'm still here...