Gas on constantly or on and off...?

Cardew

Once and for all - it costs less to have heating on timed than 24/7.

That is without question - anyone who states otherwise is wrong - plain wrong.

This is a quote from the Energy Saving Trust:

Question

Is it more economical to leave my heating on 24hrs in the winter?

Answer

No. It is a common misconception that it is cheaper to leave your hot water and heating on all the time. Boilers use more power initially to heat water from cold, however the cost of this is greatly exceeded by the cost of keeping the boiler running all of the time.

The best solution is to programme your heating system so that it comes on when you need it most (possibly early morning and in the evening), and goes off when you don't need it (when you are out of the house or asleep). There are a range of controls that can be used and your heating engineer will be able to provide you with the most appropriate solution.

Depending on your circumstances it may be necessary to keep the heating on all day during winter but it will cost more than if you turn the heating off when you don't need it.

The Laws of Thermodynamics state that it is true.

Anyone with any common sense knows that it is true.

Yet we still get the stupidity of people who 'have proved' otherwise. These are like people who 'have proved' that strapping a magnet to the fuel lines of a car, oil Central heating pipes or gas pipes improve their consumption by 40% or so.

inaminute23

Cardew wrote: »

Once and for all - it costs less to have heating on timed than 24/7.

That is without question - anyone who states otherwise is wrong - plain wrong.

This is a quote from the Energy Saving Trust:



The Laws of Thermodynamics state that it is true.

Anyone with any common sense knows that it is true.

Yet we still get the stupidity of people who 'have proved' otherwise. These are like people who 'have proved' that strapping a magnet to the fuel lines of a car, oil Central heating pipes or gas pipes improve their consumption by 40% or so.

Answer this then. How come when i have my heating on time for 5 hours a day, 1 hour in the morning, 4 in the evening it uses more than having it set on the stat 24/7?

I'll tell you why. It is because the temp drops in the house during the day, believe it or not. When i get in at 7pm and the temp is 15 deg in my lounge, so for that four hours my heating is on, it never reaches 20 degrees. Same in the morning too. So the gas is burning 5 hours a day in my house on timer. By leaving it on 24/7 my boiler burns gas between 3-4 hours a day.

These are facts! I would say that if your lounge is small it would heat up quicker thus being cheaper on timer. However this does not apply to me and many others.

Cardew

inaminute23 wrote: »

Answer this then. How come when i have my heating on time for 5 hours a day, 1 hour in the morning, 4 in the evening it uses more than having it set on the stat 24/7?

I'll tell you why. It is because the temp drops in the house during the day, believe it or not. When i get in at 7pm and the temp is 15 deg in my lounge, so for that four hours my heating is on, it never reaches 20 degrees. Same in the morning too. So the gas is burning 5 hours a day in my house on timer. By leaving it on 24/7 my boiler burns gas between 3-4 hours a day.

These are facts! I would say that if your lounge is small it would heat up quicker thus being cheaper on timer. However this does not apply to me and many others.

I would like to put this as gently as I can - how about - 'you are talking absolute rubbish!'

inaminute23

Cardew wrote: »

I would like to put this as gently as I can - how about - 'you are talking absolute rubbish!'

Who are you????

If you don't believe this, that is your hard luck, and problem by the sounds of it. Again another simpleton who doesn't like be told something he doesn''t believe.

I'll say it again, your house might be more economical to run on a timer, but mine isn't.

Is that too hard to comprehend?

closed

That must be some house design. How big is it, what temperature do you heat it to, and how many kwh gas did you use in the last 12 months?

stevemcol

Cardew, et al, I know you get frustrated and I agree, your physics are correct. However, as you point out, there are other variables. Some of the posters above are coming across the same problem I had: allowing the house to completely cool makes it very difficult to heat it up again. Allowing the boiler to tick over during the day is one solution THOUGH I AGREE IT'S NOT THE CHEAPEST. If people don't grasp the physics they are not 'stupid' or 'idiots'. Will you just contain you inner angst and calm down. If the thread upsets you so much, just avoid it. If you can bring yourself to read it without exploding in a fit of rage, please use your knowledge and expertise to dispense sensible, practical advice to help people maintain a comfortable temperature by the ceapest means.

inaminute23

closed wrote: »

That must be some house design. How big is it, what temperature do you heat it to, and how many kwh gas did you use in the last 12 months?

Is this question for me?

SuzieSue

stevemcol wrote: »

allowing the house to completely cool makes it very difficult to heat it up again. by the ceapest means.

And more importantly in this weather, risks pipes becoming frozen.

HappyMJ

inaminute23 wrote: »

Who are you????

If you don't believe this, that is your hard luck, and problem by the sounds of it. Again another simpleton who doesn't like be told something he doesn''t believe.

I'll say it again, your house might be more economical to run on a timer, but mine isn't.

Is that too hard to comprehend?

I believe you when you say your house loses heat in the day. Therefore as it loses heat the boiler must fire to replace that heat. The boiler firing costs money. If the timer is not calling for heat then you will save money. If your house takes 4 hours to get up to temperature then the central heating has not been designed for your house correctly. It should only take about an hour to get up to 21 degrees firing constantly. This is advice from the energysavingtrust. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Heating-and-hot-water/Thermostats-and-heating-controls If you follow the advice on how to calculate your heating up times and cooling down times then you will save money but you don't want to listen so fair enough keep it on 24/7 at 21 degrees as it must be cheaper.

inaminute23

HappyMJ wrote: »

I believe you when you say your house loses heat in the day. Therefore as it loses heat the boiler must fire to replace that heat. The boiler firing costs money. If the timer is not calling for heat then you will save money. If your house takes 4 hours to get up to temperature then the central heating has not been designed for your house correctly. It should only take about an hour to get up to 21 degrees firing constantly. This is advice from the energysavingtrust. http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Heating-and-hot-water/Thermostats-and-heating-controls If you follow the advice on how to calculate your heating up times and cooling down times then you will save money but you don't want to listen so fair enough keep it on 24/7 at 21 degrees as it must be cheaper.

Have I said that?

I will look into my heating system. My living room is 11ft wide x 19ft long x 8ft high and has 1x 1200 x 600mm double panel single convector radiator. This could be the problem?