Gas on constantly or on and off...?

Catbells

I put my heating on 2 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night. We also have a couple of 3kw oil filled radiators - electrically run - which I wheel around the house if I'm going to be using an unheated room during the day. Electricity is a bit cheaper than gas and it uneconomic to heat up the whole house if you're only using one room. I also wear several layers use hot water bottles and thick ski socks around the house.

Cardew

Catbells wrote: »

We also have a couple of 3kw oil filled radiators - electrically run - which I wheel around the house if I'm going to be using an unheated room during the day. Electricity is a bit cheaper than gas and it uneconomic to heat up the whole house if you're only using one room. .

Electricity is three to four times more expensive than gas, not cheaper.

Can you not turn off the radiators in the rooms not in use, and just heat the one room with the gas CH?

SuzieSue

shegar wrote: »

Well its up to the individual I suppose to how warm or cold their homes are, but im glad to say my heating is on at 21 during the day and if it feels a bit chilly of a night it go to about 23 . My heating is on 14 hours per day approx, husband disabled and sitting nearly all day. Gas central heating , Heating off at bedtime, Well insulated 3 bed detached bungalow with double glazing , 7 rads, 10 inch loft insulation, all gas heating , rangemaster in kitchen for cooking , , recently new combi boiler , gas hot water on demand my yearly bill for gas £424.67.

Yes we could turn our heating down to 16 degrees wear more clothing and sit miserable but why do that when our gas bills are so low and we are kept warm and happy.

If your husband is disabled, there is no way you can have the heating on at 16 degrees - 21 is fine.

Wearing more clothes does not make you miserable as long as you are warm and the heating is set to an appropriate temperature.

shegar

SuzieSue wrote: »

If your husband is disabled, there is no way you can have the heating on at 16 degrees - 21 is fine.

Wearing more clothes does not make you miserable as long as you are warm and the heating is set to an appropriate temperature.

Suzie Sue , youve mis read me , what im saying is that if I had to have my heating at 16 and wear 5 layers of clothes id be miserable and feel very un comfortable.

Im happy to be able to wear one layer of clothes and have the heating at 21, thats what suits us .

SuzieSue

Catbells wrote: »

I put my heating on 2 hours in the morning and 3 hours at night. We also have a couple of 3kw oil filled radiators - electrically run - which I wheel around the house if I'm going to be using an unheated room during the day. Electricity is a bit cheaper than gas and it uneconomic to heat up the whole house if you're only using one room. I also wear several layers use hot water bottles and thick ski socks around the house.

And I bet you are not miserable at all. I am happier (fingers crossed) than I have ever been before in my life (for various reasons) and the fact that I am not wasting money makes me even happier as I am sure it does you.

SuzieSue

shegar wrote: »

Suzie Sue , youve mis read me , what im saying is that if I had to have my heating at 16 and wear 5 layers of clothes id be miserable and feel very un comfortable.

Im happy to be able to wear one layer of clothes and have the heating at 21, thats what suits us .

That's fine, if it makes you feel uncomfortable wearing lots of layers, then of course you shouldn't do it. It doesn't make me feel uncomfortable at all which is why I do it. If you are happier to wear one layer of clother and have the heating at 21 degrees, then that is what you should do - life is too short to be unhappy.

spinningsheep

I think the moral of this thread is that we're all different. Our current gas and electricity usage is approx £50 on the electric and £105 on the gas for a month, and the DD is set to £90 on the electric and £70 on the gas, which many will say is far too high but we like to be comfortable, and we don't go out so our recreation is all done in the house really!

Cardew

spinningsheep wrote: »

I think the moral of this thread is that we're all different. Our current gas and electricity usage is approx £50 on the electric and £105 on the gas for a month, and the DD is set to £90 on the electric and £70 on the gas, which many will say is far too high but we like to be comfortable, and we don't go out so our recreation is all done in the house really!

I agree with your sentiments.

However the real moral of this thread is that every time this question is asked; which is 'Is it cheaper to have the heating running constantly or on a timer' we get sidetracked.

The fact that people can exist in their houses with the temperature at 5C, spend one shilling and sixpence a year on gas, like sitting in 17 layers of clothes and 6 hot water bottles to watch TV;) does not alter the absolute fact that the longer you have your boiler off, the more money you will save!

True it might only reduce expenditure on gas to one shilling and threepence - but as Tommy Steele said! 'half a sixpence is better than etc'!!!!

Wannabedebtfree

I have my heating on from 7am until 10pm every day, mostly because I have my parents living with me and as they are there all day I refuse to have them getting cold. When I had the heating put in, I asked the engineer the best way to go for my situation and he said that it would be cheaper to have it on constant as it would take the usual time to heat up to the temperature and then would just come on and off as required to keep the temperature up to scratch and would work out cheaper than having the house get cold.

It all comes down to personal choice at the end of the day, but I'm not going to complain at the cost of my gas as the most it cost me is £140 over a quarter which was last winter's. This quarter might be higher as it's been colder, but I won't know until February / March.

Cardew

Wannabedebtfree wrote: »

When I had the heating put in, I asked the engineer the best way to go for my situation and he said that it would be cheaper to have it on constant as it would take the usual time to heat up to the temperature and then would just come on and off as required to keep the temperature up to scratch and would work out cheaper than having the house get cold.

It all comes down to personal choice at the end of the day,

Well your engineer is wrong - just plain wrong!! or you have misunderstood what he was saying.

Did he tell you to leave it on all night on constant whilst you were in bed?

Did he tell you to leave it on constant when you went away on holiday?

Of course it comes down to personal choice of how you run your heating. Nobody would dream(I hope) of telling anyone what they should or shouldn't do with CH.

However it is sensible when someone asks(the OP) which is cheaper, to give correct information.