Question re using thermostat and temperature

sec79

Hi
I know this is a silly question, but I was told using the room thermostat to control the heating temperature works out cheaper than just simply switching the gas on and off as and when I need it. Fine that is easy.

However when I turn the temperature up, to say nearly 20 it clicks. If you turn the temperature down and it clicks, are you still billed for this?

The temperature gauge goes down to 10, so if I don't want the heating on, do I need to make sure that the dial is turned down to less than 10?

Are you charged more the higher the number that the dial on the thermostat is turned to?

I've just got a huge gas bill, and so wanting to make sure I don't get a big shock when the next bill is due. Plus just had new boiler fitted so was hoping this would help to slightly reduce the bills
Many thanks

brians_daughter

The higher the temp the more gas you use, so the more expensive it is. If you set your heating at 20 deg for example you will use more gas than setting it to 15 degrees as the boiler will be using gas for longer to keep the house at 20 degrees

I have fine tuned my heating now so it is on about 14 degrees all the time in winter, and then we just have it a little higher in the evening for an hour or so whilst kids are getting bathed and ready for bed etc. I have seena good saving on my usual gas consumption this 1/4/

macman

Sounds like you are leaving your CH on 24/7 and just turning down the stat at night?
This means it will still fire the boiler during the night as the house cools down.
If you have just paid for a new boiler then did you not get a new programmer with it which will allow you to properly control the heating/hot water at timed intervals?
You should also have TRV's on all your rads except the one nearest to the room 'stat.

de1amo

i am new and have a simular link goşing on --and what maybe be a solution for the burdened chap--ps what kind of bill is typical in the uk for a 4 bed place with family--i know its as long as wide but i am abroad at the moment and fear what is going on back there when i return-

sec79

Yes I am leaving the central heating on 24/7 and just turning down the thermostat as low as it will go when I don't want the heating on. The lowest temperature marked is 10 and when I don't want any heating on I turn this to below 10.
I do have a timer but find it easier to turn it off manually on the programer or just be turning the thermostat down as I want heating on at different times each day.

Is the consensus the cheapest thing to do, if I don't want to use the programmer to turn the heating off manually as opposed to just turning the thermostat to the lowest level?
Thank you

de1amo

easier said than done when your asleep due to the comfort level!--i only have a thermostat to control things and am loosing control and money by having it on half the night!--the engineers and bosch service said to use your method--

KimYeovil

sec79 wrote: »

Are you charged more the higher the number that the dial on the thermostat is turned to?

<scratches head> <bites tongue> :wall:

de1amo

i was confused by a comment that said you can control times of heat and water on a combi system--my hot water only happens when i turn the tap--the temperature of the water i can regulate on the boiler!-i am also confused by my own boiler it has somekind of power level dial-doesnt the therostat control the level of heat production!

DVardysShadow

de1amo wrote: »

i was confused by a comment that said you can control times of heat and water on a combi system--my hot water only happens when i turn the tap--the temperature of the water i can regulate on the boiler!-i am also confused by my own boiler it has somekind of power level dial-doesnt the therostat control the level of heat production!

Only to take on a small part of this. Normally [ie correctly installed], if a combi boiler is powered, it will always produce hot water for your taps. The timer will control the times at which your boiler will also heat the house. Try it. Turn off the timer and try drawing hot water.

If you want economy, use your timer to turn the heating on and off [automatically or manually] and use the thermostat to control the temperature.

Dave_save

de1amo wrote: »

i was confused by a comment that said you can control times of heat and water on a combi system--my hot water only happens when i turn the tap--the temperature of the water i can regulate on the boiler!-i am also confused by my own boiler it has somekind of power level dial-doesnt the therostat control the level of heat production!

Just read one of your posts on another thread in which you stated you had a 'top of the range Bosch combi boiler'.

Bosch Worcester have a facility called 'preheat'; this allows you to have the boiler set up so that it heats the domestic hot water at all times, to gain immediate hot water. With the correct programmer you can set the times the hot water is pre heated. If you have the pre heat permanently ON, then you will use more gas unnecessarily.

If the pre heat is set to operate within certain times, then outside of these time settings you will still get hot water, but there will be a delay.

de1amo

thanks chaps--i wish i could explain that lot to my wife who has to approach the botch! man--he suggested we boost the power level to 4 on that strange dial and we are toasty on 2!
they have installed it with no timing device so i cant programme anything-just a single thermostat--i suspose you get what you pay for!!!--i have another thread rambling on a related thread to my new combi and consumption--whats a unit' or something like that --it rambles a bit but some saliant points are made reference consumption(and the state of the modern world)