Keeping central heating on all the time?

Cardew

alanobrien wrote:

Interesting and FUN thread, thermodynamic laws although in theory unbreakable can be bent a bit with something called thermal barriers...........or more commonly insulation

For instance a (gas) heat source can actually cool its surroundings.....if its travelling fast enough. This is the Joules Thompson effect - very wierd and bendable with simple insulation. The effect can actually work in reverse to if the conditions are right.

Strange thing thermodynamics, we learn more every day with FEA and CFD modelling software and lots of empirical testing.

Getting back to the point it is just possible with enough insulation and isolation from errant thermal differential temperatures that there could be some merit in the ops original suggestion.......although it would be rare.

Play with this stuff all day....dull it isnt.....its what i do

I love it!

Comes under the heading of a mischievous post methinks!

You should copyright that phrase and sell it to the Solar energy salesmen.

"Utilizing little known characteristics of the Jules Thompson effect ….."

kat21

conspiracy hmm, without a doubt!
I wont relent try it an d s e e
kat21
:T

tomstickland

There is nothing to try and see.

ariba10

If you used gas to boil a ketle, Would you leave it on low between uses or would you boil from cold when needed ?

It is not rocket science to see what will work out cheaper.

tomstickland

Try it and see!

urbanlegend11

ariba10 wrote:

If you used gas to boil a ketle, Would you leave it on low between uses or would you boil from cold when needed ?

It is not rocket science to see what will work out cheaper.

Surely shouldnt the key factor be how often you would be using the hot water to gauge the efficiency? just my tuppence worth;)

Xbigman

This is one of those 'facts' that appear all the time. I have tried it. I ran my boiler for 10 hours taking readings every hour. I used .67 units in the first hour and .40 in the second. For the next eight hours I used .26 per hour averaged but pretty consistant. As long as I turn my heating off for more than 2.45 hours it is cheaper to turn it off. This was in the dead of winter last year.

If your property is unnoccupied during the day then turn it off. It is always cheaper to turn it off at night if you are sleeping.
Regards



X

masonic

alanobrien wrote:

For instance a (gas) heat source can actually cool its surroundings.....if its travelling fast enough.

I suppose the possibility that there is an unseen tornado of gas swirling around certain peoples houses is as good an explanation as any others we've heard so far.

Cardew

look heres another instance why do you think that large offices keep there lights on all night? because it costs more to start them up

kat21 wrote:

Shelly,
With regards to the lighting situation, no its not a myth or otherwise many office lights would be switched off. its the total strike up value of all the tubes.

The Energy saving trust have got it wrong again:

Is it true that you use more energy to turn lights on and off than to leave them running?


No. There used to be a general belief that because fluorescent strip lights used more power in their warm-up phase, then it was better to leave them on all the time. This was never true - an old style strip light only uses as much energy in the warm-up phase as it does whilst operating for a minute or so, and modern electronic ballast compact flourescent lights (CFL) use even less energy at the start. Although CFLs do not use much electricity it is still best to keep them switched off when they are not needed as otherwise you are wasting money and energy.

Left all my lights on last night - wife and kids were mad but I told them it was to save money. Checked the meter before and after.

This morning switched all lights off and on 10 times and checked again - mmm didn't work for me. Could that be because I don't live in an Office?

kaneaj1

Hi, this thread has made me chuckle!

I am one of those mad people who have their heating on 24/7 in the winter BUT we have the thermastat set lower so that the house temperature is maintained at a comfortable room temperature, rather than being like living in the Bahamas for a few hours each day when the timer kicks in.

I have read all the various quotes with interest, but for us personally, we have saved quite a bit of money doing this (by the way our 'experiment' started 4 years ago).

Kerry :beer: