Central heating question - how to use it best

jap200

I work at home (9am-3pm) and shut myself in my little office during the day where I find I don't need any additional heating apart from that given out by my computer - and myself of course + an extra jumper and a blanket over my knees.

The central heating comes on for 2 hours in the morning whilst we are all waking up and getting ready for school etc. and then goes off until about 4.30pm when it is on until 10.30pm

My question is this:

I have noticed that my boiler (new gas - condensing) has to work very hard when it comes on at 4.30 to heat the house (largish 4-bed size) up to an acceptable temperature. It has occured to me that it might use less gas (or at least no more) if I kept the heating on all day (maybe a couple of degrees lower) - where the boiler would then only come on periodically to top it up - than letting the house cool right down during the daytime.

The only way that I thought I could test it was by doing it both ways and taking gas meter readings at say 9am and 8pm both days.

Anyone have any ideas?

Ken68

Sounds good, Jap...you would need equal climate days.
Reads like an insulation problem.

jap200

Ken68 wrote:

Sounds good, Jap...you would need equal climate days.
Reads like an insulation problem.

Insulation is certainly a problem for us due to the design of our house. It is a1960's chalet-style - so even though it has 2 stories, the roof comes down low to the top of the ground floor and there are very long flat-roofed dormer windows in the front and back of the roof. We have got good insulation in the loft - but that only covers the central half of the house. I suspect that we lose a lot of heat through the flat roofs of the dormers (but we can't access that) as well as the stud walls of the dormers (which we can't access without removing the weatherboarding outside). Consequently the upstairs cooks in the summer and freezes in the winter.

Any suggestions?

twobob_2

The colder outside it gets you should turn up the water circulation temperature on your boiler. As the weather gets milder you can adjust the circulation temperature down. This eases the boilers workrate (i.e. firing up periods)

jap200

twobob wrote:

The colder outside it gets you should turn up the water circulation temperature on your boiler. As the weather gets milder you can adjust the circulation temperature down. This eases the boilers workrate (i.e. firing up periods)

How would I do this?

Also, in response to albertross - I assume you mean thermostatic radiator valves - yes, we have them in on most of the radiators.

Ken68

Something here Jap about dormer insulation...don't think it's going to help unless you get access.

http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum/index2.php?DATEIN=tpc_ehtsjzskt_1142257586

Also quite a bit in Google "dormer insulation".

jap200

Ken68 wrote:

Something here Jap about dormer insulation...don't think it's going to help unless you get access.

http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum/index2.php?DATEIN=tpc_ehtsjzskt_1142257586

Also quite a bit in Google "dormer insulation".

Thanks - I will look into this further.

Cardew

As Albertross states, there is absolutely no question that the shorter the time you have on your heating, the lower the fuel bill.

So your suggestion of keeping it on all day will undoubtedly cost more.

Read the Energy Saving Trust on this question.

The best compromise between cost and comfort would be to turn down/off all the TRVs in bedrooms etc as soon as those rooms are vacated and put them on as and when required.

guineapig

We have a condensing boiler and I am at home all day and have the heating on 24/7:eek:

I should qualify that by saying I am less abled and have problems if I get cold.

I wear two or three long sleeved tops as well!

We turn the temps down at night and up in the morning, we find that the system is very responsive this way and heats up much quicker in the morning.

When we were in our previous house we had it on a timer and it was not as warm and even allowing for recent rise in prices I don't think it works out to be much more expensive.

I know that every year the gas board owes ME money and keeps putting my direct debit DOWN and I like to keep it up so that they owe me a bit rather than the other way round. ~ I am very frugal in all other areas of my life;)

We live in a small 3 bed detached Bungalow circa 1991

I don't know if that helps at all?

Gorgeous_George

When the heating is off your furniture, walls and floors get cold.

When the heating is switched it takes a while for the furniture, walls and floors to get warm. To compensate, we have the temperature set higher than would otherwise be necessary.

If you go for the 24/7 option, the important thing is to set the temperature to the lowest comfotable setting.

If you go for 'as required' option, and to allow the room temperature to be comfortable when you do need it, you will probably set the heating to come 30 minutes or more before you THINK you will need it.

Personally, I've tried both and I can't say I noticed much difference in cost.



GG

Cardew

This is copied from the Energy Saving Trust website FAQs- The EST is a Government sponsored organisation;

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.