Does my usage seem correct?/how to use constant low heat.

SilverSix

Hi,

I would be very grateful if somebody could have a quick look at my gas usage as I have just moved out and bought my first (new) house. It's a 3/4bed semi (basically detached, joined on second storey with a 3 storey townhouse).

It's just me living there at the moment with my girlfriend staying at weekends.

For the first two weeks I didn't have the instructions for the boiler so heating was coming on for 2 hours in the morning and then 5 and a half hours in the evening. (It may have been 'on' rather than 'auto' but definitely wasn't 'all-day' mode). The water, judging from the preset defined in the manual was coming on & off at the same times.

For the last week or so (with my fresh instructions) I've programmed it for a 5/2 split and now comes on for about 40 minutes in the morning (whilst I'm up and getting out the house) and 5 hours in the evening. Weekends it comes on for 2 hours in the morning and one hour early afternoon and another 5 hours in the evening. Water comes on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

I do have a draft under/around the front door and 2 of the windows upstairs aren't sealing properly which are being fixed. Doors to these rooms are closed with towels along the bottom of the door to keep draft out.

I use the gas hob and oven fairly infrequently, boiling vegetables and cooking meat for about 10 minutes in the evening.

Using this:

http://energylinx.co.uk/gas_meter_conversion_meters.html

and entering in the 139 m3 of gas I have used in just over the month I have been there (33 days) = 4.2m3 a day * 365 (if I assume usage stays the same, it will of course drop in summer) works out around 18,010kwh of gas. Priced at around £75 a month on that website from the cheapest supplier. However I had phone quotes from several energy companies for 19,000kwh of gas coming in at around £60/65 a month.

I have most of the radiators on, at least a low setting to stop the room getting damp or pipes freezing.

I'm also unsure how I go about 'having the heating on a low heat all day'. I have a thermostat in the hall, a temperature dial on the boiler and temperature valves on almost all the radiators. Is it as simple as setting the heating to 'all day' and turning thermostats down? I've turned the boiler down from 65 to about 45/50.

Re-reading my post I think I can expect my gas usage to fall next month having adjusted my on/off times.

Thanks and appologies for the lengthy post.

Ben.

macman

You can't estimate your consumption per year from a month in autumn/early winter-as you say, the usage will fall dramatically in the summer without the heating on. But 18,100kWh would be about average for the UK. You'll typically use 80% of your annual consumption in the coldest 3 months of the year.
Running the heating/hot water all day will greatly increase your consumption, there's no point in doing do if you are not there-use the timer as intended.

Cardew

BennyC wrote: »

I have most of the radiators on, at least a low setting to stop the room getting damp or pipes freezing.


Ben.

Heating is not the solution for preventing dampness. A properly ventilated room should not get damp.

All heating does is mask any dampness problems as warm air holds more moisture. In fact dampness and mould is far more of a problem in hot humid climates.

It would be highly unlikely for any pipes inside the house to freeze unless the house is left without heat for days in very severe cold like we had last winter.

In any case most gas Central Heating systems have a 'froststat' which typically operates around 3C and switches on the boiler to prevent damage from frost.