What temp do you run your boiler at?

spinningsheep

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Just a wee survey, what temp do you run your boiler at? Combi or system and how long for? Do you find that your bills are higher if you have it on a higher temp or lower if you have it on a lower temp for longer? I have been running my Baxi combi on 60 degrees up till now but it doesn't seem to be heating the radiators enough now, so upped it to 70, just wondering if maybe this is too high?

HappyMJ

It doesn't make a huge difference to the bills. The lower the temperature the longer it will take to heat the house but the higher the temperature the quicker it will take but use more gas so it equalizes.

Ken68

My conventional central heating system is set at 4.5 (where maximum is 6).Seems to work OK.
I would guess that 60 is the minimum for a combi.

energysavingexp

not turned mine on yet its 9.5c in the house so not that cold yet

Mr_Ted

As an ex Gas Fitter(proper time served Gas Fitter not the quick qualified money grabber service engineer of today) I over the years surveyed customers on their thoughts on this and it varied somewhat.
With my knowledge and that gained from customers this is what came up, but it is down to choice of user.

For hot water set the combi or cylinder to 60 centigrade, this is not only for achieving optimum hot water quantity it is also to kill off any bugs that occur naturally in water systems.
Beware of the young and elderly though at this temperature, and there are thermostatic hot water controls valves that can be fitted at outlet points to combat this???
Run the boiler on maximum, this will give you maximum output on the radiators and thereby heat the house quickest, it will also mean the cooldown period of the radiator will be longer thereby retaining more heat for longer which will be tranmitted after the boiler has gone OFF
BEWARE THO as this will also mean the radiators get very hot which could be a danger to the elderly and children, if this is the case that care needs to be taken then the optimum that radiator used to be sized for is 70 centigrade, which may also be very hot in some instances???
Low surface temperature radiators are available for situations requiring consideration of the elderly and the young or at risk!!!

Run you system 24/7 so that the property remains heated and doesnt need to heat up from cold as it would if you set time periods, when the house is unoccupied as you are out at work the heat will be maintained as it is also the use of doors and windows that lose heat to a property.
Additionally if you turn the room thermostat down overnight or when you are out to a slightly lower temperature 18 or 16 centigrade you will make some savings, it is worth remembering that the optimums or work premises are 21 normal(although it is not legislated) and 16 minimum (which is legislated)

Your own personal comfort temperature is whatever you feel most comfortable at!!!!

Thermostatic radiator valves are now a requirement for all new systems, but they are unreliable and prone to stick and the actual location of the valve affects its performance i.e. directly above a hot pipe and it will shut off prematurely???

Its down to personal choice but most people I spoke to over the years said that 24/7 produced the lowest bills???

C_Mababejive

I run mine just a little above minimum. My monthly fuel for gas/electric is £45

HappyMJ

Mr_Ted wrote: »

Its down to personal choice but most people I spoke to over the years said that 24/7 produced the lowest bills???

Oh really....I have a heating system and there is no way I would leave it on 24/7. It would cost me a fortune. I let it cool down overnight set it to come on 30 minutes before I get out of bed then turn it off and go out for the day then set it to turn on 30 minutes or so before I get home and turn it down to a low setting overnight 30 minutes before I go up to bed. It is much cheaper.

It's a 12kW output boiler. On a mild day it runs at 100% for 30 minutes to get the house to around 18 degrees (from a cool 12 degrees). Then it runs at about 25% (using 3kW) until I turn it off. That maintains the temperature at 18 (assuming outside temperature is not too cold at about 5). When I turn it off then the house loses a degree around every 30 minutes so by 6 in the morning it could be 12 degrees or so then it works for 30 minutes straight then cycles down to 15 minutes every hour after that.

What I'm saying is that leaving it on 24/7 uses 3kW times 24 = 72kWh per day.
Turning it off and on uses 12kw times 30 minutes times 2 and 3kw times 6 hours = 30kWh per day.

The numbers are different for your house. It depends on how big it is, how many rooms are heated, TRV's used, if you set it to 21 and how many hours you have it on and off for and if it's a cold day or a mild day.

It will always be cheaper timed.

Canucklehead

Hi: the best advice on heating controls is available here....
and here. Energy myths and more from the NEF. Consult relevant boiler manufacturer for optimum settings for your appliance.

HTH

Canucklehead

Mr_Ted

I have to say a 12 KW boiler is pretty small and I would have to assume so is the property?

Obviously the size of property makes a difference as does its location, a small flat in the middle of a block for instance would have the benefits of the surrounding properties to maintain a temperature?

It is also obviously a condensing boiler.
I have reservation about these, but that may be because I am old school, but a condensing boiler probably has a life expectancy, according to what I was informed of by a CITY & GUILDS trainer, of about 6 years.
Its true they dont emit noxious fume, but they do emit noxious acids in the condensation produced, which will affect the materials of construction.
Which is better in the long run for the environment, and which is better for your pocket in the long term???

HappyMJ

Mr_Ted wrote: »

I have to say a 12 KW boiler is pretty small and I would have to assume so is the property?

Obviously the size of property makes a difference as does its location, a small flat in the middle of a block for instance would have the benefits of the surrounding properties to maintain a temperature?

It is also obviously a condensing boiler.
I have reservation about these, but that may be because I am old school, but a condensing boiler probably has a life expectancy, according to what I was informed of by a CITY & GUILDS trainer, of about 6 years.
Its true they dont emit noxious fume, but they do emit noxious acids in the condensation produced, which will affect the materials of construction.
Which is better in the long run for the environment, and which is better for your pocket in the long term???

It's a 3 bedroom semi-detached house. A Glow-worm SpaceSaver KFB 40. A conventional boiler. 8 radiators (of which 3 are large(lounge, dining, bedroom), 2 are medium(bedroom, bathroom) and 3 are small(3rd bedroom, toilet, hall)).

Mr_Ted

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Canucklehead[/QUOTE]

Lots of great numbers there and legislation :T

Just one problem, I think someone once said that numbers can be manipulated to mean anything

There is also the consideration that on a new installation there is lots of guff about "GOOD PRACTICES"
If it is good practice why is not a legal requirement :eek:

It is also dependant on an installer who puts "GOOD PRACTICE" into practice and does what is "GOOD PRACTICE" before PROFIT and installs a good installation, THIS from experience is very seldom the case :eek:

I can assure anyone that the proffesionalism of the Gas Industry, even with the apparent stringent regulation, IS NOT as it should be, BUYER BEWARE.
If it were I would still be in a job, as I would not as a WORKS SERVICES MANAGER pass many of the shoddy installations I found, and that was in this day and age NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT within the :rotfl:organisation:rotfl:I previously worked :mad: