Most efficient way to run central heating?

mignon_2

Hello,
I bought my house about a year ago and have been doing it up. We have only recently moved in.

We have just received our first bill, it is for 51 days and BIG! I am very concious about not having the heating on too much, and we have LED bulbs that don't use as much energy etc etc.

Basically it is the gas that is the problem here...what is the best way to run the central heating to get maximum heat on minimum cost?

It is a (large) two bedroom semi detached, we put in a new boiler and pipework, and 13 radiators.

ATM we have it on for a total of an hour a day: when we get up, get home from work, and before bed.

Would it be better to turn the thermostat down and have it on for longer? I hear different opinions all the time. It seems silly to get the boiler kicking in to have it on for only 20mins, and to be honest, after how cold it was last night we will have to turn it up!

The bill was £118 for gas (£41.50 for elec) for 51 days. I think this is pretty high to be honest (two people, two bedroom house, trying to be frugal honest!)

Advice on what you have found to work greatly appreciated!

Many Thanks.

oldskoo1

Hate to break it to you but even though i dont know your kWh readings, on an average tariff thats a good price. I pay more than that for 1 month of gas.

The more the heating is off the cheaper it is, but are you comfortable? I would be very cold with only 1 hour of heating.

You probably need 30 mins to take the edge off in the morning and if your thermostat is on 22c a well insulated house should keep it above 18c for at least 4 hours when it's this cold outside, 0c to -3c.

My CH is on from 6am to 11pm, which is obviously cheap than 24/7, having it timed would be even less. I run it at 18c but the thermostat automatically adjusts the temperature throughout the day.

To find out whether it is cheaper to run it lower for longer, you would have to take meter readings. But be aware, so many factors to considering, like the starting temp of the house and the outside temp, even wind speed and drafts in your home. It can be quite hard to monitor although sometimes it is clear cut. 24/7 does use more gas and is more expensive even on a lower temperature.

Also make sure your CH is set up correctly. I assume it was balanced when it was fitted so it should condense. Make sure your trv's are set correctly if you have them, i set them at 18-19c bedroom and 20-21c sitting/living room. Rad valve fully open on rad near thermostat and check no air in rads, usually in furthest rad. Water tank if you have one should be at 60c and takes about 45 mins to heat 210L from cold.

You didnt say what temp your stat is currently set to. I would be interested in hearing what difference it makes to usage. I honestly dont know if it would be cheaper to heat to a higher temp just once instead of a lower temp but the boiler kicks on 3, maybe 4 times. In my head a well insulated house should hold a habitable temperature for a few hours, say if you heated once to 22c. But as it is colder outside the heat loss is quicker and way more gas needed to get there. I'm curious but i'm thinking a lower temp would be marginally cheaper even if it has to come on a few times.

mignon_2

Hello,

thanks for your reply. So not looking forward to winter now!

We had cavity wall insulation done, which to be honest has caused more problems I think (ruined sash windows and now damp patches on outside walls, but the house is cosier)

In the morning the temp is fine, I put my clothes on the rad so they're toasty to put on and leave the house! So far, having it on this amount is fine, apart from yesterday evening when it was cold. I think it is chillier than most peoples houses, but tbh, I hate the feeling of CH and just want it to be habitable!

It just seems like a lot of money for the amount of time we had it on...

I will have a change of routine and let you know what happens!

Thanks for the advice.

mignon_2

Kwh readings were 60-338. It's a new metric meter, so it looks like you're using a lot more energy than we were before! 278 units (metric)

Russe11

if your having the heating on in the morning, then not till the evening it must cool down during the day and at night, therefore you are needing to run the system for hotter and longer to get it up to an cceptable temperature.

can you not run it at a lower temperature keeping a constant warm level?

mignon_2

hello,

we have it on at 7amm, 5.30pm and 9pm, in between it's ot been too chilly, until last night.

That's what i'm wondering, is that a better thing to do?

ps,I have a very heavy duvet and don't need/want it on during the night!

keystone

Most efficient way to run central heating?

Off?


What?


Oh?


Sorry.


I'll get me coat then.



Cheers

mignon_2

Haha! We're on the same wavelength keystone...however, must have it on a bit!

I have found however, that ripping up the badly laid tiles, throwing a biff, and relaying them has left me pretty warm, so maybe i'll scrap the central heating altogether!!

jamesd

How are you setting your thermostatic radiator valves? Lower temperatures in the rooms you don't use, I hope? There's no free heat, but you can adjust the temperatures so you don't heat rooms/spaces you don't use much.

If you don't want to feel the cold it's better to have the heating on for longer but to a lower temperature with TRVs so you never get to the point where you notice it's cold then maybe overcompensate. But only on long enough to get up to temperature before you arrive then maintain it while you'll benefit from it.

Running it longer to get to those temperatures is OK but don't turn it on when you don't need to have it warming and maintaining a temperature, that'll just be wasting the heat.

If you normally use say bedroom, kitchen and living room, you might consider 7 day programmers for those rooms that will let you set heating times and temperatures for each room. Say bedroom warming before you get up, along with kitchen. Living room and kitchen in the evenings. Bedroom before you go to bed then cooler overnight with no kitchen or living room or other heating overnight.

Ectophile

Unless you have a super-insulated house (and very few of us do), then an hour at a time is barely going to take the chill off.

If you have a modern condensing boiler, then it will be more efficient running for longer at a lower temperature than it will running at full pelt for a short time.

Don't bother heating the house when nobody's there - the heat will just leak away before you get a chance to use it. The greater the difference in temperature between the inside of the house and the outside, the faster you will lose heat (which you're paying for). So it's cheaper to let the house cool down when you're out, then warm it up again when you're in.