Energy myth-busting: Is it cheaper to have heating on all day?

orrery

zeupater wrote: »

... but you really need to consider what the effect on your mum's bill will be if it's not setup properly!

Indeed, and that is a really good point...


My Mum is 93 and won't stop meddling with the TRVs. She entertains the same fallacy as most of the population - if you get cold turn it up to the top, if you get too hot turn it all the way down.


I think that Thermostats should be on the national curriculum, alongside English and Maths.

Anthorn

orrery wrote: »

Indeed, and that is a really good point...


My Mum is 93 and won't stop meddling with the TRVs. She entertains the same fallacy as most of the population - if you get cold turn it up to the top, if you get too hot turn it all the way down.


I think that Thermostats should be on the national curriculum, alongside English and Maths.

Do you have a link which qualifies " ... most of the population ..."?

I live on a housing estate for older people and the rule of thumb is set it and forget it: The main central heating thermostat is set to provide a comfortable temperature as are the other room radiator thermostats and the central heating timer set for the heating to come on and go off at certain times. The main heating thermostat is so little used that it gathers dust.

victor2

orrery wrote: »

Indeed, and that is a really good point...


My Mum is 93 and won't stop meddling with the TRVs. She entertains the same fallacy as most of the population - if you get cold turn it up to the top, if you get too hot turn it all the way down.


I think that Thermostats should be on the national curriculum, alongside English and Maths.

+1 for that.

Anthorn wrote: »

Do you have a link which qualifies " ... most of the population ..."?

I live on a housing estate for older people and the rule of thumb is set it and forget it: The main central heating thermostat is set to provide a comfortable temperature as are the other room radiator thermostats and the central heating timer set for the heating to come on and go off at certain times. The main heating thermostat is so little used that it gathers dust.

When my company had purpose built offices constructed, the MD said it was better to have the air conditioning control put in the restricted access computer room. Best decision ever. The IT department used to get endless requests to turn the AC up or down. Standard answer was "I'll adjust it next time I'm in the computer room", or even make a specific trip in there and do nothing to the AC. Staff invariably accepted something had been changed "but it takes a little time for the system to adjust itself".

orrery

Anthorn wrote: »

Do you have a link which qualifies " ... most of the population ..."?

All IMHO, but it does seem to be the mode whenever I check people's heating controls.


I worked in an office where the conference room was in a different wing, out-with the normal heating system and exposed as a penthouse on top of the wing.


Typically, people planning a meeting would turn on the aircon boxes first thing and wind the thermostats up to max, when the meeting started it would be like a sauna so they'd wind them down to the bottom. Part of the reason is the markings on the dials. I took a set of permanent markers, put a solid black line at the 'right' temperature and marked the dial above it in red and below it in blue - that seemed to do the trick. So, dials that have marking 1 to 6 are unhelpful.

DavyJones61

How much gas, in kWhs, is being used when people have their heating timed from 07:00 to 08:00 then 16:00 to 23:00 or whatever they have their times at?


My heating is on all day every day from 07:45 to 23:30 with the thermostat set at 21 deg C and it uses 60 kWh a day on average since 1st November 2018.


This is a 3 bedroom semi built in 1991 with cavity wall insulation and double glazing and about 9 inches of insulation in the loft.

victor2

DavyJones61 wrote: »

How much gas, in kWhs, is being used when people have their heating timed from 07:00 to 08:00 then 16:00 to 23:00 or whatever they have their times at?


My heating is on all day every day from 07:45 to 23:30 with the thermostat set at 21 deg C and it uses 60 kWh a day on average since 1st November 2018.


This is a 3 bedroom semi built in 1991 with cavity wall insulation and double glazing and about 9 inches of insulation in the loft.

You will only get a useful comparison if you set your heating onto timed twice a day and check the average usage over a similar month, as no two heating system and house combinations are the same.


I did such an exercise several years back and concluded that it would cost me about 50p a day (at the rate I was then paying) to have my heating on all day instead of timed. I did expect it to cost more, and was surprised how little it was for that extra level of comfort. I'm tight though, and to this day have left it on timed for twice a day.

Cardew

DavyJones61 wrote: »

How much gas, in kWhs, is being used when people have their heating timed from 07:00 to 08:00 then 16:00 to 23:00 or whatever they have their times at?


My heating is on all day every day from 07:45 to 23:30 with the thermostat set at 21 deg C and it uses 60 kWh a day on average since 1st November 2018.


This is a 3 bedroom semi built in 1991 with cavity wall insulation and double glazing and about 9 inches of insulation in the loft.

If you adopted those timings, what do you think would happen to your consumption?



There are over a thousand posts in this thread, and many similar threads since the MSE forum started some 15 years ago.


You have given your consumption as an average of 60kWh a day; which at around £60 a month in winter is excellent for a 28 year old 3 bed semi.



I suggest there isn’t much point in comparing your consumption with other properties unless we had an identical house in the same part of UK, with an identical boiler, with occupants using the same amount of hot water etc etc.


However it is reasonable to state that your consumption would be lower if your CH was off for a period during the day. How much lower is ?? It would be up to the occupants if that saving were worthwhile.



You shut off the CH overnight; presumably to save money? Others shut it off/turn it down during the day when the house is unoccupied or they don’t need it as warm during the day.

DavyJones61

You shut off the CH overnight; presumably to save money?

No it is shut off because if it is left on all night it is too hot to sleep.

Doesn't everyone turn off their heating at night?

victor2

DavyJones61 wrote: »

No it is shut off because if it is left on all night it is too hot to sleep.

Doesn't everyone turn off their heating at night?

Our heating is on overnight when 2 year old grandchild sleeps here. Doesn't really have the concept of pulling up a blanket to keep warm yet. Just wakes up and cries until cuddled if cold.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

victor2 wrote: »

Our heating is on overnight when 2 year old grandchild sleeps here. Doesn't really have the concept of pulling up a blanket to keep warm yet. Just wakes up and cries until cuddled if cold.

Put some whisky in their cocoa and see the results, heating off and no cuddles!