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

victor2

molerat said:

I think the true answer to the question is "it depends"!

After many years of trying all options I found that the cost difference was minimal so it is now a case of not really caring, the comfort factor is more important than the cost.

That's been my personal conclusion too!

born_again

molerat said:

I think the true answer to the question is "it depends"!

After many years of trying all options I found that the cost difference was minimal so it is now a case of not really caring, the comfort factor is more important than the cost.

We have a winner. 🙋

No 2 houses, or occupants & their lifestyle are the same.
So what works for one, will not work for the other.

MeteredOut

born_again said:

molerat said:

I think the true answer to the question is "it depends"!

After many years of trying all options I found that the cost difference was minimal so it is now a case of not really caring, the comfort factor is more important than the cost.

We have a winner. 🙋

No 2 houses, or occupants & their lifestyle are the same.
So what works for one, will not work for the other.

Agreed, so long as we can also agree that you cannot defy the laws of physics and use less/the same amount of energy to keep a house up to temperature by having your heating on all the time, compared to manually turning it on/off or having it thermostatically controlled, unless your property heat loss is strictly 0%.

Otisregrets

Standby consumption: Cant turn off a smart meter ?
Data send : I am told " fractions of a penny  all over in blink" Only maybe once a week  Is there more ? 
Mine flashes perhaps 40 times / min.  24/7 Whats in the flash ? Data logging ? 
I guess it must have its own "wi fi" system On all the time ? So what is the real consumption of a smart meter ? 
Suppose must be better than old style with all those dials in perpetual motion. !
Ms O 

QrizB

Otisregrets said:

So what is the real consumption of a smart meter ?

The smart meter runs on unmetered electricity. Its consumption does not appear on your bill.

victor2

Wondered what had bought this ancient thread back to life! Nothing relevant to the topic...

Ildhund

Otisregrets said:

Data send : I am told " fractions of a penny  all over in blink"  

It depends on the supplier, but it's normal for meters to send (a) a midnight snapshot of the register readings and (b) half-hourly usage data for the previous day - unless you've asked you supplier not to request these data. The tiny amount of energy the communications hub needs to perform this transmission is provided by the meter, but it's not itself metered.

Otisregrets said:

Mine flashes perhaps 40 times / min.  24/7 Whats in the flash ? 

If you're referring to a red lamp on the meter, this doesn't 'send' anything. It simply flashes when the meter has measured its prescribed amount per impulse as stated on the meter beside the lamp, e.g. '1000 imp/kWh' is common. If yours has this label, then your 40 impulses per minute are indicating a constant load of 2.4kW, which sounds very high. The flash rate will vary instantaneously with the total power draw.