Important update! We have recently reviewed and updated our Forum Rules and FAQs. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the latest version.
Energy myth-busting: Is it cheaper to have heating on all day?
1.1K replies
161.6K views
Quick links
Essential Money | Who & Where are you? | Work & Benefits | Household and travel | Shopping & Freebies | About MSE | The MoneySavers Arms | Covid-19 & Coronavirus Support
Replies
A heating engineer told me this once and I also thought it must be rubbish and a myth.
Yet I disagree with this myth being busted....and agree with those who say it is true.
Why ?
Because I installed a thermostat in my house and over the year I used less gas than previous years , as calculated by the meeting reading i take monthly
......AND we actually had a warm house.
Living in a large old house and having tje heating on a timer morning and night just meant years off cold. By the time the house had heated back up in the evening it was time to go to bed.
So for me the boiler running full on twice a day for 3-4 hours (yes it can take that long to heat up the house in winter), versus once for 3-4 hours in the morning andthen as needed seems to make sense to me. And my figures agree.
Maybenit is down to the age of the house, the insulation (I can mot have cavity wall insulation) etc. Rather than a blank myth or no myth!:)
Exactly. I only turn our heating on here and there when we are home in the evening (I work from home in the day but choose not to have it on as the small studio bedroom's electronic gear tends to produce heat in itself) We have a coal fire lit in the room where we sit at night. The heating, if really cold, gets a few bursts here and there but the coal fire keeps the room warm enough. The kitchen has no rads so it's always freezing (tried to get a few plumbers to put one in but that's another story)
Our heating bill for a 2 bed Victorian semi (just the two of us) is around £760 a year (before the new prices). I bet if our heating was on all the time it would be a lot lot more and we don't have thermostats on the rads (again, for want of getting a reliable plumber who will come back and do the job)
I turned the stat down last night to 18 degrees and the tepm when I goot up was also 18 deg so if the stat had been set to 20 last night the heating would have kicked in. Its took the boiler 35mins to bring the temp back to 20d. What I am going to do is look how many units I use on the meter over the next 2 nights one running it at 20 all night and one running at 15 (it does not fall below this), and turning up to 20 in the morning.
Bill wise the £56 per month is gas only divided by 12mths so summer and winter use. I am surprised at what you are using as your property will be better insulated and you will have a far better boiler than my F rated balanced flue ideal classic.
What I mean is if you come in from work to an unheated house then the temptation is to over compensate and overheat the house.
Somewhere inbetween on all day and on demand is where the most efficient point is, depending on the thermal mass of your house.
After a week of it being on timer, and a week of it being on constant I found I used much less gas with the heating on constant. House was a lot more pleasant to be in too.
I have individual thermostats and have a policy of closing doors. I was dreading my bill but it was amazing to see that in consumption and price I paid no more than the previous winter. The great advantage too was that I was never cold especially in the morning.
With this system you notice the boiler just kicks in every now and again.
PS Last year I was away quite a bit so can't judge as system turned down and on timer.
My bill for last year was £820 - 4 bed detached, 10 years old. That was with the heating on constant.
Previous year, with rads in unused rooms off and heating on a timer - £950.
For high thermal mass, you should have a step-down or programmable room thermostat, costing about £15, and set it low for night time and when you are at work, and high for when you are in (you can override it for other occasions). This is the best comfort/cost compromise.
For low thermal mass, have the system off whenever possible - it will quickly heat up. A step-down stat is still useful.
If your house is high thermal mass and poorly insulated, it will cost you lots whatever you do. If feasible, improve it!