Why is my house cold?

Zither

Hi All,

I'm sure this topic has been covered once or twice on MSE before but didn't want to drag up old threads

So yeah... my house is cold. I live in a north facing house so I wouldn't expect it to be roasting but it's still a little bit cold for my liking.

The house has:
-Double glazing
-Cavity Wall Insulation
-Loft insulation
-Gas Central Heating
-A living flame gas fire (switched off, and I've temporarily bocked
the little hole up the flue ).

I've recently:
re-gasketed the front/back doors to reduce drafts coming in and the windows are pretty well sealed too.

The house isn't draft proof but there are no obvious holes/drafts. The hallway/stairs area is the coldest part of the house.

So my question is -

How do I find out why my house is still cold? What should I look for next and how do I identify it?

Thanks very much,

Z

TheCyclingProgrammer

Silly question perhaps but what is your thermostat set to?

Are all of your radiators working properly?

-taff

Hallway and stairs are usually the ones with the least heating.Are they outside walls?

magn8p

Not sure how long ago you bought the house but your EPC certificate may have some clues in it. If you are unable to find one, browse it at https://www.epcregister.com/reportSearchAddressByPostcode.html

I am sure other users will give you tips and tricks anyway so I am going to suggest something out of the box. Why not use a thermal imaging camera like http://amzn.to/2jmnHGk which can help you figure out the cold spots and where the cold air is seeping in from.

You can purchase it from Amazon but if it is of no use, you can easily return it and get full refund anyway.

All the best.

Zither wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm sure this topic has been covered once or twice on MSE before but didn't want to drag up old threads

So yeah... my house is cold. I live in a north facing house so I wouldn't expect it to be roasting but it's still a little bit cold for my liking.

The house has:
-Double glazing
-Cavity Wall Insulation
-Loft insulation
-Gas Central Heating
-A living flame gas fire (switched off, and I've temporarily bocked
the little hole up the flue ).

I've recently:
re-gasketed the front/back doors to reduce drafts coming in and the windows are pretty well sealed too.

The house isn't draft proof but there are no obvious holes/drafts. The hallway/stairs area is the coldest part of the house.

So my question is -

How do I find out why my house is still cold? What should I look for next and how do I identify it?

Thanks very much,

Z

Lorian

Radiators getting hot?
Central heating balanced?
what's the humidity like?
Is the loft hatch insulated and well fitting?

I find something like this a cheap way to walk around an check where the cold spots are a little more objectively

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MeasuPro-IRT20-Multi-Purpose-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00PPMU3XM/

Zither

TheCyclingProgrammer wrote: »

Silly question perhaps but what is your thermostat set to?

Are all of your radiators working properly?

Thanks! Well, I have to admit that I try to use the heating as little as possible (especially so early on) but when I do switch the heating on, the house doesn't stay warm for very long.

Radiators aren't amazing but they do all warm up eventually and when they're on they're take-your-hand-off-hot to the touch.

Maybe my perspective is wrong - I'd think that once a house is warm it would retain the heat for several hours...ish?

TY

Z

Zither

-taff wrote: »

Hallway and stairs are usually the ones with the least heating.Are they outside walls?

Hiya,

Yes - only a medium sized double radiator in the hallway - the radiator heats up but then the hallyway is fairly cool soon after. With all the doors and windows shut, should the house retain any generated heat for a few hours? Unless they're something I can't see?

Zither

magn8p wrote: »

Not sure how long ago you bought the house but your EPC certificate may have some clues in it. If you are unable to find one, browse it at https://www.epcregister.com/reportSearchAddressByPostcode.html

I am sure other users will give you tips and tricks anyway so I am going to suggest something out of the box. Why not use a thermal imaging camera like http://amzn.to/2jmnHGk which can help you figure out the cold spots and where the cold air is seeping in from.

You can purchase it from Amazon but if it is of no use, you can easily return it and get full refund anyway.

All the best.

Thanks!

Yes, I've had a look at the EPC. It's only a C... but again with cavity wall/loft (ceiling) insulation, the only improvements the EPC said was to add rafter insulation. I presume roof rafter AND ceiling insulation would be overkill?

Love the idea of the thermal imaging camera! I'd feel a bit cheeky using it and then just returning it though? Wouldnt they say no to returning it if it doesn't identify anything?

TY!

Z

warehouse

Haunted?....

Zither

Lorian wrote: »

Radiators getting hot?
Central heating balanced?
what's the humidity like?
Is the loft hatch insulated and well fitting?

I find something like this a cheap way to walk around an check where the cold spots are a little more objectively

https://www.amazon.co.uk/MeasuPro-IRT20-Multi-Purpose-Non-Contact-Thermometer/dp/B00PPMU3XM/

Hiya,

Thanks!

Haha yes I actually just re-balanced rads earlier in the week. They all now put out a good set of heat - it's more that the heat they do generate leaves the house really quickly. I'm trying to work out where it would all go so quickly?

Love the idea of the laser thermom too! How do I know how warm something should be though? For example, if I pointed it at a window it would be naturally cooler - which is to be expected. When you check how do you know when something that you point at is 'too cold'?



TY,

Z

Zither

warehouse wrote: »

Haunted?....

Haha thanks - I'm sure I'll get a good nights sleep tonight now!