Why is my house cold?

RedFraggle

Zither wrote: »

Yeah you’re right. I just go back to the bucket analogy. You fill a bucket up and expect it to hold the water. Some buckets leak tho and the water drips out. I want to stop as many of the metaphorical drips as possible.

But you're expecting the house to have an efficiency that they don't and you're not ever heating it through to give t any sort of retention.

If you fill a hotwater bottle with warm water you will only ever have a lukewarm hot water bottle. It will never warm your bed and certainly won't keep you toasty through the night.

getmore4less

Zither wrote: »

Yeah you’re right. I just go back to the bucket analogy. You fill a bucket up and expect it to hold the water. Some buckets leak tho and the water drips out. I want to stop as many of the metaphorical drips as possible.

When you fill your bucket you find out all the leaks and what it needs to keep it topped up.

Your bucket is so low it empties and it take you a while to have a look and turn the tap on turning it off again before it is full.


You have done the basics like check the pump is working when the boiler fires up.

How long to warm up the radiators?

Slinky

Zither wrote: »

Yeah you’re right. I just go back to the bucket analogy. You fill a bucket up and expect it to hold the water. Some buckets leak tho and the water drips out. I want to stop as many of the metaphorical drips as possible.

A cheap idea is to cover large sheets of cardboard in tin foil and slide them down the back of the radiators to help reflect the heat away from the walls back into the room. I recall seeing thermal imaging cameras looking at a house before and after the owner had done this, it made a huge difference on the camera.


I think your analogy with the bucket is slightly wonky, you're aiming to fill the bucket with tepid water and expect it to feel hot! Also most buckets are plastic or metal, houses are built out of porous materials and have holes in for doors windows and chimneys therefore they leak.


We'd be delighted with a C rating for energy efficiency, the house we've just bought is rated E!

NineDeuce

Grenage wrote: »

When was the last time you saw a central heating system without a thermostat for control? You are being needlessly pedantic, and only succeed in appearing petty.

There is nothing to misunderstand when it comes to EPCs; it's box ticking based on common-sense observations. I don't need to told that single-pane windows will cause my home to lose heat, much as I don't need to be told that my car's fuel efficiency will suffer if tyre pressure is low.

Save the fee, and use it to pay for a month's gas.

I am not being pedantic. You just failed to explain yourself properly. Heating on means heating on. I have visited plenty of buildings without thermostatic control, both domestic and non-domestic, that are set on timers only.

If you dont misunderstand EPCs then you would acknowledge that all of the aspects previously mentioned have a bearing on the rating. More so, you just dont want to admit it. And as said many times, an assessor can be used to offer advice and may be able to identify issues with the property which are not immediately obvious, even if this not conveyed in an EPC. I have mentioned this several times now.

And for all of your talk about being pedantic, just because you can recognise that you have single glazed windows, that doesnt mean that everyone can realise whether their house is suitably insulated or whether their boiler is efficient/working. Some people have no experience at all.

But well done for picking out something that is more immediately obvious such as a window and pretending that all aspects of making building improvements are just as simple as looking at a window. If only you were capable of immediately understanding what 'leaving heating on 24/7' actually meant'.....

Robin9

Zither wrote: »

Yes you’re right. I’m going to run the heating a little more over the next week to put some heat into it and see what happens. I suppose there’s no ‘quick fix’ to keeping a house warmer for longer - unless I go buy one of those super efficient new builds!

You seem to be missing the point - a "little more" is not enough !

Get the house warm by running your heating a lot more - from morning till you go to bed, and the next day.

Read your meters and keep track of the cost.

Grenage

NineDeuce wrote: »

But well done for picking out something that is more immediately obvious such as a window and pretending that all aspects of making building improvements are just as simple as looking at a window. If only you were capable of immediately understanding what 'leaving heating on 24/7' actually meant'.....

All aspects are as simple, especially at EPC level; that you think otherwise indicates how simple you must consider the average homeowner to be.

Regarding your ridiculous last sentence, I'm pretty sure I know what it means - they were, after all, my words.

But let's not fill this thread with any more pointless back and forth. You believe EPC assessments have merit, and I think they're a requirement for selling a home, but a waste of money. Five minutes on the internet will result in at least as much information, and cost nothing.

Shroppey

Your cavity wall insulation may be what is causing the problem! If it's failing then it will suck the warm out of your home.

Not wanting to add to the above argument but an EPC will give you the same rating for having CWI whether it's correctly installed/failing/failed/best thing sliced bread. Of all the suggestions, thermal imaging is possibly your best bet, look for cold spots on the actual walls.

[Deleted User]

As I and many others have said, you're not heating the house for long enough, you can't get something for nothing. Below is a plot of room temperature over a 48 hour period, with various heating times from 1 to 24 hours a day. (The brown trace at the bottom is the outside temperature of 5C.)


Notice that the shorter the heating period the lower the mean temperature, so when the heating comes on it's starting from a lower temperature from the outset. With 1 hour a day the room hasn't had time to fully warm up before it goes back off again.

Davesnave

Shroppey wrote: »

Your cavity wall insulation may be what is causing the problem! If it's failing then it will suck the warm out of your home.

Have you a link to a reputable source for this info? i.e. one that isn't from an organisation standing to benefit from promulgating the idea?

I could understand the concept if the CWI had become saturated with water, but then the OP would surely have an indication of that and be worrying about damp rather than a lack of warmth.

DaftyDuck

Dave, at least in another thread the poster you quote is honest enough to admit he owns a company that.... You can guess the rest
:D:D