Why is my house cold?

Robin9

Zither wrote: »

16h a day for £400 per year? That’s amazing and useful context. Have you spent much on insulating and so on? I’m estimating about £400 just for the winter months

It was double glazed throughout and cavity wall done in 1997. Roof insulation falls short of todays standards. Electric cooking. Gas w/h. Modern boiler - NEST control - used in Internet rarely but very easy to adjust the thermostat.

I keep on top of tariffs - was GB/coop for 2016/17 - now FLOW.

Bills under £10 a month in summer, October was £24, anticipate winter month £60

2 adults - OAPS - always someone at home.

Electric is more of a concern to me - must replace the 50w halogen spots by 5w LED

NineDeuce

Zither wrote: »

Thanks! Are there any free services that can come in and do an energy audit on a house? E.g. power companies, energy charities/trusts etc?

No, that is what you would pay a plumber to do, if it was your boiler. You may even need to bleed your radiators.

If you want an energy audit, have another EPC done, A domestic EPC will cost no more than £60 for a bed house. Ask the assessor in advance if they will show you their recommendations.

Grenage

The cost of heating a house is entirely circumstantial, so it's pointless making sweeping statements about leaving it on or off. My last house was an ex-council 70's mid-terrace. The heating was left on 24/7, and it cost £500 a year for gas and electricity.

Our new place is a north-facing Edwardian semi, with a suspended floor, some original windows, and an open fire. If I left the heating on 24/7 I'd be bankrupt.

EPC ratings are borderline worthless.

shortcrust

Grenage wrote: »

The cost of heating a house is entirely circumstantial, so it's pointless making sweeping statements about leaving it on or off. My last house was an ex-council 70's mid-terrace. The heating was left on 24/7, and it cost £500 a year for gas and electricity.

Our new place is a north-facing Edwardian semi, with a suspended floor, some original windows, and an open fire. If I left the heating on 24/7 I'd be bankrupt.

EPC ratings are borderline worthless.

Leaving it on 24/7 might not be expensive but it will be more expensive than only using when you need it. I know it’s fiercely debated but it just seems like fairly simple physics to me.

Pennywise

Robin9 wrote: »

Mine will be on 16 hrs a day and my budget for the year of £400 for a 1970's detached

Is that for both the gas and the electricity usage?

Grenage

shortcrust wrote: »

Leaving it on 24/7 might not be expensive but it will be more expensive than only using when you need it. I know it’s fiercely debated but it just seems like fairly simple physics to me.

There was little to no difference in my last place; it was at most £20 more a year to leave it on 24/7, and I didn't need to bother with planning when I'd be in the house.

The better insulated the house, the less difference it makes. It's also down to external temperature and internal target temperature. If one's idea of 'having the heating on' is 26C (like my parents), then obviously it's more expensive to leave it on.

At 18C in the south of England, it made very little difference.

NineDeuce

Grenage wrote: »

The cost of heating a house is entirely circumstantial, so it's pointless making sweeping statements about leaving it on or off. My last house was an ex-council 70's mid-terrace. The heating was left on 24/7, and it cost £500 a year for gas and electricity.

Our new place is a north-facing Edwardian semi, with a suspended floor, some original windows, and an open fire. If I left the heating on 24/7 I'd be bankrupt.

EPC ratings are borderline worthless.

Whoever wants sound advice should ignore this nonsense which based on zero rationale whatsoever.

Grenage

No, it's based on real-world experience. You seem happy to suggest that the OP burn £60 on an EPC that will offer nothing of benefit; I argue otherwise.

NineDeuce

Grenage wrote: »

No, it's based on real-world experience. You seem happy to suggest that the OP burn £60 on an EPC that will offer nothing of benefit; I argue otherwise.

If you had had a real world experience, you would have learnt that by not having the gas on 24/7, you would have paid less than you claim you paid, even though in itself this figure sounds bogus.

It seems a bit rich to suggest a waste of £60 when you have openly admitted wasting money on leaving the heating on 24/7.

However, if you would like a real world experience, you could easily leave your gas on for a week, then turn it off for a week, looking at the meter at the beginning and end of each week, and then see which one shows the biggest advance in consumption.

This idea works the same regardless of which property you are in. Honest.

I really shouldnt need to explain this, right?

In regards to the EPC suggestion, the cost is low, and the assessor may be able to point out where the building is at fault or being used incorrectly... Not really that difficult to comprehend.

Grenage

You seem to have an attitude problem, which I am happy to overlook.

Obviously you would use less gas, but in a well insulated house and at a reasonable temperature, the difference would be insignificant.

I have no idea why you think my gas/electric bill figure is bogus, but I can't help you there.

An EPC evaluator will tick a few boxes regarding obvious aspects such as whether you have double-glazing, a combi boiler, led lights, thermostatic valves, etc.

I wouldn't want to turn my gas off for a week, because the heating and oven wouldn't work - so that seems foolish. I'd save money, but I'd be cold and hungry.