Running Underfloor Heating Effectiently

dbu4g

Hi Folks , New to the forum and this is my first post.

I've recently moved into a new build bungalow with Oil Fired Wet Underfloor Heating and am wondering how best to run it economically. I hear a lot of people say that its best to run it 24/7 and let the thermo's (which are present in every room) decide when it's need, the thing is the house is empty from approx 8am to 6pm most days , so is it efficient to keep the house warm during this period am thinking not.

Given the house is not even a year old am also aware that the drying out process is still taking place and that might affect bills for the first year.

I was thinking of something along the lines of the following :
Mon - Fri
4am - 8am,
3:30pm :6:30pm
8:30pm to 10:30pm

On a Sat / Sun when we be about the house more , run the heating from 4am to 10:30pm and let the thermo's control it.

Interested to what other in similar situation do ?

matelodave

Underfloor heating is less responsive than a radiator system so takes time - possibly several hours to warm up and then time to cool down so you really need to see how it performs to ensure that you are getting heat when you want it.

You might find that it's better just to turn it down a few degrees for when you aren't there or overnight and then up again early enough to ensure that you get the place comfy when you want it, not forgetting that there will also be a long lag of residual stored heat when you turn it down.

We have underfloor heating fed by a heat pump which is a bit different as it runs at a much cooler flow temperature and so is very slow to respond.

If the place gets too cold it can take 24 hours or more to get it back up to temperature so we just set the temps back by about 3 dgrees overnight or in rooms that are not in use all day. We have a zoned system with a programmable thermost in each room.

If we go away for more than a day or so we use the holiday mode to turn the heating on at least 24 hours before we return - we didn't one winter and it took nearly 48 hours before the place was comfortable again.

It takes trial and error to get it right and if you are in a new build which is well insulated you might find that letting it idle gently is much more efficient that giving it a hearty blast several times a day.

I can monitor my energy consumption graphically and most nights there's enough residual heat in the house that the heating doesn't actually come on, It only kicks in when it's everso cold outside and then when we call for extra heat about an hour before we get up. We are at home all day so it then just idles gently keeping the place at a nice comfy temperature and then sets back three degrees at 10pm.

maisie_cat

We have had wet underfloor heating for 10 years. We find the best thing is to have it on all the time at a low temperature, it does go off and on all day, but it doesn't really go cold this time of year. At this minute the thermostat says it's 19 degrees in here and it feels warm despite the fact that I am wearing shorts and t shirt (not mad, just oiling worktops)

dbu4g

Thanks for the Info , I dont think the Thermostat that were installed have the kick back option so in that respect I only have option to leave it on and let the thermostats control or have have set times + the Thermostats.

Its the fact that no one is there during the day and I'm heating an empty house that concerns me though. A lot of people who have said its better to run 24/7 is where there has been one or more people around the house.

matelodave

rAll you can do then is try it out by adjusting the on-off times so the place is as warm as you want it when you want it and turn them off at an appropriate time so you aren't heating the place well past bed time or going to wok time.

Likewise set the stats for comfort rather than worrying too much about actual temperatures. Underfloor heating heats the whole room from the floor upwards so you dont need the stats set as high. Try it down at 18 or 19 degrees to see how you get on.

We also find that you dont tend to get cold draughts either. Give the heating plenty of time to stabilise between tweaks (several hours at least) and do it by setting the temps lower than you need and then increasing by 1 degree at a time until you are comfortable. It took us at leat a month to six weeks before I'd got my system sussed and properly adjusted.

Because we've got a lot more control by having programmable stats we can have the bedroom & bathroom at 19 in the morning and for an hour before bedtime and then around 16 for the rest of the day and overnight.

The lounge is heated to 19 all day (07:00-22:00) and the study just between 8am and 5pm. The hall is around 17 all day and 16 overnight. The kitchen is about 18 during the day and 16 overnight. The spare bedroom is at 16 unless it's in use.

If we go away they all get dropped to 14 degrees and returned to normal 24 hours before we return. The heating unit then flogs away virtually the whole time until the place is back up to temperature.