Confused by extraordinarily high gas usage

BooJewels

Mine is a very simple basic thermostat, just a rotating knob (that I can't see properly) but a programmable one sounds more the ticket.  I like it cooler overnight, moderate in the day and warmer in an evening, just as FreeBear describes.  I'm getting the boiler serviced soon, so I shall ask how much one costs.

Ultrasonic

BooJewels said:

Mine is a very simple basic thermostat, just a rotating knob (that I can't see properly) but a programmable one sounds more the ticket.  I like it cooler overnight, moderate in the day and warmer in an evening, just as FreeBear describes.  I'm getting the boiler serviced soon, so I shall ask how much one costs.

I've perhaps been 'spoiled' by as far as I can remember always having timers on the central heating sytems I've uesd, across multiple homes I've rented ahead of my current own that I own. It's certainly a different situation without a timer.

I use about 4,000 kWh per year of gas as a single occupant of a 3 bedroom detached house, but I'm at work on weekdays and am comfortable at a room temperatures lower than many seem to be. I've been OK with a room temperature of 17 °C today without feeling the need to put the heating on for example. I've actually just been busy moving some furniture around so right now I'm typing this in a T-shirt!

BooJewels

I have a timer - which works well, but a programmable thermostat sounds like it would suit me well.  I too don't need or like it hot, but I don't feel that I need to be cold either.

FreeBear

BooJewels said: Mine is a very simple basic thermostat, just a rotating knob (that I can't see properly) but a programmable one sounds more the ticket.  I like it cooler overnight, moderate in the day and warmer in an evening, just as FreeBear describes.  I'm getting the boiler serviced soon, so I shall ask how much one costs.

Something like a Drayton Digistat or a Honeywell Home programmable stat - Both under £75 (plus fitting). No need to spend a fortune on Hive/Nest especially if you have no need for an "app" and/or want to avoid annual subscription fees. Depending on which make/model you go for, you can have 4 or 6 time periods per day that you can set to a specific temperature.

[Deleted User]

Ultrasonic said:

I'm not sure if you're being serious... How many people do you know who have heating systems that can't be timed to come on when you want? Just time the heating to come on before you get up in the morning and before you get in from work/wherever. If you're not doing this then do please try it as I bet you'll find you'll save a load of energy!

Was i suggesting that the heating was left on 24/7? No.

Please indicate exactly where i mentioned not using a timer to achieve said effect.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, as you have done, but, do you know what hysterisis is?

Ultrasonic

DeletedUser said:

Ultrasonic said:

I'm not sure if you're being serious... How many people do you know who have heating systems that can't be timed to come on when you want? Just time the heating to come on before you get up in the morning and before you get in from work/wherever. If you're not doing this then do please try it as I bet you'll find you'll save a load of energy!

Was i suggesting that the heating was left on 24/7? No.

Please indicate exactly where i mentioned not using a timer to achieve said effect.

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, as you have done, but, do you know what hysterisis is?

Hmmm... I don't think that's a remotely reasonable response to the exchange above but let's move this forward by you trying to explain clearly what your position is. I'd suggest trying to do so in a way accessible to most who will be reading this forum rather than focusing on my own knowledge specifically. 

[Deleted User]

Ultrasonic said:

Hmmm... I don't think that's a remotely reasonable response to the exchange above but let's move this forward by you trying to explain clearly what your position is. I'd suggest trying to do so in a way accessible to most who will be reading this forum rather than focusing on my own knowledge specifically. 

Might i suggest that you formulate your posts in a way which is readable, as no offence, but i honestly can't make head nor tail of what you're saying!

But as you've failed to address my question, i'll take the answer as a firm no.

cannugec5

FreeBear said:

BooJewels said: Mine is a very simple basic thermostat, just a rotating knob (that I can't see properly) but a programmable one sounds more the ticket.  I like it cooler overnight, moderate in the day and warmer in an evening, just as FreeBear describes.  I'm getting the boiler serviced soon, so I shall ask how much one costs.

Something like a Drayton Digistat or a Honeywell Home programmable stat - Both under £75 (plus fitting). No need to spend a fortune on Hive/Nest especially if you have no need for an "app" and/or want to avoid annual subscription fees. Depending on which make/model you go for, you can have 4 or 6 time periods per day that you can set to a specific temperature.

I have a Nest, and have had it for a number of years. There is no ongoing subscription. It was not expensive and we love it. We don’t use the app often, particularly during these times of reduced travel. But if we do go away for a night or two it’s lovely to turn the heating back on before we arrive home. We don’t even have to remember to turn the heating off when we go, it detects that automatically.
I would highly recommend a smart thermostat. 

[Deleted User]

cannugec5 said:

FreeBear said:

BooJewels said: Mine is a very simple basic thermostat, just a rotating knob (that I can't see properly) but a programmable one sounds more the ticket.  I like it cooler overnight, moderate in the day and warmer in an evening, just as FreeBear describes.  I'm getting the boiler serviced soon, so I shall ask how much one costs.

Something like a Drayton Digistat or a Honeywell Home programmable stat - Both under £75 (plus fitting). No need to spend a fortune on Hive/Nest especially if you have no need for an "app" and/or want to avoid annual subscription fees. Depending on which make/model you go for, you can have 4 or 6 time periods per day that you can set to a specific temperature.

I would highly recommend a smart thermostat. 

For convenience or savings? A recent BEIS-commissioned report into smart heating controls, based on international evidence, concluded the following:

On the basis of the evidence reviewed, there appears to be a strong case against considering heating controls in isolation from other aspects of the heating system.

The report went on to to say that this was mainly due to the UK's reliance on gas heating, and that there were greater savings to be made when smart controls are used on electric heating systems where the smart heating controls made intelligent use of time-of-use tariffs.

Backed up by Which

How long will a smart thermostat take to pay for itself?

Many smart thermostat manufacturers spell out how much money you can expect to save after installation. For instance, Tado says that its smart thermostat ‘will pay for itself within a year’ by reducing your heating bills by up to 31%. Netatmo claims that its smart thermostat will reduce the energy you use by 37%. And British Gas says that its Hive smart thermostat could save you up to £130 a year on your energy bills. But all these estimates assume that, before you started using the smart thermostat, you left your heating set to maintain a constant temperature during the day. So if you already turn off the heating when you leave your home, you're unlikely to save as much as the manufacturers claim. A study carried out for British Gas states that the energy savings you achieve with the Hive would be much smaller if you previously only had the heating on for part of the day. It also reveals that in a scenario where the heating was previously just on for a few hours a day on weekdays, switching to Hive's default schedule would actually cause you to use more energy. In short, be wary of the big headline savings claims made by smart thermostat companies. Unless you're in the habit of leaving the heating on while you're out of the house, the savings you make aren't going to be large enough to save you hundreds of pounds a year.

Read more: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/smart-thermostats/article/are-smart-thermostats-worth-it-aEmy52Z0vdnr - Which?