Do I need to replace boiler / re do loft insulation / take other steps to save money?

Bachelorplace

Forgive me if there is a sticky? .. Please link me if there is?

Hoping for some tips to keep my house warm and energy lower. 

House is 18 years old approximately. Bloor Homes. 

Boiler about the same. 18. Regularly serviced. Potterton Promax 24he.

1. Worth having window seals replaced around windows?

2. Close curtains more?

3. Change boiler to one that can only heat water to temperature I set?

4. Add more loft insulation?

It is a three story town house.... the ground floor quite cold... but also sometimes my top lounge gets cold ... its only the middle floor that is toasty. 

I have it on 22.5 most of the time, or around 19-ish - and yes I wear jumpers around the house as much as possible. 

BUFF

Your boiler when new had a seasonal efficiency rate of just under 90%. Whilst modern boilers can beat that I can't see it being worth changing it unless it fails. What heating controls do you have & is the boiler set up to condense most of the time (return flow temp under 56)?

Do your windows feel draughty?
Yes
Is your cylinder well insulated? What is the cylinder thermostat set at?
How much have you got now?

wittynamegoeshere

I wouldn't have thought that your window seals would have shrunk or perished, modern ones are pretty good.  Look for yourself, perhaps do the old Everest double glazing telly ad trick of dropping a feather so it falls down the inside of them.

Closing the curtains more definitely works, especially if you add thermal linings to the back of them.

Water temperature... it needs to be hot, not just warm, otherwise you're at risk from bacteria breeding and making you ill, especially if used for showering.

More loft insulation is probably a good idea, especially as you're saying the top floor is cold.  Have a look, if you can see the ceiling joists then it needs more.

Do you have wall cavity insulation?  I'd assume so, but worth checking.

ProDave

I live in a new house EPC A, near passive house levels.  What this has taught me is my heating (all electric, heat pump) is only about 1/4 of my total usage.  I can't get the "other" use down unless I was me and my clothes less often, watch less tv, eat cold food etc.

BUT after April I will be paying MORE for my electricity than our previous house (oil fired heating) cost us in total.

So I have upgraded to a much better house and that at best means my energy bills have stood still over the last 5 years. 

wittynamegoeshere

But at least you're not spewing toxic fumes all over yourself and your neighbours I suppose, and you don't have 1000s of litres of oil sitting around waiting to get nicked or leak all over your garden (as happened to our neighbours, total eco-disaster).

You should be able to replace appliances with more efficicent versions as they need replacing.  It's probably not worth doing pre-emptively though.  Our modern washer and heat pump dryer use about one unit each per massive 9kg load, the smart meter display doesn't look much different after a day of solid washing and drying.

All energy bills have gone up.  If you'd stayed where you were then I'm sure your bills would have gone up massively, you're actually saving against what you would be paying now, comparing then and now for two different houses is a false comparison unless you have a time machine.

otb666

We replaced our 16 year old boiler and as they flushed system at same time made a big difference 3 bed 3 storey town house warm all over The Downstairs is cooler in evenings but have throws in lounge that works for us.  Tbh it was a good deal 100pm for 2 years with a reduce service/warranty plan cost for 3 years

Bachelorplace

I can defo see joists. I have black stuff that sometimes rips up there in between the joists. I wonder if you are supposed to let it breath up there? Or if you can double do it. 

Windows are actually ok I went around and had a look. Felt the joins all round. No gusts.

I have my heating on as I say about 22.5 - lower when I can. 19-20 overnight. Off when out. 

One bath every other day. Shower each morning. 

Live here on my own - its 1200 SQ foot, so bigger than I need but. I am here now so...

Cant see temp on cylinder thing. And Boiler is an 05 MY so thats... 16 years old. Prob a 3k upgrade but might cut my bills in half i.e. pay for itself almost straight away?

I have left this door on the jar now tons of heat coming from this item being wasted...

Rodders53

Bachelorplace said:

Cant see temp on cylinder thing. And Boiler is an 05 MY so thats... 16 years old. Prob a 3k upgrade but might cut my bills in half i.e. pay for itself almost straight away?

I have left this door on the jar now tons of heat coming from this item being wasted...

Thermostat control will likely be under the grey cover at bottom.  Find the manual on the manufacturers website to read.
It should also be time controlled by the boiler HW and CH timer... You may only need it on for an hour a day.
Sling extra insulation around it and the pipes to reduce losses a bit more, but we use ours as a airing cupboard (aka press in some parts), to dry damp stuff off.

A new boiler will NOT absolutely NOT reduce your heating bills that significantly.
A new boiler might reach 95-96% efficiency c.f. your current 89-90%.
So Nnnn kWh per annum now would become Nnnn x (90/95) kWh ... effectively just a 5 or 6% saving in gas used each year.  Even with gas prices doubling of trebling in the short term it will take many years before the investment breaks even!
You can fiddle with the efficiency figures to make it seem a bit better if it makes you happy 😉

worrywart_3

20’degrees overnight is that necessary I have mine down to 13 overnight and not cold in bed, I do have an electric blanket if required, daytime I have it less than 20 your thermostat is very high. 

Bachelorplace

Here is my latest update... a week or so of blankets and extra sock-age - Again 1200sqft town house - one occupant not in for several hours each day. This is better, its almost as if the energy company know I am on to them!!! And the grey thing - haven't changed this since the house was built 2005.

Astria

Check when your hot water comes in, when I installed my hive I found out that the hot water was on all the time the heating was on which meant the house took way longer than necessary to warm up and I was losing loads of heat through a hot water tank that was rarely being used! I rewired it and now the hot water only comes on once a day, controlled by hive. Day time temperature is 18c, nighttime (between 11pm and 7am) is 13c. I jump out of bed at about 8am and it's warm enough to have a shower.