Unvented Hot Water Cylinder and Boiler Controls to save energy

RoadToRiches

Wonder if someone knowledgable could help me please.  I work at home in a upstairs room so need good setting for 24/7,  I have elderly parents living with me too so have to be mindful of them too when they are downstairs.  My plan is to boost the heating for 1 hour up to 21.5 degrees then drop it to come on if it drops below 20 degrees for the rest of the day downstairs and 19 degrees upstairs.

I have an Ideal Heat 12 Unvented cylinder and Ideal Boiler fitted. I have two programmable controls Danfoss for upstairs and downstairs/hot water

I have the boiler set on the 'e' setting.

Is the hot water setting on the Danfoss needed 24/7 or can I turn this on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening?
Do I need to be concerned about switching off the hot water setting as heard tank needs to be above 65 degrees to kill of legionella
I've currently changed the hot taps from 24/7 to being on between hours of 0600 and 2100 but looking further to cut this to two hours a day but should I do that?
Does the hot water need to be on before the radiators are turned on?
Do the radiators need the hot water in the tank/ setting to be on on the controller, or is the radiator hot water heated elsewhere and unaffected by the hot water tap settings/tank? 


Any comments on the following set up is this good? Could I make any tweaks to save some extra cash.

Hot Water Taps - 7 Days setting 

ON 0600

OFF 2100

Heating Radiators Upstairs - 7 Days setting

0700 - 20   degrees

1000 - 21.5 degrees

1100 - 19   degrees

1600 - 18   degrees

Heating Radiators Downstairs - 7 Day Setting

0730 - 19   degrees

1000 - 21.5 degrees

1100 - 20   degrees

2100 - 12.5 degrees

FreeBear

RoadToRiches said: Do I need to be concerned about switching off the hot water setting as heard tank needs to be above 65 degrees to kill of legionella

Legionelia is not very common in the UK. You only need to raise the temperature of the water to above 60°C perhaps once a week. Maintaining a temperature above 50°C will ensure that the little blighter never gets a foothold.

RoadToRiches

FreeBear said:

RoadToRiches said: Do I need to be concerned about switching off the hot water setting as heard tank needs to be above 65 degrees to kill of legionella

Legionelia is not very common in the UK. You only need to raise the temperature of the water to above 60°C perhaps once a week. Maintaining a temperature above 50°C will ensure that the little blighter never gets a foothold.

So I could just put the hot water heater on for a hour or two a day?

FreeBear

RoadToRiches said:

FreeBear said:

RoadToRiches said: Do I need to be concerned about switching off the hot water setting as heard tank needs to be above 65 degrees to kill of legionella

Legionelia is not very common in the UK. You only need to raise the temperature of the water to above 60°C perhaps once a week. Maintaining a temperature above 50°C will ensure that the little blighter never gets a foothold.

So I could just put the hot water heater on for a hour or two a day?

Yup. .. ..

doodling

Hi,

Some comments:
1. What is the thinking behind raising the temperature to 21.5 and then letting it drop to 20? If 20 is acceptable then heat to 20, if 21.5 is required then heat to 21.5 but I don't see the benefit of it being a bit hotter at the start of the day.

2. You only need to have the hot water on for long enough to heat the water you use. I have the hot water on from around from 06:00 to 08:00. This gets it hot enough for when people take showers in the morning and leaves enough to do washing up, etc. until the following morning. The idea is that you use the majority of the water straight after it has been heated.

3. As the water in an unvented cylinder will remain chlorinated then legionella shouldn't be an issue. Having said that, it is still a good idea to get the tank hot (~60) on a regular basis just in case.

4. Having the heating on upstairs during the day is probably wasteful if there is space downstairs for both you and your parents. If you're young and fit then you only really need to heat bedrooms at waking up time and going to bed time - I accept that elderly parents might mean a change to that approach, as might having to use a bedroom as an office.

RoadToRiches

Ok I will set the hot water for 2 hours in the morning and test it though the day to ensure it remains hot.

Did not realise water was chlorinated, must do wonders for the copper pipes. Assume this is just for the radiators as would not want that in the hot taps.

I will set the downstairs to constant 20 degrees from when we get up until about an hour before bed and target upstairs to 18 on constant.

See how that goes.