Cheapest way to keep house warm. Heating on when cold or keep at a set temp

dr78

Hi I’m trying to plan ahead now it’s started to get colder, what in peoples experiences works out the cheaper method. To only put the heating on when your getting really cold or keep heating on but at a set temperature where it kicks in? 

I’m in a terraced house which takes a good while to heat up and doesn’t really seem to keep the heat in that great neither. Not the worst in the world but I don’t find terraced houses are great for keeping the heat in. 

I have children so I don’t want them to be cold obviously but Scottish power today said it’s probably cheaper to have heating on and have temperature set to where it will kick in if drops below a temperature? But I’m not sure if that generally uses more gas? Or as it takes so long to heat the house it may use more for the time it even takes to warm up? Sorry if it’s a stupid question and if need anymore info to help me work out the best options 

BUFF

how old is your house? end-terrace or mid-terrace (that extra external wall makes a difference).
how is it heated (wet central heating, electric storage heaters or ...)?
are you & your children generally in during the day or out?

dunstonh

It will vary with the house as the outside temperature will not affect internal temperatures the same way over the same period.   It can depend on you as a person as well.  You may have windows that may focus sun heating an area in a particular room but not all of it.

Often, it's not a set temperature that you feel is cold but a change in temperature.

So, what works for one person may not work for another.

I’m in a terraced house which takes a good while to heat up and doesn’t really seem to keep the heat in that great neither. 

In terraced houses, a decent heating system should heat them up quickly as they don't have as large areas to heat up.   So, the efficiency of the boiler and the radiators could be looked at.

Also with houses on both sides, the amount of external walls is reduced.

said it’s probably cheaper to have heating on and have temperature set to where it will kick in if drops below a temperature? 

Probably right for many scenarios but as it gets colder, the need to increase that temperature may be necessary.  In our case, we have 19.5c set at the moment and that is perfectly fine.  However, at the height of winter, that won't be enough - for us.  So, it will creep up.  19.5c in September is different to 19.5c in March when there is snow/ice.  It shouldn't be but inefficiencies and other influences kick in.  e.g. different insulation levels in different rooms. Different window sizes.  Different airflow around the house, drafts,  where you have your thermostat.  If you have individual controls on the radiators and what they are set to.

lisyloo

It really does depend on how often you are going to be putting it on and off.

if you only having it on occasionally when it’s really cold then it’s probably better ad-hoc.
if it’s more regularly and you’re not well insulated then it’s pointless turning it off because you’ll just be starting from a colder point when you turn it on again.

thermostats are really useful.
an overall thermostat to stop the house getting very cold is worthwhile.
im keeping mine low and keeping warm with heated blankets and throws (heat the person not the house).
Thermostatic radiator valves are also useful as you can keep some rooms warmer and hence some colder.

a terraced house should keep the heat in better than a detached one.
do you have any drafts, adequate wall and loft insulation?
have you looked at improvement grants?

A thermostat is useful for the temperature not dropping too low e.g. overnight.
newish ones have different settings for different times of day.

do you have a thermostat?
what is it set to?
does it let you set different time periods?
if so what is it set to?

How long is it taking to warm up?
how old is your boiler?
do you get it serviced?
have you bled the radiators or checked them?
do any radiators have cold spots?

[Deleted User]

There was a very interesting post yesterday from a Chartered Engineer which made the case for maintaining an internal temperature of 15C throughout the house with particular emphasis on ventilation to maintain low humidity: dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. Sadly, I cannot track it down.

We have followed this philosophy for the past 4 years. Our gas boiler comes on as the internal temperature dictates. Last year, we used 7771kWh of gas 

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] said:

There was a very interesting post yesterday from a Chartered Engineer which made the case for maintaining an internal temperature of 15C throughout the house with particular emphasis on ventilation to maintain low humidity: dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. Sadly, I cannot track it down.

We have followed this philosophy for the past 4 years. Our gas boiler comes on as the internal temperature dictates. Last year, we used 7771kWh of gas 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463770/#Comment_79463770

I think this is the post that Dolor is referrring to.

QrizB

Dolor said:

There was a very interesting post yesterday from a Chartered Engineer which made the case for maintaining an internal temperature of 15C throughout the house with particular emphasis on ventilation to maintain low humidity: dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. Sadly, I cannot track it down.

This post?
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463770/#Comment_79463770

He seems to be promoting his self-published book, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his advice.

He also thinks smart meters are a conspiracy by Big Energy and that you can avoid the standing charge by fitting your own electricity meter.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463708/#Comment_79463708

dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. 

The heat capacity of wet air is higher than dry air, but it's not a big effect.

Per this link and this link at 20C:

• Dry air: heat capacity 1005 J / kg K
• 50% RH: heat capacity 1021 J / kg K
• 100% RH: heat capacity = 1038 J / kg K
  

That's a 3.3% difference in heat capacity betwen dry air and saturated air.

[Deleted User]

Deleted_User said:

Dolor said:

There was a very interesting post yesterday from a Chartered Engineer which made the case for maintaining an internal temperature of 15C throughout the house with particular emphasis on ventilation to maintain low humidity: dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. Sadly, I cannot track it down.

We have followed this philosophy for the past 4 years. Our gas boiler comes on as the internal temperature dictates. Last year, we used 7771kWh of gas 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463770/#Comment_79463770

I think this is the post that Dolor is referrring to.

Thank you. I am not sure that his extreme views on smart meters are relevant to this particular debate.

If we were talking about heat pumps then most experts would concur with his advice which is to let the heat pump do its own thing whilst maintaining a minimum temperature.  What distorts the debate with respect to gas boilers is that a lot of people run them at too high a flow temperature, and for two periods each day the boiler is running at its maximum output to get the house up to a set temperature.

Even though I have a system boiler, it is presently set at 50C flow temperature. HW is heated by immersion. Low flow temperatures DO make a big difference to gas usage but the boiler needs to be on longer to attain/maintain a set temperature.

Ally_E.

That depends on how your perceive cold. Without a thermometer I can feel cold at 19-21C sometimes, so I need that reality check of the number on the thermometer to tell me it's not actually cold and I just need to go a warm drink or move around. I have thermometers in almost every room of the house, they include hydrometers too and I keep an eye on relative humidity. 

marcia_

 Ally thats me, I'm always cold so forever checking thermometers around the house to know if i should actually switch the heating on. Im trying to layer up but still cold! 

Van_Girl

QrizB said:

Dolor said:

There was a very interesting post yesterday from a Chartered Engineer which made the case for maintaining an internal temperature of 15C throughout the house with particular emphasis on ventilation to maintain low humidity: dry air takes less heat to reach a target temperature than wet air. Sadly, I cannot track it down.

This post?
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463770/#Comment_79463770

He seems to be promoting his self-published book, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his advice.

He also thinks smart meters are a conspiracy by Big Energy and that you can avoid the standing charge by fitting your own electricity meter.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79463708/#Comment_79463708

That's Pete Ward of Heritage House. I know he comes off as a bit extreme but he's a recognised expert in dampness in buildings, particularly historic properties

I wouldn't go to him for advice on smart meters(!) but he knows his stuff on building surveying

Edit just to say, I'm not making comment on what he said about heating, specifically. I haven't read through it. Just general comment on his experience