Bills v Damp

leopoldo_2

Apologies if this has been asked before, I couldn't find it.

There is a lot of advice about turning off radiators in unused rooms at the moment, which I have been following, but I have also read that this can lead to problems with damp forming in those rooms because they become cold spots.

I have a combi boiler. Would it be wiser to continue heating the unused rooms after all? I'm trying to keep energy use to a minimum given the prices.

Thanks

[Deleted User]

Moisture will migrate to the coldest part of your home. Having had smart thermostats in the past, we learned the hard way that all rooms need to be kept at a minimum temperature. We set all not in use rooms to 13C. These rooms also need to ventilated at times.

Standby for numerous contrarian views.

Alnat1

If damp is a concern in your home, it might be a good idea to have TRVs on all the radiators and then you can set them at a low temperature in unused rooms, say 10-12C. Also airing the rooms by opening the windows for an hour or so on dryer winter days might help.

leopoldo_2

Alnat1 said:

If damp is a concern in your home, it might be a good idea to have TRVs on all the radiators and then you can set them at a low temperature in unused rooms, say 10-12C. Also airing the rooms by opening the windows for an hour or so on dryer winter days might help.

It's not a particular concern, just want to prevent it. I do have TRVs in most rooms aye.

I've also read that another option is to give every room a blast of heat one day a week and then only use the heating where it's needed for the rest, but doesn't sound very scientific.

Alnat1

That would probably help too but costs more than opening the windows once a week for an hour 

leopoldo_2

Haha fair point. We do keep things well ventilated as a rule but it's obviously trickier in the colder months.

ariarnia

we keep the hole house at 16 but i think the most important thing is to look at where damp is most likely. thats external walls especially those where theres lots of things against the walls to stop air flow (beds wardrobes sofa and just heaps of things ). so background heating and ventilation but also moving things in rooms you dont use much away from the walls by just a couple of inches helps. 

Astria

You can also get a decent dehumidifier for £99, which costs about 5p/hour to run and has added bonus that if you don't have a heat-pump tumble drier, its also easier to dry your washing indoors. I just tried mine inside the A frame of the clothes airer and seemed to work a treat as it was sucking in the moist air and expelling dryer air directly onto the washing. I normally have it by the side of the washing but thought I'd give it a go. The additional air flow seems to make everything dry a lot faster.

MattMattMattUK

One of the other things to think about is sources of moisture that can then become damp. Having showers/baths without the extraction fans running is always a bad idea, cooking and generating steam (especially boiling pans with lids off) without the extractor on is a bad idea, however the worst culprit is usually drying laundry indoors without ventilation or dehumidification, a full load of laundry can easily contain several litres of water which evaporates into the home. 

Additionally damp air, even if not condensing into damp means that more energy is needed to heat the home as the mass of humid air vs dry air is quite a bit more. 

leopoldo_2

Thanks everyone, I think there is a good balance of advice here

Astria

MattMattMattUK said:

One of the other things to think about is sources of moisture that can then become damp. Having showers/baths without the extraction fans running is always a bad idea, cooking and generating steam (especially boiling pans with lids off) without the extractor on is a bad idea, however the worst culprit is usually drying laundry indoors without ventilation or dehumidification, a full load of laundry can easily contain several litres of water which evaporates into the home. 

Additionally damp air, even if not condensing into damp means that more energy is needed to heat the home as the mass of humid air vs dry air is quite a bit more. 

Agreed, some people don't want to use extraction fans/hoods in the winter because they are basically forcing hot air out of the property that they've paid to heat, but it's hot humid air, so it's particularly bad to remain in the property too.

It's said that even leaving a bowl of water in the sink when you are not using it is as a bad idea, as it will make the air more moist over time.