How long should you run the heating for?

MikeJXE

Maybe the best idea is check your meter readings, before you switched it on a few weeks ago and now, work out what you have used and calculate the cost, that will tell you if you're overspending or now. If you can't do that then do it over aq few days, read meter before and after 

kmb500

MikeJXE said:

Maybe the best idea is check your meter readings, before you switched it on a few weeks ago and now, work out what you have used and calculate the cost, that will tell you if you're overspending or now. If you can't do that then do it over aq few days, read meter before and after 

Thanks for the suggestion but we are on heating oil, otherwise I would already be looking at the meter readings

BUFF

kmb500 said:

BikingBud said:

12deg seems cold considering it is still very mild outside, how are you measuring this?

Are you aiming for 21 deg throughout the house or comfort? Are they the same thing?

Where is the thermostat and where are you spending most of the time?

What powers your heating?

Do all rooms have rads, what are the TRVs set at?

Having a rad adjacent to a stat with a TRV set high may shut off the heating before other rooms get chance to warm up,.

Where are the 2 that are not warm?

I am measuring it just by the honeywell thermostat. I assume the temp sensor for the thermostat dial is actually on the dial, not somewhere else.

I'm not aiming for any particular temperature as long as its comfortable. I just thought 21 degrees seemed like a reasonable room temperature.

Is 12 degrees cold given that it hasn't gone above 7 degrees today? I would have thought this is normal.

Heating is powered by a new-ish oil boiler that is working properly; we had a boiler service last week.

All rooms have radiators and the TRVs are set at max.

Depending upon manufacturer max. on a TRV is usually between 25 & 28C, it is not normal to actually aim to heat a room to that.
The setting on a TRV does not affect the speed at which the radiator heats up, just the temperature at which the valve closes.
Usually the only 1 that would be set to max. would be if it is in a room with a room 'stat.

FreeBear

kmb500 said:

theoretica said:

A bungalow has a lot more wall and roof to loose heat through for the same floor area than a terraced house. What is your insulation like? 

I don't know what the insulation is like other than that our windows our single glaze (and we have some quite large windows in the office). The EPC rating is E. We don't have access to the loft so don't know what insulation is up there.

Is this poor heat loss normal for a bungalow? Is it worth asking my landleech if they can assess the insulation? (Not that I would expect a landleech to invest any money in that)

Took 14 hours for the temperature in the hall to drop from 20°C down to 18°C last night. Outside it had been 11°C dropping to ~8°C at 08:00. Depending on the external temperature, I'd say a 2.5°C drop in just one hour to be pretty bad. But then you do have three external walls plus a large chunk of glass to lose heat through. The EPC rating of E would suggest that insulation levels are pretty poor to start with..

The landlord will need to pull his finger out and improve the insulation levels if he/she is to get the EPC rating up to C before 2025/8 - There will be financial incentive for him/her to get the work done (either lost revenue from renting or from fines).

As this is a rental property, there isn't much you can do to improve the insulation or heating. Just cross your fingers that we don't have a real cold winter, and grab yourself some electric blankets when you see them at a good price (Lidl had some for ~£20 recently).

smugwalrus

kmb500 said:

I don't know what the insulation is like other than that our windows our single glaze (and we have some quite large windows in the office).

I used to live in a 1700's cottage with single glazing.  Secondary glazing film is useful to apply to the inside of the windows to create a temporary second layer for winter.  You just need to remove it come spring so you can open the windows.  May wish to shop around as this isn't as cheap as I used to get it for - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stormguard-11SR0666SQM-Secondary-Glazing-Insulation/dp/B00CN7071U

facade

The radiators that are cold (if the TRV isn't turned to frost) probably have stuck TRV valves.

Usually the top part unscrews and there is a pin that lifts up which will be stuck down. A bit of GT85 and a pair of pliers to pull it up will get it working again - no doubt there are youtube video on it.

I usually have to free off the TRV valves here every Winter.

Apodemus

One critical question is where in the UK this house is!  We've not all had it quite so balmy as some of the posters above would have us believe!  -1C here at the moment, average for the last 24 hours 2.4C and its been down to -4C a couple of times in the last week!  With no heating, our house would be well below the 12C!   

EssexHebridean

Apodemus said:

One critical question is where in the UK this house is!  We've not all had it quite so balmy as some of the posters above would have us believe!  -1C here at the moment, average for the last 24 hours 2.4C and its been down to -4C a couple of times in the last week!  With no heating, our house would be well below the 12C!   

OP stated their outside temperature as 7 degrees I believe - a 5 degree difference between inside and outside temperature would suggest poor insulation, which appears from the EPC rating to have been confirmed. 

Astria

Typically I don't have a timer - the heating is on 24/7 but just on a thermostat, it's set to 14c and come on for 20 minutes at 3am, 6am, and 10am so far. It was about 4c from 10pm last night to now out side, so that doesn't seem overly bad. 14c isn't too cold when you are wearing a jumper or sweatshirt, and isn't too hot when sleeping. Of course, elderly and vulnerable may disagree!

EssexHebridean

I'm neither but I'd  still disagree - I'd be shivering if trying to sit and watch TV in a room at 14 degrees, and my feet would be so cold getting to sleep would be a nightmare!