How does anyone retain heat in an Edwardian House?

thedrumdoctor

BUFF said:

thedrumdoctor said:

At least 2 of those TRVs if not all 3 in the photos are Pegler. They are typically factory calibrated:

 0 =off ★=7C 1=11-13C 2=15-17C 3=19-21C 4=23-25C 5=27-29C

If you have a TRV on the radiator in the hall with your room stat. you want that set to max (so as not to interfere with the room stat's operation). The others you can adjust according to your individua room heating requirements & the above scale.

Thanks, I didn’t know about these calibrations. I’ll check the radiator I the hall and make sure it’s on the hottest setting.

thedrumdoctor

macman said:

Fine. so you were using 30,500kWh, but it seems you have cut your usage and now they estimate 25,000kWh. Better, but still twice the UK average.

I guess that fits with the house being twice as big as the average UK house and being designed for Edwardian living (with a bell system for calling the domestic servant 😕).

thedrumdoctor

benson1980 said

Dec 22 was colder than Dec 21. If I'm reading your first post correctly you live in a 6 bed house, which is going to cost some to heat. Reading some posts on energy forums could make you think that most of the population are living in passivhauses and you're the only one using 3-4000 kwH per month in winter, but the reality is they are probably much smaller houses, or I suspect they are very cold. I compare our usage with friends who are in new builds (EPC B.) and TBH even they are using a fair bit to keep their houses warm and it does make me wonder how people are achieving these figures. 

Not saying don't aspire to improve thermal efficiency but by the same token your usage doesn't sound too far away from the norm for what sounds like a big house.

This makes total sense. The house is great in the summer though….

thedrumdoctor

macman said:

Assuming a metric meter, you are burning 30,500kWh of gas p.a., so about a £3,050 spend, excluding the s/c. If a new boiler saves you 20%, that's a payback of £600 p.a.  
This assumes that gas prices remain stable. On that basis, a new boiler could pay for itself in little more than 4 years. I'd say that's a no-brainer, even more so given that a boiler of that vintage is likely to require some expenditure anyway to keep it in service for a few more years.
This is a vastly more cost-effective way of cutting your energy usage than insulating non-cavity walls.

Absolutely. This has been a great exercise in hearing other people’s experiences. A new boiler is now on the shopping list. I’m fortunate because I can probably afford a decent design of boiler with high efficiency and I can get it installed early Spring when the temps warm up (we hope). I’ll take a 20% less gas burning with both hands.

macman

Why not get it installed before the temp warms up, and get that 20% gas saving through the second half of winter?  All modern condensing boilers have similar efficiency levels compared to your non-condensing clunker.
Those old bell-push systems were extremely energy-saving, at least for those pushing the bells...

FreeBear

macman said:

FreeBear said:

macman said:

Assuming a metric meter, you are burning 30,500kWh of gas p.a., so about a £3,050 spend, excluding the s/c. If a new boiler saves you 20%, that's a payback of £600 p.a.  
This assumes that gas prices remain stable. On that basis, a new boiler could pay for itself in little more than 4 years. I'd say that's a no-brainer, even more so given that a boiler of that vintage is likely to require some expenditure anyway to keep it in service for a few more years.
This is a vastly more cost-effective way of cutting your energy usage than insulating non-cavity walls.

Insulating walls brings other advantages such as reduced condensation and smooth walls ready for decorating. It also reduces the amount of energy consumed, so combined with a new boiler, perhaps doubling the potential saving. Also improves the EPC rating which could become an important factor when selling the property.

Everything you say is correct, but in term of 'bang for your buck', the boiler should come first. The cost of insulating the walls is going to be many times the cost of a new boiler.

If money is tigh, I'd agree. Adding wall insulation internally could be done one room at a time to spread the cost..

thedrumdoctor said:

FreeBear said:

Don't suppose you had any insulation put in under the floorboards when they were replaced ? It would have been an ideal opportunity, and if Buildling Control had been involved, they may well have insisted on it.

No, it was a damp-proof course exercise so no building control involved. We were basically throwing everything at preventing future wet-rot and rising damp - and it’s actually worked.

Oh dear..... Please, have a read of this web site - https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

markin

Don't let a plumber see the size of the house and add 5k, Even if you could afford it, Get plenty of quotes.

Mstty

If energy prices were looking to rise and rise for the foreseeable my suggestion would be sell up and move to a more efficient house as I would have predicted one of the most important aspects of a house would be how much it cost to heat.

However, latest predictions suggest it is on its way down so I don't think this will be an issue for middle class house purchases.

We have an 1880's old hospital split into flats and due to our Tennant's have had many government schemes over the years such as internal insulation to floors walls and ceilings, even gas fitted to a couple of the flats. BUT these building need to breath. They are not like our modern day houses and when you start cocooning them the moisture has to come out somewhere. We had to fit passive ventilation ducts especially this year as the condensation problems even in modern day houses seemed worse let alone the older building stock.

In winter get the fabric of the house warm and keep it there if you can afford it. To that end your best bet would be a new boiler as a starting point.

 

thedrumdoctor

macman said:

Why not get it installed before the temp warms up, and get that 20% gas saving through the second half of winter?  All modern condensing boilers have similar efficiency levels compared to your non-condensing clunker.
Those old bell-push systems were extremely energy-saving, at least for those pushing the bells...

Well, the money's there to do it, but I don't want to be without CH if the install runs into snags say, during a cold snap. That's the kind of freak bad luck I have with major house repairs. As for those old bell systems for calling the servants, we've only got the deteriorated wiring under the floorboards now. My delusions of a Downton Abbey experience are long gone. 

thedrumdoctor

FreeBear said:

macman said:

Oh dear..... Please, have a read of this web site - https://www.heritage-house.org/damp-and-condensation/managing-damp-in-old-buildings.html

  

I've likely ticked every 'do not do this' box in that article. Here's a taster from 2004….