Turning off heating for short periods is not worthwhile

Petriix

There are too many variables to even make an informed guess. Even seemingly identical days will have differences in behaviour. Taking longer to walk out the door or boiling the kettle an extra time will make a difference etc.

The physics is simple: demand less heat = burn less gas. Of course it will be a curve from next to nothing for a short reduction to a big saving for a long turn-down. It comes down to how often you can be bothered to interact with the thermostat/app etc. 

InvertedVee

When I take a holiday, I reduce my smart thermostat's set point to 13C. But if I'm not going to be away overnight, I leave the programming at its normal set points (17.5C overnight, 19C at 0600, rising to 20C at 2000 in small increments). I prefer to heat very gently, which lets me use the lowest, most efficient flow temperatures, rather than getting a fast heating response.

When I was away for several nights during recent cold weather (external temps -1C to 9C), it took 67 hours for the house temperature to fall from 19C to 13C. And because of my low-and-slow heating technique and substantial insulation, it needed 24 hours of very gentle heating to get back up to 19C. (I raised the set point a day before I returned using my Tado app).

In the 200-year-old terraced house that we took our holiday, the internal temperature fell from 20C to 10C overnight. The IHD revealed that this old house used as much gas in one month as our house does in a whole year, despite the floor area being about the same.

It just shows that how vastly different the housing stock is in its energy performance and how what works for one won't work for another.

APennySaved

Not sure if this is the best place on the forum to post this query, but here goes . . . :

In simple terms, can anybody tell us why it seems so much colder this winter than in the past few winters? And:
(1.) Is it in fact colder this winter?
(2.) Or is this in fact a misconception that has been caused by the negative influence - i.e. stress - of the recent years including the psychological stress of COVID-19. (Fighting a war can make people feel colder at any time.)

I could swear my parents used to use the phrase "Put a jumper on!" (as the first solution to us kids moaning about the cold *) almost as much as I & my OH have since Dec2022!
And I am pretty sure that Winter 2021-2022 - and recent winters this side of the millennium - were nowhere near as cold as this winter has been.

[ * My parents, being of the old school - and quoting one of my grandparents in the process! - where they turned up the CH only after we had (i) closed all the doors ("Shut the door: we don't live in a barn!"; this was the grandparents' line!) (ii) put on 2 or 3 jumpers. ROFL!  ]

I never doubted my parents' wisdom, & it defo was colder back then anyway, but until this year we as adults have indulged ourselves with setting the CH to be switched on far longer than they did. Now, though, due to cost of living issues, that it all changing . . .

It would be good to learn if this colder winter weather really is occurring, and if it is then is it the effect of global warming and thus likely to continue & in fact worsen.
. . . If so I'd like to prep for the rest of this century, if winters are going to return to those of my chilly childhood.

GaleSF63

APennySaved said:

Not sure if this is the best place on the forum to post this query, but here goes . . . :

In simple terms, can anybody tell us why it seems so much colder this winter than in the past few winters? And:
(1.) Is it in fact colder this winter?
(2.) Or is this in fact a misconception that has been caused by the negative influence - i.e. stress - of the recent years including the psychological stress of COVID-19. (Fighting a war can make people feel colder at any time.)

I could swear my parents used to use the phrase "Put a jumper on!" (as the first solution to us kids moaning about the cold *) almost as much as I & my OH have since Dec2022!
And I am pretty sure that Winter 2021-2022 - and recent winters this side of the millennium - were nowhere near as cold as this winter has been.

[ * My parents, being of the old school - and quoting one of my grandparents in the process! - where they turned up the CH only after we had (i) closed all the doors ("Shut the door: we don't live in a barn!"; this was the grandparents' line!) (ii) put on 2 or 3 jumpers. ROFL!  ]

I never doubted my parents' wisdom, & it defo was colder back then anyway, but until this year we as adults have indulged ourselves with setting the CH to be switched on far longer than they did. Now, though, due to cost of living issues, that it all changing . . .

It would be good to learn if this colder winter weather really is occurring, and if it is then is it the effect of global warming and thus likely to continue & in fact worsen.
. . . If so I'd like to prep for the rest of this century, if winters are going to return to those of my chilly childhood.

Perhaps we are just a lot more aware of the cold because of the big increase in heating costs and the constant debate about it.

Apodemus

Depends where you live!  Info from Met Office:

nxdmsandkaskdjaqd

You can use Degree Days.

https://www.degreedays.net/

Quote: Degree days are a specialist kind of weather data, calculated from readings of outside air temperature. They are used extensively in calculations relating to building energy consumption. Heating degree days give an indication of the energy consumption required for heating (in cold weather); cooling degree days give an indication of the energy consumption required for cooling (in hot weather).

Nelliegrace

I agree that it is more comfortable having the central heating on as background heat all day instead of morning and evening. We felt the cold more when the temperature kept changing. We were able to set it at 14°C and 7°C at night, and wear sensible layers to keep cosy. I have a rug and a wooly hat if I am sitting reading, and a second hot drink in the flask whenever we make one. Moving around warms me up and saves turning the heating up.
We have not needed the Oodies and wool thermals yet, they will keep for future years. The bill for January was lower than December, and February lower still. 

mumf

APennySaved said:

Not sure if this is the best place on the forum to post this query, but here goes . . . :

In simple terms, can anybody tell us why it seems so much colder this winter than in the past few winters? And:
(1.) Is it in fact colder this winter?
(2.) Or is this in fact a misconception that has been caused by the negative influence - i.e. stress - of the recent years including the psychological stress of COVID-19. (Fighting a war can make people feel colder at any time.)

I could swear my parents used to use the phrase "Put a jumper on!" (as the first solution to us kids moaning about the cold *) almost as much as I & my OH have since Dec2022!
And I am pretty sure that Winter 2021-2022 - and recent winters this side of the millennium - were nowhere near as cold as this winter has been.

[ * My parents, being of the old school - and quoting one of my grandparents in the process! - where they turned up the CH only after we had (i) closed all the doors ("Shut the door: we don't live in a barn!"; this was the grandparents' line!) (ii) put on 2 or 3 jumpers. ROFL!  ]

I never doubted my parents' wisdom, & it defo was colder back then anyway, but until this year we as adults have indulged ourselves with setting the CH to be switched on far longer than they did. Now, though, due to cost of living issues, that it all changing . . .

It would be good to learn if this colder winter weather really is occurring, and if it is then is it the effect of global warming and thus likely to continue & in fact worsen.
. . . If so I'd like to prep for the rest of this century, if winters are going to return to those of my chilly childhood.

Shut the door ,we don’t live in a barn. How true! My wife ,bless her ,hears me say this. However,I remember an advertisement on TV in the 70’s that showed,via a thermometer,how quick an open door draws the high temperature out! And it’s so true. The doors are there for a reason. 

FreeBear

APennySaved said: In simple terms, can anybody tell us why it seems so much colder this winter than in the past few winters? And:
(1.) Is it in fact colder this winter?

I have a temperature sensor outside and record the data (have done since June 2020). This winter has been noticeably warmer much of the time compared to previous years. This is backed up by lower gas consumption, especially overnight.

BUFF

At least in Glasgow this February has been remarkably warm by comparison to 2022 & that was warm by comparison to 2021.