Hot water settings

Alive_Kicking

Hello all,

Since the hike in energy prices, I have gone without hot water. I wash up either with cold water or a kettle full of boiled water and the shower is electric. I would like to have hot water but very worried due to cost implications.  I would mainly use it at night, what would be the minimum amount of time I could heat the tank?  Its a 2 bed flat.  What settings should I select?
Thank you in advance.

TimSynths

I think heating water in your kettle is costing you 4x than using the boiler.

Alive_Kicking

Is it? crikey

lohr500

Is your electricity on an Economy 7 type tariff with different rates for peak and off peak, or are you on a single rate tariff? 

Is your water heated by gas or electric?

If you are heating the water by electricity and on a single rate then I don't think boiling just what you need in a kettle will cost 4 times more than using the heater in the water tank. In fact it will probably be cheaper to use the kettle

If you are heating the water tank by a gas boiler or on off peak electricity then the balance shifts.

Please let us know about your electricity tariff and if you have a gas boiler that heats the water. 

Or, possibly do you have a heat pump of some type.

Spoonie_Turtle

What is your heating and hot water system?

If the shower is an electric one heating cold water, that's far more expensive than any gas or heat pump hot water.  About the same as immersion heated hot water if used on the same type of tariff (e.g. both on night rate Economy 7).

FreeBear

TimSynths said:

I think heating water in your kettle is costing you 4x than using the boiler.

With my shiny new combi boiler, it takes around 3 minutes get the water up to ~60°C from cold running flat out. Then another minute to fill a bowl for the washing up. That is quite a bit of water wasted... Then you have a pipe full of hot water that isn't going to be used.

Alive_Kicking

I'm on a single-rate tariff.
The water would be heated by a gas boiler, if I switched it on.
I would boil a kettle for washing up only once a day, I don't think this would be more expensive.

lohr500

If you are happy boiling a kettle for the washing up then I would stick with it.
My gut feel supported by FreeBear's comments, is that firing up a gas boiler (combi, or one that heats a hot water storage tank) to get a two or three pints of hot water through to the sink will be more expensive.

Alive_Kicking

So I posted originally to find out the most economical way time-wise to heat my water up. Its more so I can wash my hands in warm water and have a bath occasionally. What should I set it as?  Is half an hour morning and night sufficient?  Thanks.

Strummer22

Alive_Kicking said:

So I posted originally to find out the most economical way time-wise to heat my water up. Its more so I can wash my hands in warm water and have a bath occasionally. What should I set it as?  Is half an hour morning and night sufficient?  Thanks.

If you've got a hot water tank, and you just want warm water for washing hands, then half an hour in the morning might do it. The tank should stay warm enough all day and you wouldn't be using enough for it to top up with cold water again. You'd probably need half an hour in the evening only if you were going to have a bath, so perhaps generally leave it off in the evening and turn it on only if you're going to have a bath. 

lohr500

Firstly you need to establish if your gas boiler is a combi boiler (which provides hot water on demand) or a traditional type boiler which heats up water in a storage cylinder (immersion tank). Do you know which type you have?

This will help forum members to suggest what settings to go for.