1968 3 bed semi - heating performance

meat_n2_reg

Hello
I have recently updated my 1968 3 bed semi with new gas combi boiler and new radiators  , new double glazing windows  and doors and 400 mm loft insulation 

House still losing approx 4c over night ( outside temp -3) , walls have cavity insulation not sure what more I can do ?

Just wondering if 4 degree overnight heat loss  ( approx 10 hrs) is the best I can do and is normal for a house built in 1960s ?

Would appreciate any comments / help 

Regards 

Swipe

I'd be very happy with that assuming your starting temperature is 20C

EssexHebridean

Sounds broadly similar to the level we expect - early 50's 3 bed terrace, insulated & mostly boarded loft, cavity walls insulated, decent windows and doors but with a rear extension with three velux windows without blinds which undoubtedly adds to the heat loss. 

oldagetraveller1

I'd be more than happy with that temperature drop.

3 bed 1967 semi, double glazed throughout, well insulated loft space and Rockwool cavity wall insulation. 

Current outside temperature -2C. C.H. on for 2 hours this morning with 'stat set to 20C (in living room) which was reached. C.H. off at 8.15am. Now, at 11.25am, the living room is at 16.6C. 

I realise that's not the whole house, but other rooms with rads. off will not have the same temp. drop.

FreeBear

meat_n2_reg said: I have recently updated my 1968 3 bed semi with new gas combi boiler and new radiators  , new double glazing windows  and doors and 400 mm loft insulation 

House still losing approx 4c over night ( outside temp -3) , walls have cavity insulation not sure what more I can do ?

Late 1920s 3 bed semi here. Have also fitted new doors & windows. Increased loft insulation to around 400mm and insulated some of the walls - Cavity on the lower half (insulated), and solid brick on the upper half (just two rooms left to fit IWI). New boiler & radiators fitted last year (oversized the rads by 30-50% and replumbed the system).

Outside temperature dropped from -2°C at midnight down to a low of -2.9° at 06:30, rising to -2.7°C at 08:00.

Between midnight and 08:00, the temperature in most rooms fell by around 3°C. It is possible that I could reduce this heat loss a little more by using thick thermal curtains on all the windows... Heating is set to kick in around 16°C overnight (had been 17°C last winter), but the boiler hasn't fired up at night yet. Kicked in this morning for 90 minutes, and solar gain is slowly pushing the temperature up past 19°C.

In all, your 4°C drop would (in my opinion) be atypical of a 1960s semi. Plugging draughts around the perimeter of the ground floor rooms (assuming suspended timber floor) would make a small difference and is a cheap fix. Beyond that, making major inroads into cutting heat losses gets very expensive.

Oh, one last thing - Plug any unused flues with a chimney sheep or similar. You can quite easily lose up to 2kWh up an unsealed chimney !

meat_n2_reg

Many thanks for all your replies , down stairs floor is concrete , do have a fire place with no gas fire now so will block this up
Regards 

EssexHebridean

A cheaper fix than an actual chimney sheep for a completely unused chimney is to shove a large cushion or pillow up there - stick it in a black bag first! You can use this method for an occasionally used chimney too, but with the addition of a piece of cord sewn on and with a christmas ornament  dangling off the end to ensure that the "blocker" is remembered before a fire is lit! 

tacpot12

You should check for draughts.