I think my central heating isn't up to it

victor2

Have you got TRVs on your radiators? If not, they are not expensive to have fitted and give you more control over individual rooms than a central thermostat will. I had them fitted to the two remaining radiators I had without them a few months back. It does involve draining the heating system and cost about £150, but the bulk of that cost is related to draining and refilling the system, including inhibitor, so wouldn't go up proportionally if more radiators were done.

Scot_39

If cash tight - try one of the cheaper film kits on the windows - and / or patio door ?

Are the radiators in clear space - not blocked by furniture placed too close in front - or by curtains when drawn.

Do the windows / patio doors have trickle vents for ventilation - you could close those as temps cool in evening / overnight - or maybe permanently over winter - and just circulate fresh air by opening for 10-15 mins when warmer during the day every couple of days.

If simple cheap insulation / ventilation cannot help

If you really want to get the room to temp cheaply - but that may mean higher bills - and there isnt a lot of natural air circulation - you could try using any fans you may have to improve heat circulation - ideally directing heat into room - if can - or simply forcing air across it if not - to reduce heat pooling above

Even a little 5" USB style desk fan - or standard 9" fan might make a big difference - for pennys to run for hours every day.

greenbee

Film on the windows can help. Or if you have bubble wrap from deliveries, you can dampen it slightly and it'll stick on the windows (but does reduce the light). 

bob2302

You might be better of working in a different room. 

FreeBear

FlorayG said: Interestingly, since it's gone dark and I've closed the curtains and blinds it's now, an hour later, warm in here and the radiators have switched off. So clearly my major heat loss is through the lovely huge windows which were one of the reasons I fell in love with this property in the first place 

Replacing the 45+ year old DG windows with modern ones here made a big difference. Much of it was down to the killing of cold draughts coming in around the (badly fitted) frames. Pulling the curtains in an evening also helps to keep the heat in. But new doors & windows is expensive.

New, larger radiators has also helped to heat the place - I started swapping radiators out when I still had an old Baxi back boiler. Doing the work myself helped to keep costs down to a minimum.

I'd suggest replacing some of your old radiators with Type 21 (double panel, single fins) as they won't stick out from the wall much more than your existing ones. You'll get 60% or more heat out for a relatively small spend.

FlorayG

Thanks everyone. It's not so cold today but the next cold snap I will try leaving the curtains closed on the North facing window and maybe try a little fan because the room is much warmer near the radiators - is there an optimum place to put this? Should it be put in front of the radiator?
Loos like I will be saving up next year for a new central heating system for 2025/6

Reed_Richards

Turn up the target water temperature on your boiler; it's as simple as that.  That will send hotter water through your radiators and cause them to give out more heat.  But it will increase your running costs because keeping your house warmer will increase your running costs.  And turning up the water temperature will reduce the combustion efficiency of your boiler (although possibly more so with a new boiler than with an old one).

FlorayG

Reed_Richards said:

Turn up the target water temperature on your boiler; it's as simple as that.  That will send hotter water through your radiators and cause them to give out more heat.  But it will increase your running costs because keeping your house warmer will increase your running costs.  And turning up the water temperature will reduce the combustion efficiency of your boiler (although possibly more so with a new boiler than with an old one).

Can you explain this please? Because the radiators are already red hot, how much hotter can they get?

mmmmikey

In the meantime, something to consider is switching your electricity to tariff to Octopus Agile. You could then use a fan heater to provide a heating boost at the times of day when electricity is cheap. Not an ideal solution because it takes some managing and even off peak electricity is generally more expensive than gas, but it might give you a bit more comfort without costing too much while you save up for a new heating system. Having said that, you might well save a bit anyway. If you want to know more, you could take a look.

Another thought is that you don't have to upgrade your central heating system in one go. You could start by putting bigger radiators in the rooms that need them most and turning down the radiators in other rooms if the boiler can't cope. Then you can change other radiators and/or the boiler as and when you can afford it.

FlorayG

mmmmikey said:

Another thought is that you don't have to upgrade your central heating system in one go. You could start by putting bigger radiators in the rooms that need them most and turning down the radiators in other rooms if the boiler can't cope. Then you can change other radiators and/or the boiler as and when you can afford it.

This works out very expensive in labour though because I understand the system has to be drained to change even one radiator. I know the radiators themselves aren't expensive, it's the cost of the job