My Energy use Diary

annie123

Have just looked at your boiler on the web and you have a heating only boiler
http://www.idealboilers.com/icos_he_details.html

which is very unusual these day.
So that leaves the big thing in the cupboard as an immersion heater which looking at the photo looks like it is turned at the switch on the wall

and this is your immersion heater, or atleast one of the models is.
http://www.discountedheating.co.uk/shop/acatalog/Santon_Indirect_Cylinders.html

find the temperature the water is set at and where to turn it on and off

danjackson999

annie123 wrote: »

Have just looked at your boiler on the web and you have a heating only boiler
http://www.idealboilers.com/icos_he_details.html

which is very unusual these day.
So that leaves the big thing in the cupboard as an immersion heater which looking at the photo looks like it is turned at the switch on the wall

and this is your immersion heater, or atleast one of the models is.
http://www.discountedheating.co.uk/shop/acatalog/Santon_Indirect_Cylinders.html

find the temperature the water is set at and where to turn it on and off

See this is where i am getting very lost. Does my control unit control the hot water or does the immersion heater just stay on constantly?

What exactly should i keep on/turn off and how will this effect what my daily routine i.e will i have to turn the immersion on just before i have a shower or something.

annie123

danjackson999 wrote: »

See this is where i am getting very lost. Does my control unit control the hot water or does the immersion heater just stay on constantly?

That is what I was wondering, and by turning the immersion switch off you would find out. If your readings drop then the unit isn't controlling it. Do find what temperature it is set at.

What exactly should i keep on/turn off and how will this effect what my daily routine i.e will i have to turn the immersion on just before i have a shower or something. if the unit isnt controlling it then you call the letting agent

Apparently in order to post I have to write something here too:rolleyes:

danjackson999

annie123 wrote: »

Apparently in order to post I have to write something here too:rolleyes:

I have just got off the phone to the letting agents and they seem to think the tank in the airing cuboard is electric after i explained the set up and that is what heats the water up and it may be controlled by the control system in my kitchen.

I am going to try and turn off the immersion switch and see if i still get hot water.

danjackson999

I just pressed boost for the hot water and the boiler came on and then i checked in the airing cubaord and it sounded like it was doing something and then i turned the switch off and everything stayed the same.It still sounded like ti was doing something.

What i dont understand is why the boiler is coming on if the hot water is done by electric. How exactly does a combi boiler work, does the boiler come on and then heat up a big tank of water and then you use that.

Dammm this is so confusing

cw18

annie123 wrote: »

Dan turn that heating thermostate down (the thing in the hallway), or you will be back here with large gas bill. 18c should be enough for a bunch of guys! at least to start with.

Totally agree with this one. When it's really cold I prefer to leave mine at 16 or 17 but on for most of the day. If it's on high for a short time I notice the drop after it turns off much faster.

annie123 wrote: »

Dan that last pic looks like a electric hot water heater and a big one at that, with the switch on the wall on, if I'm right its an immersion heater, would be emergency hot water if needed, my parents had one.

Turn the switch off and could find that that is whats been using your elec.
THEY ARE VERY VERY EXPENSIVE TO RUN 24/7!!
Where ever that tank switch is, turn it off, your hot water should be coming from your gas boiler. I'm sure I'm right the more I look at that pic

Edit: After you have turned it off take a reading again in an hour I bet its not gone up 1 unit!

That's definitely a hot water tank, so between that and the fact you have a timer with a hot water setting I'd say you definitely don't have a combi boiler.

You asked why would you run out if it's on all the time.... two possibilities I can think of are that

either the tank isn't lagged properly (mine has a moulded cover, but have previously had red jackets wrapped round them), which means the cylinder won't do much apart from heat the cupboard

and the other is that the heat setting on the tank is very low... so pull off what is warm causing it to refill with cold, and it will drop the temperature of the remaining water very quickly and take a while to heat back up.

cw18

danjackson999 wrote: »

I just pressed boost for the hot water and the boiler came on and then i checked in the airing cubaord and it sounded like it was doing something and then i turned the switch off and everything stayed the same.It still sounded like ti was doing something.

What i dont understand is why the boiler is coming on if the hot water is done by electric. How exactly does a combi boiler work, does the boiler come on and then heat up a big tank of water and then you use that.

Dammm this is so confusing

boiler would still kick in to heat the water if the temperature of it has dropped due to you using some.

A combi boiler doesn't use a hot water cylinder - it pulls cold into the boiler, heats it up as it's wanted, then sends it out to the tap(s)/shower(s)/bath(s). So you'd always have hot water when you wanted it, and never heat up water you then didn't use.

danjackson999

I turned off the switch in the airing cuboard to see if the water would saty hot some how but that has not been the case. My housemate has had a shower and now its only cold coming out of the taps.
So looks like im going to be stuck with having the immersion switch on at all times which is going to make the electricity bill high.

So let me get this right, my boiler basically heats up all of the water in the tank whenever it is on but yet i still have to have the immersion on.

Looks like im just gonna have to forget about the heating/hot water issue and try and save in other areas.

cw18

No, it sounds like your gas boiler is only heating your radiators.

The water tank is heating on the electricity, although there's a (vague) possibility it's controlled by the timer on your control panel.

I certainly wouldn't want it on heating the water 24/7, which it will be doing if it's not hooked up to the timer on the control panel :eek:


ETA: My water tank heats from my gas boiler, but 20 minutes in the morning is enough to do one lot of washing up and one shower/hair-wash without any problems. Any extra use and I have to boost for a short while (15-20 mins). If you're heating it for 4 hours (seem to recall you said this earlier in the thread ) you should have enough for loads of use.......

The other things that may pull on it are your dish-washer (never had one, so don't know how most are plumbed) and your washing machine. The washer I have now is cold fill only, but the previous 2 were hot and cold (so I'd have had to boost for a shower after using the washer)

annie123

Dan CW18 is right, your gas boiler is heating your rads and the immersion is heating your hot water,

Call the letting agent and tell them the timer does not work, you have found out hard way etc,

Depending on the arrangement they have with your landlord, one of the following will happen;
1. if its full management, then letting agent will send an electrician to fix it
2. if partial management, they will inform the owner who will arrange to fix it
3. if find tenant only agreement, they will tell you its nothing to do with them

If its the last one then you should have contact details for the owner and let them know yourself and they will fix it.
If anyone seems slow to respond just let them know you will expect them to cover your elec bill etc etc.

No need for this amount of energy to be used