Cold house - heating on all day?

Options
Harrietshaw
Harrietshaw Posts: 8 Forumite
in Energy
I have an end terraced 2 bedroom house which has poor insulation and is therefore very cold in Winter! My thermastat in the kitchen this morning was 10.5 without the heating on. I have it programmed to come on for 2 hours in a morning and 5 hours in an evening (weekdays) and this weather it reaches 15 in an evening. I have read a lot about keeping the heating on low all the time but does that work in a poorly insulated house as if I tried to keep it at 15 all day I fear it would never turn off!!!
«1

Comments

  • markharding557
    markharding557 Posts: 3,116 Forumite
    Options
    Leaving your heating on all day is unlikely to make much difference if there is no heat retention.
    Do you have loft insulation,draft excluder's, these are examples which are easier and cheaper than most.
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,609 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    Options
    A couple of hours in the morning or evening just wont reheat a stone cold house so you need to avoid it too cold and then struggling (and not actually) achieving a comfortable temperature.

    If you replace your thermostat with a programmable one, then instead of turning the heating off, you can set it to turn it down to say 15 during the day or overnight and back up again for when you need it warmer in the mornings and evenings and during weekends.

    You can also check whether the boiler is hot enough - it should be around 60-70 degrees and that all rads are heating up properly. If any stay cooler at the top then they need bleeding to get the air out.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • Harrietshaw
    Harrietshaw Posts: 8 Forumite
    Options
    I do have this kind of thermastat but in my mind, if my house is not well insulated and I try and keep it at 15 degrees, will the heating not just be on constantly or coming on all the time over night?
  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 7,972 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Options
    I also live in an end-terrace house. Built in about 1890 it's one redeeming feature is that the end wall is a cavity wall. But it is cold and draughty. We've done what we can to insulate the loft and added draught seal to the doors (the windows are old double-glazed units so have a narrow gap).

    We have the thermostat set at 17 degrees in the hall way, and thermostatic radiator valves (TRV) on all the radiators in the bedrooms and kitchen, and have the TRVs set to 20 degrees in the lounge and dining room.

    Our 24Kw Gas Boiler has no trouble reaching these levels within an hour of coming on. We have the heating on between 7am and 9am and again at 4pm and 10:30am.

    You might have a problem with the radiators being too small, or the boiler being too small.

    I think you need to try turning your heating on a little earlier and off a little later in the morning - with the thermostat set to 17 degrees. You might think that all the heat will leak out of the house and be lost but actually the bricks are absorbing the heat and will release some of the heat back into the house over the day, delaying the rate at which the air in the house cools down.
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
  • Harrietshaw
    Harrietshaw Posts: 8 Forumite
    Options
    Can you please confirm what your set back temp is?
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 9,937 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Options
    Quick Fix: Programmable thermostat to stop it getting too cold in the day, longer warm up times at desired temperature. Low capital outlay but higher running costs.

    Optimum Fix: Bigger, double panel radiators, possibly with bigger and more efficient boiler. Higher capital cost (possibly offset by a better price when you sell the property), lower running costs than the Quick Fix.
  • RelievedSheff
    RelievedSheff Posts: 11,328 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    Options
    It sounds like your house is just never getting warm enough to retain any heat. Houses take a long time to heat up from stone cold.

    It must be uncomfortable being in such a cold home?

    Try setting the thermostat to say 15 degrees during the day so that it never gets really cold and then a higher temperature for the hours you will be awake in the house. You should find that after a the house has had chance to warm through, which may take several days, that it starts to retain more heat and feel warmer as the building fabric heats through.
  • Harrietshaw
    Harrietshaw Posts: 8 Forumite
    Options
    Kitchen is certainly freezing but bedroom and living seem around 16. I think I will try as you suggest for a few days and see if this makes a differance as it could certainly be that the house doesnt have chance to get warm enough to retain anything!
  • RelievedSheff
    RelievedSheff Posts: 11,328 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
    Options
    16 degrees in the living room is on the cold side.

    Give it a try. If it still doesn't feel warmer at least you gave it a try.

    Do have a look around for sources of draughts though and get them sorted out and see what other measures you can take to try and get the house to retain heat better.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Options
    As i think someone mentioned, get a heating engineer to make sure your boiler and rads are specced correctly for the size and type of rooms.
    There are lots of ways to improve the insulation of a house, but they ususally involve cost and mess!
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173.1K Life & Family
  • 248K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards