Heating costs

[shaneystar2]

We live in a three bed semi and have gas central heating ,double glazing ,insulation etc.
My son was here yesterday and we got a lecture on the fact that we turn the heating on and off :)
He says it's better to have it on a lower temperature .eg approx 16 to 18 and leave the doors to the rooms we use open and have it on constantly .Mr S says this is nonsense . However ,today we tried sonny jims method and the whole house is lovely and warm .Previously it took ages to get warm in the kitchen ( which is a big room) but the lounge was stifling .Today it's a much more even warmth all round .
Who is right and will this method cost us more ?

[atalanta]

Some heating engineers actually did some research on this subject, a few years ago. The only circumstance in which you benefit economically from keeping the heating on constantly is if you live in Scotland in a house which cannot have insulation ( for instance of it is made of solid stone.) In all other UK circumstances, they found it is cheaper to have the heat on as-and-when you need it.

[Tilly2]

What do you think so far, shaney, off or on?

[The Builder]

That's interesting Atalanta. "As and when".

It's a mistake to take costs in isolation. You need to look at the whole picture.............

Wall insulation
Roof insulation
TRVs
Roomstat in the hall or other "neutral" area.
Also, change the roomstat to a modern digital one. Not expensive, and gives accurate control.
Set the stat to the highest temp you'll need (probably the sitting room)
In unused rooms, set the TRV to say, "2"

That way you "zone" your heating..... much more efficient.
The better the control and the insulation, the more the 24/7 argument becomes almost redundant.

[paddywak]

We had a combi boiler fitted a couple of years ago,through a "House Warm Grant" new pipe work rads with thermostat valves etc,cavity wall and loft insulation and a nice wireless controller which we can move to what ever part of the house we like. We leave the heating on all day at 20° and turn down to about 15° when we go to bed and we very rarely hear the boiler kick in once it's up to temperature.

[shaneystar2]

Thanks ever so much for your answers folks especially you The Builder .
We only have loft insulation ,nothing in the walls.
So ..Tiily ..
We are going to leave it on constantly at around 16 to 18 during the day,turn it down at night to about 14 to 15 and monitor the situation and the cost which Mr S will definitely monitor via one of his spreadsheets .

I'll be glad when winter is over and we can turn the damn heating off full stop .
We have this argument every year when it gets cold :)

[jomifl]

Unfortunately as Builder hinted, there there isn't a ''one size fits all' answer. You will just have to experiment and find out what works for your house and your lifestyle.

[madmaggot]

Shaney I live in a house which is 1/2 stone built and 1/2 1960s concrete block. We have oil heating and when we moved in were almost afraid to put the heating on because you could almost watch the oil level reducing! Three years ago we invested in a new heat recovering combi boiler, had newer efficient rads with thermostats and a digital controller/thermostat with 6 time zones. We also topped up the roof insulation to 400mm.
The controller is switched on all the time, it has no 'off' switch. We set it to 12 degrees overnight; 14 deg at 7am; 15 deg at 8am when we get up; then to 16.5 deg for the rest of the day. In the evening, or when we finish our 'jobs' and sit in the lounge, we either light the wood burner or up the heating to 18 deg until 11 pm. I often get up during the night and the temperature rarely goes below 14/15 deg although it is set at 12.
We have a 1200 ltr oil tank and we now find that we need to have it filled up once a year; formerly a tank full only lasted the winter months. This enables us to watch the oil price during the summer and fill up when the price is at a low 'off peak' price.
We also use the oil for hot water but only for washing because our washing machine is cold fill.
Consequent to the above, we never have a cold house but are never walking around in shorts and T shirts in the winter, we dress according to the season.
So, we have definitely found that it is better for us to leave the heating on.

[shaneystar2]

Thanks to you both too jomifl and madmaggot .
It's nice to hear varying opinions .
The cost of heating is so expensive now you are at a loss as what to do for the best .
Keep warm and safe everyone .

[B00]

".I need the warmth for me old bones :)) "

you told me that is what the gin was for!

;-)

[shaneystar2]

Yes it does help Boo ...but whisky is better :)

[granny grump]

TRV valves - what are those please Builder - can they be fitted if not already fitted and would it be expensive?

[shaneystar2]

Thermostatic radiator valves GG.
As to cost I'm not sure .
The Builder will know :)

[ChuckFickens]

TRV valves are Thermostatic Radiator Valves, they allow you to control the heat in each room individually.

They are about £15 each and are a direct replacement to the existing valve on one side on your rads, they are really easy to fit for anyone with a little DIY knowhow.... or cheap for a general handyman to fit, shouldn't take more than 20min max each valve.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=trv+valves&rlz=1C1CHFX_enGB510GB510&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D3&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10722844399403530737&sa=X&ei=tKy7UPTlI4a20QW01YCwCw&ved=0CG4Q8wIwAQ

[jomifl]

You can get them for less than £15
http://www.screwfix.com/c/heating-plumbing/trvs/cat831012?cm_mmc=Google-_-
but I expect you get what you pay for.

[The Builder]

As Chuck has said .......... also, it would be necessary to drain the system down to fit them. I'll bet there's a Youtube about it :o)
Take the opportunity to flush fresh water through the system and re-fill, adding the usual inhibitors at the same time.
The flushing alone is a good thing for an old system

[The Builder]

Shaney... if you have an open fire, throw Mr S's spreadsheet on it too. That'll help with the bills ;o)

[ChuckFickens]

"also, it would be necessary to drain the system down"

Oh yeah, I forget that would be needed for most systems.... my old man fitted isolation valves each side of every rad when the system was installed, so when we fitted TRVs we didn't need to drain the system.

[shaneystar2]

Hahaha .....we have got open fires actually .That's another thing ,we only make use of the one in lounge on high days and holidays .
And ....I would love to get hold of those spreadsheets .
He means well though and it's good he keeps an eye on things .Left to me we would be bankrupt by now :0)

[maggie01]

I have just had a new boiler put in last week and I was wondering the same thing. On the back of the book the engineer left, it said that it is cheaper to have it on constantly on a low heat as the boiler has to work harder heating from cold.
I am giving it a try.

[granny grump]

Thank you shaney - what do they do? we just have knobs with numbers on - probably not the right terminology - hope you know what I mean