House warming.

[JohnD]

There is nothing remotely complicated about this.

Heat moves from a hotter object to a colder one (e.g. from your living room into your garden).

The amount of heat lost is directly proportional to (1) temperature difference and (2) time.

So the longer you heat it, and the higher the temperature, the more heat (energy) will get out, and the more fuel (energy) you will put in, and the more money you will spend.

The amount of insulation you have, and the technology of your building construction, does not change any of that.

If you want to ask an entirely different question, like "what will make my house feel more comfortable" or "how quickly will my house warm up and cool down" or "what temperature should I heat my house" or "should I insulate my home" then there are lots of other things you can discuss. But they will not change the answer to your original question.

As Scotty used to say "Ye cannae change the laws o' physics"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamics

 

[AronSearle]

The amount of insulation you have, and the technology of your building construction, does not change any of that.

Except electricity is charged at different rates at different times (Yes I know OP has gas).

So the building fabric can have an effect on the cost of heating.

 

[masona]

I suppose you could do a test by making a note of the gas meter reading of 24/7 and part-time heating for maybe 2 days. If you did it weekly, could be a big drop in outside temperature from last week

 

[EddieM]

There is nothing remotely complicated about this.

Heat moves from a hotter object to a colder one (e.g. from your living room into your garden).

The amount of heat lost is directly proportional to (1) temperature difference and (2) time.

So the longer you heat it, and the higher the temperature, the more heat (energy) will get out, and the more fuel (energy) you will put in, and the more money you will spend.

The amount of insulation you have, and the technology of your building construction, does not change any of that.

If you want to ask an entirely different question, like "what will make my house feel more comfortable" or "how quickly will my house warm up and cool down" or "what temperature should I heat my house" or "should I insulate my home" then there are lots of other things you can discuss. But they will not change the answer to your original question.

As Scotty used to say "Ye cannae change the laws o' physics"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermodynamics[/QUOTE]

No you can't break the laws of physics, but it is more complicated than you're envisioning

 

[JohnD]

not if you're asking the question "Is it cheaper to heat my house 24 hours a day?"

 

[Mw Roofline]

We live in a new build (that I built myself) where I went stupid on the insulation. As well as the floors and ceilings I've got a 100mm cavity filled with wool plus thermal plaster boards. All the windows are triple glazed.

I used the heating for 12 months on timed and just finished the last 12 months on constant and it's about 100 quid a year cheaper on constant.

 

[JohnD]

my gas usage also changes from year to year

y/e 30/11/14 1077
y/e 30/11/13 1355
y/e 30/11/12 1156

Since I used exactly the same time and temperature settings, and insulation, each year, we have to accept that weather is not the same every year.

 

[empip]

University of Salford.
Built a house in a test chamber.
http://www.salford.ac.uk/energy/energy-house

Research Findings from University of Salford Energy House Heating Controls Study
http://www.controlyourhome.org.uk/asset/AA0F8BCA-C648-478C-987C543D3EE537CB/

-0-

 

[JohnD]

very pleased to see the test results from room stat and TRVs

It's sad that there are still people (mostly rather old) who just use a timer, or, worse, turn the boiler on and off manually, as if it was an electric fire.

 

[EddieM]

Ok.... but.... "The building currently installed represents 21% of UK housing stock"

However before anyone says I have any opinion as to which method is the cheapest.. I don't. I merely think it might be a very complicated question.. (then again it may not be and once again I'll be proven to be an idiot!)

 

[Brigadier]

I don't think it is possible to give a definitive answer, least of all because the outside temperature is not a constant (and, as someone else posted earlier, heat loss is proportional to the temperature difference).

That said, simple thought experiment might be worth considering.

Imagine two houses; one, 100% heat retaining. Two, 100% heat lossy.

Situation 1: heating on constant.
House one will get warmer and warmer, until it reaches the temperature that your heating was set at. After that, you will just be burning energy, for no temperature increase.
House two will never warm up.

Situation 2: heating on for say, 2 hrs in morning, and 3 hrs in evening.
House one will get warmer and warmer, until it reaches the temperature that your heating was set at. After that, you will just be burning energy, for no temperature increase.
However, you will have not wasted 19 hrs of energy each day.

House two will still never warm up.


In reality, your house will be somewhere between the two extremes.
Poorly-insulated - it really doesn't matter what you do - it will always feel cold. A blast furnace would warm it up, but any realistic domestic heating system would be ineffective.
As insulation level improves, you can run the heating for less and less each day, and still "feel the benefit".


Of course, this is all predicated on using the whole house, as and when you wish. When insulation is poor and / or money is tight, other strategies (extra clothing, decamping to fewer rooms, spending more time in the pub!) should be considered.


FWIW, I live in an older (detached) house; when we moved in, regardless of how we had the heating on, it was always cold. Full-time heating was exorbitantly expensive.
I lined most of the exterior walls with thermal plasterboard, lagged the bejeezuz out of the loft, and installed some insulation between the floor joists. It now actually becomes comfortable in the coldest weather, and can get uncomfortably-warm on a normal "cold" day.

HTH

 

[Deleted member 63160]

We live in a new build (that I built myself) where I went stupid on the insulation. As well as the floors and ceilings I've got a 100mm cavity filled with wool plus thermal plaster boards. All the windows are triple glazed.

I used the heating for 12 months on timed and just finished the last 12 months on constant and it's about 100 quid a year cheaper on constant.

So the weather was on average a bit warmer year two?

 

[conny]

Thanks Conny, because you have reminded me......

We too have a (not used) gas fire, with flue, and the draught was noticeable in winter.
So, I loosely scrunched up a few sheets of newspaper, and stuffed them up the flue. No more draughts
That was about four years ago - must check up on the situation...........

And of course read the racing results and see if those gee-gees are still running!

 

[Brigadier]

Thanks Conny, because you have reminded me......

We too have a (not used) gas fire, with flue, and the draught was noticeable in winter.
So, I loosely scrunched up a few sheets of newspaper, and stuffed them up the flue. No more draughts
That was about four years ago - must check up on the situation...........

And of course read the racing results and see if those gee-gees are still running!

You must know my betting "prowess"

Which reminds me of a tales from Uttoxeter New Year's Eve races, a couple of years ago.
My darling wife managed to back the same horse twice for the same race, to win - which it did. Incompetent sod only managed to win two bloody fortunes, on the same race
I won sod all

 

[Brigadier]

We live in a new build (that I built myself) where I went stupid on the insulation. As well as the floors and ceilings I've got a 100mm cavity filled with wool plus thermal plaster boards. All the windows are triple glazed.

I used the heating for 12 months on timed and just finished the last 12 months on constant and it's about 100 quid a year cheaper on constant.

This geezer spends less a year, than you've saved, MW





http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property...y-the-house-that-costs-60-a-year-to-heat.html