heating unoccupied house.

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Is it usual to put the room stat to say 10 degrees c. And have the timer set so the boiler comes on say 3 times a day for an hour or so?
 
Ask your insurance company. Last I heard they said to leave it on constant at 15 degrees.
 
I though leaving it on constant not on the timer could be a bit wastefully. With the boiler coming on and off all the time?
 
You have a room stat, so the heating will only come on if the temperature drops to the selected setting. My insurers specify 12C.

Most winter days will be warmer than that, so the heating will only come on during cold nights or unusually cold days when there is no sun (solar gain through the windows means the house is usually warmer than outdoors, and insulation means it stays warm longer).

The purpose of leaving the timer on constant is that your house will not freeze even if the unusually cold spell happens to occur at a time of day or night that you have set the heating off.

You would also be well advised to turn off the main stopcock. I once had a joint freeze and separate in the loft even though the house was heated to 12C, and the damage was terrible and cost many thousands.
 
Remember kicking the door in (it was swollen) of Margaret, our training so-ordinators, house one winter evening as the neighbours were on holiday with the heating left on morning and eveing. The cold main popped out of the SC in the loft and ran for a day till it came through the party wall. Freezing does not obey timer ON periods.
 
I though leaving it on constant not on the timer could be a bit wastefully. With the boiler coming on and off all the time?
Aye, so did one of my customers, she had the stat turned up to 30 and the timer to run an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening... The icicles were beautiful but I didn't rate the "Exploded bog" modern art
 
What if the temperature is teetering around 10c won't it just kick in kick off constantly?
 
Consider the cost of heating to the damage caused if you have a pipe burst and the house will be less damp if you run background heating
 
it is unlikely to be at 10C night and day for long. More likely it will be warmer during the day, and the heating will go off, or colder during the night, and it will stay on. You will use very little fuel if the outdoor temperature is the same as your target indoor temperature.

Are you trying to think of excuses to turn the heat off?

Also, check your insurance policy, and do what it says.

It might be interesting to know if you have an old iron boiler or a modern modulating boiler.

It sounds like you have never experienced a burst pipe.
 
A few pounds on gas is much less hardship.
 
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Leave the heating on at 16 degrees and wedge open the loft hatch if you have pipe work in there.
Cost of heating is dirt cheap compared to flood damage.
 

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