Radiators Off - Wasted effort?

[oucheeeeee]

Hi,

Just moved into a 2 bed town house with GCH. My last few places all had electric storage units so GCH is new for me.

Here's my query. I've turned off the radiators in my Bathroom and spare bedroom. Am I saving anything on my central heating costs by turning these radiators off?

I'm beginning to suspect that whilst CH is ON - I'm paying the same whether I heat 3 or 5 rooms as the 2 rooms turned OFF have zero effect on the thermostat which is in the main reception room.

How does turning 2 radiators off save money? - I don't understand how turning radiators off reduces/changes the amount of time it takes to raise the temperature in the room with the thermostat to the 16dgr I set the thermostat to.

Any advice appreciated.

Many thx,

Oucheeeeee

 

[Murf520970]

The country is in the grip of a severe weather system & your turning your rads of to save money ?? i would leave it to summer .If you have a room thermostat fitted & thermostatic radiator valves fitted then the boiler will be reasonably economical depending on what it is . The efficiency is governed by lots of things ranging from the boiler type, house insulation , boiler controls,
Turning rads of just makes the house colder & dosent improve efficency. Its got to be better than electric no matter what

 

[JohnD]

How does turning 2 radiators off save money? - I don't understand how turning radiators off reduces/changes the amount of time it takes to raise the temperature in the room with the thermostat to the 16dgr I set the thermostat to

the boiler is heating fewer rooms, fewer radiators, less hot water. Therefore it uses less gas. The time the other room takes to warm up is not relevant. Obviously the unheated rooms will be colder and more prone to condensation.

Does your home has thermostatic radiator valves?

I'm beginning to suspect that whilst CH is ON - I'm paying the same whether I heat 3 or 5 rooms

wrong.

 

[oucheeeeee]

Thanks guys.

I never use the two rooms I turned off (even though one is bathroom - I'm not a dirty git, i just live 100 yards from a 5* Hotel where I'm a member - so I use the showers/steam bath/sauna there as they're way better than mine . I go EVERY day

Also, being a fat(ish) northerner (another reason I use hotels Gym/facilities) - I just don't feel the cold. At 16 degrees, I'm toasty.

I leave the CH on 24 x 7 and just turn down to 5 degrees when I'm out.

My Gas/Electric provider is due to come fit a smart meter sometime soon so I'll be able to work it out. I guess I'm just scared of these storeys of £1,000 a year energy bills. My last gaff cost me on average £40 per month (Electric only - No GCH)

Thermostatic radiator valves - Wouldn't know - Are they the ones with dials on? Mine just have the +/- caps on one end of each radiator. To turn off, I just turned them all the way to -

Thermostat is on wall in Living room.

 

[Murf520970]

TRVS themostatic radiator valves , plastic head with numbers , turn them down if you want but not off . Protects against frost damage & damp

 

[JohnD]

if you are regularly out, for example at work most days, or in bed most nights, you could use a timer or a programmable thermostat to turn the heating off when you don't need it. That will cut your energy bills by putting the heating off when it is not required. You can set the timer to put the heating on half an hour before you usually get home or out of bed so it has time to get comfortable.