SOS - The house is too cold and we have insulated before

[Doppleganger]

D
Putting back the carpet will make it feel warmer if you tend to walk around in bare feet or socks.

And a decent underlay, even a layer of paper under that, reduces draughts from the floor.

 

[Leofric]

If you are doing a 'huge' extension next year you will presumably be submitting planning and building regulations applications which will require architectural drawings and construction specification notes. Why don't you get the architectural designer you engage for the extension to carry out a review of the whole building at the same time and advise on remedial/upgrading work required to improve the energy efficiency of the house.

 

[Notch7]

What is your concern: High heating bills or a feeling the house feels cold?

Whilst interrelated, they might have different solutions.

I would start with the low cost things that can make a difference.

-as mentioned above, reduce any draughts. Check all your doors and windows for draughts and adjust as necessary. An incense stick can help, or just feeling with hands on a cold day when the heating is on. Check window frames are sealed where they meet brickwork.

-do you have TRVs? - they allow more control over different rooms.

-do you have good fitting curtains or blinds for the key rooms, like lounge, kitchen etc.

-do you have insulated and draught sealed loft hatch?

-a bungalow has a long run of soffits and fascias, make sure your loft insulation reaches right across the ceiling and jojns the brickwork, so that any eves ventilation is going up to the roof, not blowing onto the ceiling.

When you have your extension done, get the insulation sorted out in kitchen and lounge.

 

[ivixor]

A 34kw boiler would be able to keep almost any house warm.

So your problem seems to be more of a heating one than an insulation one. What kind of heating controls have you got? You're not doing anything silly like turning off your heating at 8pm or something?

 

[platforminc]

I have the readings here.

29th December 1803
20th November 1483
28th September 1186
26th August 1102
28th April 427
29th Jan 284

 

[platforminc]

If you are doing a 'huge' extension next year you will presumably be submitting planning and building regulations applications which will require architectural drawings and construction specification notes. Why don't you get the architectural designer you engage for the extension to carry out a review of the whole building at the same time and advise on remedial/upgrading work required to improve the energy efficiency of the house.

The huge extension massively improves the u value of the house, as the upper part of the house will be wrapped around 100m of insulation with insulated plaster board on top of it. I want to use the opportunity to see what I can do to improve downstairs also.

 

[platforminc]

What is your concern: High heating bills or a feeling the house feels cold?

Whilst interrelated, they might have different solutions.

I would start with the low cost things that can make a difference.

-as mentioned above, reduce any draughts. Check all your doors and windows for draughts and adjust as necessary. An incense stick can help, or just feeling with hands on a cold day when the heating is on. Check window frames are sealed where they meet brickwork.

Appears to be the case from inside, I guess I need to check outside also.


-do you have TRVs? - they allow more control over different rooms.
Yes, I have TRV on every rad, and I also have a reflective foil on most rads.


-do you have good fitting curtains or blinds for the key rooms, like lounge, kitchen etc.

Yes we do, even though they dont look nice at all. Once the works are done, the plan is to have shutters. I dont know what they are like.

-do you have insulated and draught sealed loft hatch?
Yes we do, this was done when loft was insulated.

-a bungalow has a long run of soffits and fascias, make sure your loft insulation reaches right across the ceiling and jojns the brickwork, so that any eves ventilation is going up to the roof, not blowing onto the ceiling.
I do not live in a bungalow.


When you have your extension done, get the insulation sorted out in kitchen and lounge.

Definitely, I plan to demolish the kitchen and build the wall again, this way proper insulation.

Thanks very much for the reply.

 

[JohnD]

29th December 1803 About 8.2 cu. m a day. I only use that in a cold, frosty spell. But perhaps your hw usage is high. Do you have a combi boiler? Or a cylinder? What colour?
20th November 1483 About 5 cu.m a day. A bit more than me.
28th September 1186 About 2.5 cu. m a day. Curiously high for summer, when it should be just hot water.
26th August 1102 About 5.6 a day. Quite a lot unless it was very cold. And why is it more than your average daily usage Jan/Apr?
28th April 427 is 143 cu m, about 1.6 a day. Not enough to keep a house warm in cold weather.
29th Jan 284

Are you sure none of those were estimated readings?

 

[Mottie]

23 C is really warm,

We have ours at 23.5/24°C and people comment that that is high although I suppose it depends on (a) whether your thermostat is accurate and (b) where it is fitted. Ours is a new digital one (although the analogue one it replaced read the same) fitted in the lounge on the wall opposite the radiator with no other heat sources nearby (TV, lamps etc). It is fitted about 5ft from the floor. Go a foot higher or lower and the temperature will be a good few degrees different. Our bills are £100 a month throughout the year and we are never cold. 3 bed 60’s semi. TRV's in all rooms except lounge. Hot water on constant, heating on 5:30-8:30 am and 1:00-10.30 pm weekdays and all day at weekends.

Edit: Looks like I’ll be behind with my payments next month. Lol.

(We were on holiday for a week in October so nothing much used that week).

 

[platforminc]

We have ours at 23.5/24°C and people comment that that is high although I suppose it depends on (a) whether your thermostat is accurate and (b) where it is fitted. Ours is a new digital one (although the analogue one it replaced read the same) fitted in the lounge on the wall opposite the radiator with no other heat sources nearby (TV, lamps etc). It is fitted about 5ft from the floor. Go a foot higher or lower and the temperature will be a good few degrees different. Our bills are £100 a month throughout the year and we are never cold. 3 bed 60’s semi.

Being a 60's house, would I be correct in saying you have got cavity walls ?
We have the heating on at internals when we feel the temperature drops, say 17/18 etc. When I went to a house that was extended in the way I described, it was so warm with no heating on for a long period during the winter/spring.

 

[Mottie]

Being a 60's house, would I be correct in saying you have got cavity walls ?

Yes, but just the flank wall which has cavity insulation. The front and back are windows from wall to wall and the 'wall' between the top and bottom windows is some sort of foil backed board that has been rendered. Loft insulated.

 

[Doppleganger]

We use an average of 2.5 meters³ of gas per day over a 12 month period. Sorry I can't break it down any further than that, well not without much ado.
That's for a 1930's much extended and upgraded 3 bed semi with combi-boiler, but the house is unoccupied for long, long periods at a time. But I do run the heating when the house is empty, just with vastly reduced thermostat settings.
23.5° would be too warm for me. I prefer nearer 22° and t'other half prefers it even a tad cooler.

 

[cwhaley]

I was going to say check the insulation in the loft as I had mine installed through the energy provider and when I checked it, there were large areas they'd missed or simply strewn haphazardly. I had to re-lay the lot.

Then I read that you can keep your house warm at 23 degrees within an hour! When I get home the house is around 15.5 degrees on a cold day and it takes 2-3 hours to get up to 19 which is what its set at. The only room that gets warmer is the living room with the wood stove.

To me it seems your house can get warm quickly (good) but you're feeling the drafts. Check the seals around the windows, put sealing strips on door frames, check the hinges on windows to make sure they're closing properly and also check trickle vents if you have them.