to heat or not to heat, that is the question!!!!

[stevewright]

Hi Guys

Can't seem to find the answer to this on the FAQ's

Whats the most economical way to heat your house?

1. Keep the heating on 24/7 with reduced temps at night say 15C
2. Heat the house during the day and evening and switch it of throughout the night.

We work from home so need heating during the day, we have a new gas Condensation Boiler with 3 zones, ie office, living space, bedrooms. We have good insulation, DG windows, loft and walls.

What are your thoughts, which would be best

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[D_Hailsham]

What's the most economical way to heat your house?

Don't

Seriously though, the first thing to do is buy a MAX/MIN thermometer and use it to check how low the temperature drops overnight when you have the heating off. Difficult in the "summer" if it is off all the time, but it's a start. If your house is well insulated, you will find that there is very little difference between the max during the day and the min at night. So, even if you turn the heating off overnight, you will only have to raise it one or two degrees in the morning. Heating a house up from cold is what uses up the fuel, not maintaining the temperature. I have the overnight temperature set to 5°C, just in case there is a sudden drop in temperature. The house never drops below 18°C overnight, even when it is freezing outside.

 

[namsag]

You will get loads of different opinions on this and everyone will swear they are right.
A lot of customers do say though that leaving it on 24/7 and turning it down to 10 overnight or when they leave the house works for them but then again it all depends what temp makes you feel comfortable and how quickly house heats up /cools down etc. But would say its prob going to be trail and error and keep an eye on the meter a week at a time.

 

[JohnD]

heat loss depends on a few things:

- the temperature difference between inside and outside
- the conductivity of the walls/ceiling/windows plus losses through draughts
- Time

These are facts and not opinions.

So, if your house is 20 degrees hotter than the outside, it will lose twice as much heat as if it is 10 degrees hotter (so, keeping it hot all night and when you are out will lose more heat)

And, if it is hot for 24 hours a day, it will lose twice as much heat as if it is hot for 12 hours a day.

Figures are approximate

However, it will take a certain amount of time to warm up from cold. In my house (well insulated, big radiators) the timer is set to come on about half an hour before I get up/come home, which is enough. if the house has been unheated for a week or more, the walls will be cold and it will take longer to warm up.

If your house is badly insulated (get colder faster) or has small radiators (emit less heat) it will take longer to warm up from cold.

If the house is damp (wet washing draped about the house, extractor fan not used in bathroom, bedrooms unventilated) then the damp problem will seem worse if you do not constantly pour heat in to cover up the dampness. But the correct thing to do is to address the source of damp.