| Heating a house.... 13:48 - Oct 15 with 3959 views | BLAZE |
What's the most efficient way?
I have a combi boiler with TRVs fitted to all radiators except the bathroom. My boiler can heat the water upto 75c. I don't have a room thermostat.
Am I better setting the water temp at the boiler low (say 50c), and turning the TRVs up high?
Or setting the boiler temp to high (65 - 70c), and turning the TRVs down until I find a comfortable temp in each room?
Intuitively you'd think that turning the boiler water temp up high will use more gas to get it there and maintain it, but on the flipside, if you have the water temp low with the TRVs high, if they never get up to temp, then the TRVs aren't gonna close and you're gonna be losing more heat via the radiators so your boiler is gonna have to kick in more often to replace it.... I think!?
Only lived in the house spring and summer so haven't had the heating on at all. Been using less than £20 a month in gas.... But had it on the last few days (set to 50c at the boiler with TRVs high) - checked the meter this morning and I reckon it's gonna jump up to around £80 a month. That's probably not excessive but I'd still like to be as efficient as possible
As it stands it comes on for 2 hours in the morning (6-8) and four hours in the evening (6-10)
Any suggestions appreciated [Post edited 15 Oct 2014 14:08]
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| Heating a house.... on 14:08 - Oct 15 with 3201 views | perchrockjack |
Steve.
I asked many times when I was in the Energy business and found conflicting advice.
On one hand, turn boiler water settings up high so that when it reaches the thermostat temperature it switches off thus saving gas.
On t other hand keep setting low on boiler so as not to overheat the water .
I I could I d use water from well , wear plenty of clothing to stay warm and read my candlelight as I detest all the energy companies ..
I may well be a tightarse though |  |
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| Heating a house.... on 14:11 - Oct 15 with 3194 views | Darran |
| Heating a house.... on 14:08 - Oct 15 by perchrockjack |
Steve.
I asked many times when I was in the Energy business and found conflicting advice.
On one hand, turn boiler water settings up high so that when it reaches the thermostat temperature it switches off thus saving gas.
On t other hand keep setting low on boiler so as not to overheat the water .
I I could I d use water from well , wear plenty of clothing to stay warm and read my candlelight as I detest all the energy companies ..
I may well be a tightarse though |
Steve.  |  |
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| Heating a house.... on 14:13 - Oct 15 with 3190 views | perchrockjack |
Thought blaze was that..
#apologies ,sorry, delete ...wait until HE sees it.. | |
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| Heating a house.... on 14:29 - Oct 15 with 3154 views | Swanseajill |
I m not an expert Blaze, but my brothers been a heating and plumbing architect all his working life. And he always advices me to put the heating on a lower setting and your able to leave it on for longer. He reckons less gas is used this way other than charging it up for a higher temp.
I've a combi also, don't think I need the water temp as high as the fitters recommended , so that's been lowered too. |  | | |
| Heating a house.... on 14:34 - Oct 15 with 3139 views | controversial_jack |
| Heating a house.... on 14:29 - Oct 15 by Swanseajill |
I m not an expert Blaze, but my brothers been a heating and plumbing architect all his working life. And he always advices me to put the heating on a lower setting and your able to leave it on for longer. He reckons less gas is used this way other than charging it up for a higher temp.
I've a combi also, don't think I need the water temp as high as the fitters recommended , so that's been lowered too. |
It makes no difference , because the differential between the thermostat coming on and going off will be exactly the same whether at high or low temperatures | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 14:39 - Oct 15 with 3131 views | LeonisGod |
You could save 25% straight away by by turning off at 7.30 am and 9 pm. Turn down TRVs in rooms you rarely use. Lot's of vigorous shagging if you're feeling nippy. Sorted. |  | | |
| Heating a house.... on 15:10 - Oct 15 with 3110 views | lifelong |
I'm having a combi boiler fitted as we speak, the engineer swears by a Salus digital electronic thermostat which costs in the region of £75 plus fitting cost, £45, so I'm going for it. |  | | |
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| Heating a house.... on 15:14 - Oct 15 with 3105 views | perchrockjack |
If in doubt everyone is Steve to me. Bill is Bill though.
We ve always had condensation and most modern house have as we are poorly vented and some are afraid of air (cold) coming into the house.
Keep furniture away from walls directly and the airflow will improve .
I did this to stop any damage to my guitars as leaving them on the walls isn't smart.
dickperchcock | |
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| Heating a house.... on 15:21 - Oct 15 with 3100 views | Batterseajack |
Boilers work more efficiently at lower temperatures. This is to do with having to only heat up combustion air to a lower temperature. If your using a condensing boiler (most modern boilers are these days) running the boiler at a lower temperature gives you the benefit of recovering the latent energy in the flue gas which is used to preheat the incoming combustion air which further improves efficiencies. Your return water temperature needs to be about 50 deg C for this to happen effectively. If you can, set your flow and return temperatures to 60/50.
If you find this does not heat your house up enough, its likely that your radiator outputs are sized for higher temps. The trouble with running at low water temperatures is that most plumbers size radiators on high temperatures so they can buy smaller cheaper units. | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 15:23 - Oct 15 with 3096 views | BLAZE |
| Heating a house.... on 15:10 - Oct 15 by lifelong |
I'm having a combi boiler fitted as we speak, the engineer swears by a Salus digital electronic thermostat which costs in the region of £75 plus fitting cost, £45, so I'm going for it. |
If he's still there do us a favour Rog and ask what's the best way to set it up if you don't have a room thermostat only radiator TRVs  | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 15:27 - Oct 15 with 3089 views | BLAZE |
| Heating a house.... on 15:21 - Oct 15 by Batterseajack |
Boilers work more efficiently at lower temperatures. This is to do with having to only heat up combustion air to a lower temperature. If your using a condensing boiler (most modern boilers are these days) running the boiler at a lower temperature gives you the benefit of recovering the latent energy in the flue gas which is used to preheat the incoming combustion air which further improves efficiencies. Your return water temperature needs to be about 50 deg C for this to happen effectively. If you can, set your flow and return temperatures to 60/50.
If you find this does not heat your house up enough, its likely that your radiator outputs are sized for higher temps. The trouble with running at low water temperatures is that most plumbers size radiators on high temperatures so they can buy smaller cheaper units. |
Excellent and informative, thanks
So basically set the boiler to output central heating water at 60c and then fiddle with the TRVs to suite in each room? | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 15:46 - Oct 15 with 3067 views | Curcubita_Ultra |
I was going to say put on an English accent and give Meibion Glyndwr a call but then I read the replies... :)
Some good advice on here fair play.
Perch is correct - Condensation is the curse of the modern house. It was greatly improved in ours by replacing the rubber seals in the windows. Still get it though as all that water moisture from appliances has to go somewhere in winter
Mould is a bugger and can cause health problems. We got it in our internal bathroom a few years back but cleaning and repainting using Dulux MouldTec Bathroom+ (not cheap but 5 year guarantee) it hasn't come back at all. | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 16:02 - Oct 15 with 3048 views | BLAZE |
This is a Victorian terrace, so not modern. Got the 9ft ceilings which isn't gonna help with the heating bills, but does have new double glazing and I believe insulation which is probably why we're getting the condensation - only in the bedroom though, which is why I think it's our warm breathing through the night in the cold atmosphere. Hoping that the increased temp through the central heating will reduce the amount.... but just bought a dehumidifier in case it doesn't | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 16:03 - Oct 15 with 3046 views | lifelong |
| Heating a house.... on 15:23 - Oct 15 by BLAZE |
If he's still there do us a favour Rog and ask what's the best way to set it up if you don't have a room thermostat only radiator TRVs |
Just spoken to him, the Salus is a room thermostat. One half of it is wired up to the boiler and the other half can be fitted, wire free in any part of the house within 30 meters of the boiler, it's best fitted where you want the mean temperature of the house to be.
You then set the temperature that you want on the wireless part and the boiler will then be governed by that temperature. In other words the boiler will automatically switch off when your chosen room temperature is obtained. | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 16:25 - Oct 15 with 3021 views | jacksinceever |
According to most plumbers they say to keep the heating ticking over at a moderate rate all the time, and set TRVs at a reasonable setting. Turn them down lower in rooms that don't need to be heated up to the max (like lots of boilers are in a bathroom or kitchen, so the rads in those rooms should be able to be set lower) |  | | |
| Heating a house.... on 16:51 - Oct 15 with 2989 views | skippyjack |
I've been thinking of an idea..
Modern Lights that produce heat
Lamps that produce heat
Sofa's that produce heat
All run through the energy of your solar panels on the roof.
I'd say bare the cold.. You're not up by Scotland for no reason.. Bask in the glory of coldness.. |  |
| The awkward moment when a Welsh Club become the Champions of England.. shh
The Swansea Way.. To upset the odds. | | Poll: | Best Swans Player |
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| Heating a house.... on 17:04 - Oct 15 with 2969 views | Batterseajack |
| Heating a house.... on 15:27 - Oct 15 by BLAZE |
Excellent and informative, thanks
So basically set the boiler to output central heating water at 60c and then fiddle with the TRVs to suite in each room? |
You got it. In all honesty though, The savings from tinkering with the boiler temperatures will only gain you so much improvement. The efficiencies range from about 91% to 96%.
The biggest savings will come from managing the controls so you don't leave the heating on all night or when your away at work. And as you guessed, turn the TRV's down in the unoccupied rooms. | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 17:05 - Oct 15 with 2962 views | DDCH |
I always overpay like crazy all spring/summer & early autumn so I can cane the heating in the winter, as the gas bill can go nuts during the winter months.
Like you, I have no idea of what is the most efficient way of doing things but we have installed 'Hive' over the summer that lets you set temperature times and profiles for the house and will regulate the temperature based on that.
You can shut the heating down remotely (or switch it on) from your phone/website and the claim it will save a lot of money over traditional manual methods.
Will report back in the summer.....if someone bumps it and reminds me |  |
| The poster formally known as DannyDyersChocolateHomunculus
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| Heating a house.... on 17:33 - Oct 15 with 2928 views | Batterseajack |
Copy and pasted
Reducing heating requirements has by far the biggest
impact on energy consumption. This can be achieved
by reducing the heating ‘on’ time and ‘set’ temperature.
It is important to ensure that suitable controls are
specified that give the householder the opportunity
to adjust the controls to minimise energy demand.
Some controls will also increase the efficiency of the
system. For modern boilers fitted with the minimum
set of controls, this effect will not be large.
RUNNING COSTS AND COMFORT CONTROL
One of the most effective ways to save energy
is to turn the heating down or off! Typically,
a room thermostat fitted in the main living room
would be set to around 21ºC. If this is reduced
to 20ºC, heating energy consumption can be
reduced by 6-10%.
http://www.draytoncontrols.co.uk/uploadedFiles/Drayton/Industry_Regulation/Good_ | | | |
| Heating a house.... on 18:31 - Oct 15 with 2887 views | Pacemaker |
I have TRV all around the house adjusted to suit each room and a room thermostat in the hall. I have a Worcester Bosch combi boiler set in the middle range and the room thermostat at 19c -21c depending on whose in the house.
My room thermostat is digitally linked to boiler and timed to come on 6.30-8.30 12.30 -1.30 and 5.30-10.30. House is quite modern and well insulated so always warm and no issues with condensation.
British Gas always used to insist that 19c was the ideal temp to keep on in the house. I pay about £80 per month for gas and electric (with a tumble dryer on full time in winter) and always just about in credit at end of year.
Knocking it on and off from hot to cold and back again is inefficient. |  |
| Life is an adventure or nothing at all. |
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| Heating a house.... on 18:43 - Oct 15 with 2859 views | dickythorpe |
Watching Grand Designs last week and some woman had a concrete block for absorbing heat from the sun!!!! I have no idea how it works. |  | | |
| Heating a house.... on 02:04 - Oct 16 with 2697 views | dameedna |
Volume of water/radiators and the volume of the rooms and the house
Insulation - windows, doors, floors, walls, ceiling. Can be cheap to do.
Boiler lagging and controls. As ongoing and above
Rad - make sure they are bled once a week and have no small leaks
As it is a big house with high ceilings, a larger replacement to hallway may make a difference |  | | |
| Heating a house.... on 09:32 - Oct 16 with 2631 views | dickythorpe |
lol!! Who has got the time to bleed rads once a week? | | | |
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. Also getting a lot of condensation in the bedroom which has started to cause mould.... the house definitely isn't damp. I think our warm breath through the night is hitting the cold air and causing humidity, and of course it's too cold to open the window for ventilation.... So I've had to give in and switch the boiler on