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O/T: Best way to run central heating.....



spongy

spongy

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2011
2,764
Burgess Hill
What's the best way to run central heating? On at a low temperature all day/night, or just turn it on when you need it?

Basically me and missus moved into a new rented flat over the summer and I'm unsure on how to run our heating, this new place is bigger than our last one, and also colder!

In the old place we just used to turn it on when we needed for 20 minutes or so in the evenings or on weekends as we both used to work full time but now we have a 12 week old baby to look after and she's at home all day now.

It was nice and cool over the summer but now the weather is turning we are constantly chilly, and need to keep baby warm overnight who has a habit of kicking covers off.

We've got our thermostat set at 21 degrees, which to me seems pretty high compared to the last place but it's just right to sit here with some trousers and a t shirt on.

Our controller is pretty naff, we only have 2 periods of time we can set the timer for on it and a choice between weekdays and weekends, no option to set it for individual days, and the 2 time periods run both heating and water, not independently.

I've set it to come on between 1-2am and 4.30-6am to keep us at a reasonable temperature overnight but that leaves us constantly turning it off and on throughout the day when she's at home.

What shall I do? Keep it on constantly? The boiler fires up regularly when on but not for long, so is it cost effective to do it that way or wait til we're cold and blast it for an hour whenever needed?
 








Cheshire Cat

Cheshire Cat

The most curious thing..
Nov 4, 2006
11,431
Sitting on a bough of a tree a few yards off...
On when you want it, off when you don't.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,290
baby will be in a grow suit no? shouldnt worry too much about kicking off the blanket, they are basicaly in a sleeping bag anyway. just go with the thermostat, and set the system to come on just before getting up in the moring.
 




B

Billy the Fish

Technocrat
Oct 18, 2005
17,494
Haywards Heath
I think you've answered your own question TBH.

Having lived in a few different houses over the past few years it's really down to the house, your boiler and how much you can afford to spend. If I had a well insulated house I'd just leave it to the thermostat. As it is the insulation in my house is dreadful and the boiler hasn't got a thermostat so I don't really like pissing too much money away on heating a house that won't stay hot.
 


SIMMO SAYS

SIMMO SAYS

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2012
11,715
Incommunicado
spongy said:
What's the best way to run central heating? On at a low temperature all day/night, or just turn it on when you need it?

Basically me and missus moved into a new rented flat over the summer and I'm unsure on how to run our heating, this new place is bigger than our last one, and also colder!

In the old place we just used to turn it on when we needed for 20 minutes or so in the evenings or on weekends as we both used to work full time but now we have a 12 week old baby to look after and she's at home all day now.

It was nice and cool over the summer but now the weather is turning we are constantly chilly, and need to keep baby warm overnight who has a habit of kicking covers off.

We've got our thermostat set at 21 degrees, which to me seems pretty high compared to the last place but it's just right to sit here with some trousers and a t shirt on.

Our controller is pretty naff, we only have 2 periods of time we can set the timer for on it and a choice between weekdays and weekends, no option to set it for individual days, and the 2 time periods run both heating and water, not independently.

I've set it to come on between 1-2am and 4.30-6am to keep us at a reasonable temperature overnight but that leaves us constantly turning it off and on throughout the day when she's at home.

What shall I do? Keep it on constantly? The boiler fires up regularly when on but not for long, so is it cost effective to do it that way or wait til we're cold and blast it for an hour whenever needed?
Click to expand...

As a heating bloke of forty years my advice is to move to somewhere warmish
 






spongy

spongy

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2011
2,764
Burgess Hill
beorhthelm said:
baby will be in a grow suit no? shouldnt worry too much about kicking off the blanket, they are basicaly in a sleeping bag anyway. just go with the thermostat, and set the system to come on just before getting up in the moring.
Click to expand...

Baby does have a gro bag type thingy but when I was up doing the feed at 3am this morning he head and arms were freezing, and so was I as well. I'm 36 so I don't own a dressing gown yet. I thought those came when you turn 40 ;)

SIMMO SAYS said:
As a heating bloke of forty years my advice is to move to somewhere warmish
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be lovely, but it's hard enough according these stupid rent prices as it is, and I'm tied into a contract until June so I need to figure something out.


8ace said:
Too hot.
Click to expand...

I hate long sleeve clothing so I don't own any jumpers/hoodies or anything, the only clothing I own with sleeves are my coats so and sitting here in a coat isn't particularly appealing.

Was just wondering what the cheapest way was, to drip feed it and maintain a temperature or let it go cold and run on full blast for short periods...
 


Peter Grummit

Peter Grummit

Well-known member
Oct 13, 2004
6,769
Lewes
spongy said:
Baby does have a gro bag type thingy but when I was up doing the feed at 3am this morning he head and arms were freezing, and so was I as well. I'm 36 so I don't own a dressing gown yet. I thought those came when you turn 40 ;)



Wouldn't that be lovely, but it's hard enough according these stupid rent prices as it is, and I'm tied into a contract until June so I need to figure something out.




I hate long sleeve clothing so I don't own any jumpers/hoodies or anything, the only clothing I own with sleeves are my coats so and sitting here in a coat isn't particularly appealing.

Was just wondering what the cheapest way was, to drip feed it and maintain a temperature or let it go cold and run on full blast for short periods...
Click to expand...

It was particularly chilly last night. Use the thermostat to keep the temperature steady. 19C should be fine with a baby, they shouldn't be too hot anyway (there was a time when they were stuck in the garden in their prams for 'fresh air'). You should be able to have it a couple of degrees cooler at night.

Also, invest in a decent fleece eg Berghaus. They are so flexible you can use as a jumper, jacket, zip up or down if indoors. They last forever.

PG
 


BrightonCottager

BrightonCottager

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2013
2,154
Brighton
Do your radiators have thermostatic valves on them? If so you can set them so that the rads will stay on in the bedroom at night and the others will turn off.
As Mr Grummit says, fleeces are a good idea and layering thin clothes rather than one thick layer is better. We have thermostat wars in my house. We compromise at 16C.
Some useful tips here: http://agirlcalledjack.com/2013/11/...reezing-houses-wooden-floors-and-big-windows/
 




albie_noobs

albie_noobs

New member
Jul 25, 2011
492
Newhaven
Get yourself a programmable room stat fitted, not only can you set it to come on at certain times at a particular temperature you can programme in a 'set back' temperature. Basically what this means is that you can set a temperature that your house will never fall below, ours is 17, yours may well be higher with the little one.
Another benefit of these is that you can set different temps for different times as if you are in but up and about 21 may be too hot, where as if you're sitting watching telly 21 is comfortable. Lowering your stat by 1 degree can save 10% of your fuel bills so will pay for itself in no time. It may sound complicated but they take minutes to set up and then you just let it do it's thing. The unit will set you back about £40.00 and it's a 10 minute job for a sparky to fit.
 


Miocene

Miocene

New member
Mar 23, 2011
135
Hastings
I keep mine on a constant 18oC mate. Different size place in sure but I find it cheaper to keep the place ticking over rather than fire the heating up for a short time
 






Fat Langers

Fat Langers

New member
Dec 27, 2007
272
Oi! I've got a dressing gown. And I love it!!

We just have our hearing set to about 20-19 degrees and set to on throughout the night. That way it just keeps everything ok for the boys. But remember, your not meant to have babies near a radiator. (Only found that out 2 days ago!)
 


spongy

spongy

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2011
2,764
Burgess Hill
BrightonCottager said:
Do your radiators have thermostatic valves on them? If so you can set them so that the rads will stay on in the bedroom at night and the others will turn off.
As Mr Grummit says, fleeces are a good idea and layering thin clothes rather than one thick layer is better. We have thermostat wars in my house. We compromise at 16C.
Some useful tips here: http://agirlcalledjack.com/2013/11/...reezing-houses-wooden-floors-and-big-windows/
Click to expand...

No they don't. They look really old, not even an on/off knob on them, and they're also single ones, not double fin.

albie_noobs said:
Get yourself a programmable room stat fitted, not only can you set it to come on at certain times at a particular temperature you can programme in a 'set back' temperature. Basically what this means is that you can set a temperature that your house will never fall below, ours is 17, yours may well be higher with the little one.
Another benefit of these is that you can set different temps for different times as if you are in but up and about 21 may be too hot, where as if you're sitting watching telly 21 is comfortable. Lowering your stat by 1 degree can save 10% of your fuel bills so will pay for itself in no time. It may sound complicated but they take minutes to set up and then you just let it do it's thing. The unit will set you back about £40.00 and it's a 10 minute job for a sparky to fit.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a good product but it seems like this is a really old system so I don't think is even compatible, also we are renting so I'm not too keen on making any improvements that will cost me money apart from some decorating here and there, I'm already effectively buying the house for someone else as it is:rant::rant::rant::rant::rant: I just wish I could save the deposit required to buy my own place but that's a different story....

Fat Langers said:
Oi! I've got a dressing gown. And I love it!!

We just have our hearing set to about 20-19 degrees and set to on throughout the night. That way it just keeps everything ok for the boys. But remember, your not meant to have babies near a radiator. (Only found that out 2 days ago!)
Click to expand...

Haha. I may ask for one for Xmas then. Yeah I knew about baby not going next to a rad, if anything we're suffering the opposite! How's your second one doing? Haven't seen you in a while, ours slept through the night last night, for the second time since birth. Probably pay for it tonight though!!!
 


D

Deleted member 18477

Guest
My thermostat usually reads 19 degrees constant in the day at the moment. I usually put the heating onto 21 degrees for 3-4 hours in the evening. Helps dry the washing as well.

If I'm at home in the day I sometimes put heating on between say 9 and 12. I never have the heating on at night or just before I get up. I like it cold in the mornings. Makes me move more quickly into the shower.
 










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