Student Housing and Heating Efficiently

Andy C · Tree Seeking Missile Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Karma :

Hi,

Heating of houses is not something that i know much about so was hoping someone could help answer a dilemma i have.

My girlfriend lives with 3 other girls and they recently decided to change how they heated the house. Before, they (like i do) kept the heating on for ~3hours at different points of the day when they felt it was needed (on a timer) with the radiators turned to full so full flow rate running though them.

Now, one of her flat mates is claiming that turning the flow rates of the radiator valves to a lower setting and keeping the boiler on 24/7 keeps the house hotting cheaply as no "wasted energy" when the boiler is heating up.

Whereas i believe that yes you do have energy wasted when the boiler is heating up but this is more than made up for by the amount of energy saved when the boiler is off. The house does not have a working thermostat and so i believe this is a very expensive way of heating a house.

I spoke to her this morning and she was adamant im wrong so was hoping that someone could discuss in more detail whether i am or not and some good energy saving links and how would be the best way to keep the house warm and using the least energy.

Karma to anyone that can help as lot of tension in her house at the moment.
____________________
99 RS125 --> 02 SV650s --> 03 Speed Four --> 92 RXS100 --> 93 CB400sf --> 01 CB600f Hornet

JonB · Afraid of Mileage Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Karma :

We was told to have the heating on for 12 hours a day with the boiler on low as it saves you having to heat up the house all the time.

Sounds plausible to me and I fail to see how over 3 hours you can heat up a house.

Not ours anyway, took us 3 days to get our large 6 bedroomed victorian house to get warm.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

Andy C · Tree Seeking Missile Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Karma :

Stevep · Scooby Slapper Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Karma :

A thermostat only controls the area in which it is positioned so if in a drafty corridor it is more use than a chocolate fireguard wheras room thermostatic valves control each radiator and as and when they detect the room is warm enough they turn each radiator off dependant on what number you set them on. However one radiator normally the bathroom will not have a thermostatic valve this is your wild radiator and it is there to stop your boiler overheating as it always has somewhere to dump the excess heat
Turnong all the others down to 1 or 2 is more economical than 4 or 5 3 hour full blast sessions Sorry mate the Girl is right
____________________
Harleys run Forever

Andy C · Tree Seeking Missile Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Karma :

Stevep · Scooby Slapper Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Karma :

If the radiators have thermostatic valves they are easy to tell they are large valves with numbers or roman numerals on them and have big heads these turn off or slow the water flow down when it sences the room is warm enough slower water flow means boiler reaches optimum temp and turns off till it cools a little then it ticks over cycling therefore using less energy than if heating everything from cold
____________________
Harleys run Forever

iooi · Super Spammer Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Karma :

Ours is on 24/7 with the boiler stat set at its lowest setting and the house in lovely and warm, even over that could snap we had a week ago. As to cost, well its cheaper than having the heating coming on then going off then on again.
Main reason is i got sick of getting up in the cold at 06:00.......

All our rads have stats on them, only the bathroom is set to max and we do not have any other stats.
Just check that your boiler has a heat setting on it and that way it turns itself off when the return water is hot enough.
____________________
Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

Andy C · Tree Seeking Missile Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Karma :

scorps · World Chat Champion Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Karma :

we also have our heating on 24/7 on the lowest setting, makes more sense.
____________________
Do not presume that I am male.

chris-red · Have you considered a TDM? Joined: 21 Sep 2005 Karma :

Put a jumper on, it's well cheap Laughing

____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.