Re: Is it cheaper to leave your heating on?

["Howard" <howardsixtynine@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think you're onto something here. This does sound like a plausible
explanation. Keeping your house at a constant 18 degrees could well be
cheaper than oscillating between off and 24 degrees, and this is what a lot
of people end up doing. Of course if you get the timing right and have it
warm up to 18 in plenty of time so that you don't get the "I'm
freezing, turn it up" effect, then that would be cheapest of all.
Sounds like a good argument for a sophisticated radiator control setup! Can
anyone recommend some good budget centrally controlled TRVs?

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, Nigel Giddings <nigel@...> wrote:
>
> Gary,
>
> I think you may have touched on how heating 24/7 can be cheaper than
> heating a few hours a day...
>
> By heating 24/7, but at a little lower temperature the balance could
be in
> your favour.
>
> Taking my parents as an example at the other end of the scale, they
have a
> digital thermostat (only 1 which is the first issue) which they use to
> turn the heating on and off with. I regularly see it set to 24 degrees
as
> they try to heat the house up 'quickly'. Then they turn it off as the
> house is now too hot, until it gets too cold... the additional energy
use
> for 3 degrees above what is required is significant especially if you
only
> need to raise the temperature 10 degrees or so above outside
temperatures
> during the spring / autumn.
>
> By controlling the temperature across many zones accurately you
prevent
> this temperature over-shoot which is wasted energy.
>
> Therefore accurate controls 24/7 are probably better than fiddling
with
> the thermostat constantly?
>
> I would also suggest you are more likely to tune down the heating to
the
> minimum you are comfortable with if the general sense is one of it
being
> warm 24/7. It feels warm when you come in from a cold outside and you
are
> more likely to have it just right, not too hot or cold, something you
are
> unlikely to achieve if it is always getting warmer or colder...
>
> Nigel




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