Central heating

[Rich]

So, the $64,000 question is, do you leave your central heating on 24/7 during the winter months and adjust the heat as needed (turning it down a bit at night etc) or do you leave it on a timer coming on in the morning for a couple of hours and again in the evening?

Just generally, trying to work out what the pros and cons of each are.

Cost, unknown, is it cheaper to leave it on and adjust as needed, because the house won't get as cold so it needs less power to heat it up, or, turn it on in blasts which uses more power, but it's on for less time. Er, etc!?

Is it better for the house, structure wise, as there is less expansion/contraction in the floor boards, walls, etc due to a (roughly) consistant temperature?

Have I lost the plot!?

[Simon]

I was tempted to click the "Lost the Plot" option, but decided against it!

I think putting it on a timer is the best way so long as the house temperature doesn't drop too low then it should be ecomical to run it like that. You could always switch to 24/7 mode if the temperature drops severely. Usually we put ours on 24/7 mode only if very cold weather (like freezing or lower) are forecast throughout the day & night (like snowy weather, etc.)

[baxlin]

With cavity wall insulation, d/glazing and mucho insulated loft, our house doesn't really get cold, so we use the timer. In fact in our sitting room we don't have a radiator at all, just switch on the flame gas fire when needed.

[salop75]

i have an old system where the hot water and heating are on at the same time, so two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, extra jumpers the rest of the time

If i'm working from home and its cold i'd rather put a coat on and have the windows open to get fresh air, cant stand the house being stuffy.

(the central heating needs a decent upgrade, an efficient combi and thermostaticaly controlled rads).


John

[Ken]

24/7 and adjust as needed.

When we had a new system put in about 8 years ago I did a month of timer and a month of 24/7. The difference in used units was not that great but the comfort difference was huge. Its been on 24/7 ever since then even during the summer but of course it never comes on then.

Ken

[mykl]

On a timer for an hour in the morning and 5 hours in the evening.

Rads all have thermostatically controlled valves so bedroom not as hot as lounge etc.

I have thought of 24/7 but dismissed when I thought the house is empty for 8-9 hours per day and didn't fancy adjusting rads in the morning and again in the evening.

Also with 24/7 my pump would be on continually and that 3 way valve thingy would not get a chance to close. Having said that I haven't a clue what I'm talking about, so the more knowledgeable will probably say less harm to the heating components if left on.....or is it????
mykl

[andy]

As usual answer is not clear cut !
All depends on type of system and controls, thermal mass of building and insulation levels and last but by no means least the expectations of the occupants !
If you post some more details of your system/property I will try and and be a bit more helpful.
As to the 3 port valve, it will be working when the system is running according to the demands of the space/dhw and anyway, usually it is the motor that dies and it can (usually) be easily replaced without getting into the 'wet' side of things
Why not try a programmable thermostat, easy (usually) swap with standard stat if you have one or quite easy to fit.
You can set a 'setback' temperature so the house (well the area where it is fitted ) never gets colder than that and with system 'on' (elevated temperature) periods as you want with the thermo valves controlling individual rooms max. temperature
Andy

[BMC123]

Ours is on a programmable timer, and since we lost the instructions for it, it has been set to come on at the same times (2 hours in the morning., an hour at lunch, an hour at teatime and then 2 hours before bedtime) but it does not know anything about BST it can be manually overridden at any time, and first sign of sunshine usually sees it getting knocked off (even if it is -5 outside)

[lildevil]

I have mine our 24/7 as I have recently had a new heating system fitted and I have a temperature read out thermostat so e.g. if say I set heating on 20c and the temperature goes to 21c the heating automatically switches off, and when it drops below 20c it comes back on just like my car with ATC. The only problem with this is at night, as the heating comes on gets the house to say 21c then within a couple of mins the temperature has dropped back down to 20c so the heater is always coming on then off etc.....so makes a lot of noise.

Regards
Tom

[Keith]

Yes, Yes and Yes you have