How many hours a day do you have your heating and water on for?

zAndy1

Just wondering how many hours a day people tend to have their hot water and heating on for on average? Mainly interested in examples where the house is empty during the day say between 8.30am and 6pm, what time do you have the heating set to come on and go off in the morning and same for hot water? I'm wondering if we have ours on too long and might try reducing the hours we have ours on for to see if I notice any difference really. I think our heating comes on at 7am and goes off at 8.30am and comes on at 6pm and goes off at 10.30pm and water is on from 6.30am to 7am and from 6pm till 7pm I think. I know it's going to depend what time you leave home for work and what time you get home etc but mainly interested in average hours people have the boiler set to come on and go off really.

Cheers

gavpre

We have a new combi boiler and leave are heating on constantly at 17°c and when we want it warmer just turn it up to 19/20°c. The house is much more comfortable than putting it on for set times like we used too. The house was either freezing cold or too hot on the timer. It doesnt seem to cost us anymore now mainly due to the old boiler being a baxi back boiler.

amcluesent

I have combi, with the CH on 5:2 programmable roomstat -

Weekdays it's 05:45 to 07:30 - 19°, 07:31 to 16:45 - 11°, 16:46 to 22:00 - 19.5°, 22:01 to 05:44 - 7°
Weekend, keep it at 18° during the day.

gavpre

I have a honeywell 927 wireless thermostat I believe. It has 7 day planner and you can set 6 times zone changes through the day. Not bothered yet to set it up.

Question to post above this. Setting it so low during the day and at night, is your house at set temperature when the time zones changes

amcluesent

The house seems to cool down to about 11°/12° during the night. I guess there's always a PoV that is't better not to let the temp drop down and then have to do a long burn to get it to swing up again.

gavpre

Thats what i thought would happen, then your boiler burns loads getting it back up to set temperature in the morning just to fall again when you leave for work etc. I wonder what really costs more.

Does your heating come on much at the weekend when you leave it on the same temperature, as mine hardly comes on (and my house is no eco/energy efficient home (1940's, 3 open chimney's, air bricks in every room upstairs etc))

amcluesent

I may try setting the target temp 05:45 to 07:30 to 16°. When I were t'lad there was t'ice on inside of t'windows etc. never did me any harm.

dracthelad

Whether you leave the heating on ticking over at a moderate level - say 18degrees and then a short boost as and when needed to get up to say 20degrees, or you have it on in the morning and then in the evening would mainly depend on how well insulated your house is and how much it can thermally store the built up heat. Ours has underfloor heating with a large slab to hold the heat and dense blockwork walls with good levels of insulation. We just leave the heating on at a moderate level all the time as its more efficient that way. Hot water is just on for an hour in the morning and evening.  The other consideration is the type of heating you have - radiators generally heat up and cool down fast as they are heating up the air through convection, whereas something like UFH takes a good while to get up to temp and a long time to cool down as the heat is a radiant heat from the slab.

Jazz Monkey Jr

I have a modern house and I have had cavity wall insulation and I out styrofoam slabs in the loft so I can still use it for storage.
My house loses less than 2c during the night. I have attached my heating/hot water schedule. I have solar panels and a immersion heater so that will heat up the hot water during sunny days.
Heating on 1 hour in the morning at 19c and then 5-10pm at 21c but I have a log burner aswell.
                                                                       

Jazz Monkey Jr

That's must be a failly old house, mine was 18.9c at 6am and dropped to 17.6c yesterday day time.