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Reducing Central Heating
Running Costs - Cutting Fuel Bills
Simply click on the relevant question, or scroll
down to view.
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| Is it cheaper to run my central heating
all day or use the timer? |
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| Generally only use heating when you need it, systems
that are run all day raise the average internal temperature
of the dwelling, which costs. The more control you have over
the time your central heating and hot water are on or off, the
more you save on fuel costs. Note the system would have to be
designed for this type of 'on off' operation. Ask your plumber
to advise on upgrading your controls.
As a rough guide, you can work it out for yourself if you
have a gas fired system. First read your gas meter and then
run the system for a week using the timer, then read the meter
again at the end of the week. Then leave the heating on all
day (regulated by the thermostats) for the following week
and take another meter reading.
The difference between the readings will tell you which was
the most economical, given that the weather was similar for
both weeks. This is a useful test for assessing the most effective
way for you to heat water, using gas or electric. |
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| How can I set the controls to reduce my
running costs? |
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Reduce the temperature settings: We find that
the temperatures customers choose to set their controls at,
vary according to their particular needs, but would recommend
you set your hot water cylinder thermostat at 60 C (140 F) |
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Set room thermostat at 18 C - 21 C (65 - 70 F)
With young children or elderly in bed, the temperature should
not be allowed to fall below 12 C (55 F). For severely disabled
people or babies a room temperature of 23 C (73 F) may be more
appropriate . Setting your room thermostat down 1 0C can save
up to 10% on your fuel bill. |
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If you have thermostatic radiator valves these will allow
you to set individual radiators to lower settings such as in
bedrooms where you may prefer a lower temperature (try setting
TRVs on middle numbers and if too hot turn down one notch -
if too cool, turn up one notch.) You could even turn them off
completely when a room is not in use. If you do, remember to
close the door, otherwise warm air will escape into there from
the adjoining hallway or landing and reduce any savings. Watch
out for condensation/dampness occurring in these rooms though. |
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| Reduce the time the heating is on: |
| You will probably find that you can save energy
without loss of comfort by setting the system to "come
on" about half to three quarters of an hour before you
get up, and to "go off" half an hour before everyone
goes out. Set it to "come on" again half and hour
before you get home and to "go off" again half an
hour before going to bed. |
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| Is it economical to shut off my radiators? |
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Yes, you can make savings by turning off radiators during
periods when some rooms are not in use but remember to close
the doors otherwise warm air will escape into these rooms
from the adjoining hallway or landing and reduce any savings.
Also you must keep an eye on unheated rooms to guard against
dampness or condensation. It is probably wiser just to turn
them down.
Also do not turn off the radiator in the same room as the
room thermostat, the radiator would give wrong information
about the temperature of your home to the room thermostat
and affect the heating in the rest of the house. You could
consider fitting thermostatic radiator valves in rooms such
as bedrooms, which will enable you to maintain individual
temperatures perhaps to lower settings than the rest of the
house and so make savings in this way. Your plumber will be
able to advise on the cost of replacing your existing valves.
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| What settings should my boiler thermostat
be at? |
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| If your system has a room thermostat and a thermostat
on the hot water cylinder, set the boiler thermostat on maximum
and use these other thermostats to set comfortable room and
hot water temperatures. If there are no temperature controls
the following are the suggested boiler thermostat settings:
NB: If your boiler is behind the gas fire the boiler thermostat
can be found behind the flap at the bottom of the fire. |
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| I have a boiler back unit. Is it cheaper
to run the boiler or the fire? |
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It is only worthwhile using the fire on its own for heating
when you don't want to heat the whole house, perhaps between
seasons such as early spring when outside temperatures start
to rise and are less predictable. The boiler produces more heat
and so uses more gas but of course, heats the whole house including
the hot water. |
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| What percentage savings can be made if
I.. |
| Insulate the loft. |
| Have cavity walls fitted. |
| Fit double glazing? |
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| Insulating your loft is one of the most worthwhile
places to spend money to prevent heat from escaping.25% of
the heat lost in homes escapes through the roof. Up to 35%
of the heat in a home is lost through walls. Filling cavity
walls reduces heat loss from 35% to 10%Even if windows are
properly draught-proofed about 20% of heat is lost through
a closed single glazed window. Installing double-glazing would
halve heat loss through windows. The cost of double-glazing
varies greatly from a cheap and fairly temporary method, such
as fitting cling film (i.e. temporary secondary glazing),
to having complete windows and frames replaced. |
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| In summer is it cheaper to heat hot water
all day or heat the water for short periods as required? |
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It is generally cheaper to heat hot water only when you require
it. If a cylinder is properly insulated, hot water will keep
hot for up to 12 hours, so set the boiler to operate at times
when you need to draw off large amounts of hot water. If you
do not have a cylinder thermostat, ask a plumber to fit one,
you will recoup the cost though savings in a relatively short
space of time. |
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| When thermostats are turned down, radiators
to not become warm below certain temperatures - in some cases
this can be as high as 20°C |
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| Radiators are only heated when the boiler is 'on',
the radiator valves open, and the time clock is switched to
"on". Even then if the room thermostat senses that
the room temperature is at the required level, the boiler will
not come on.If the room thermostat is set at 20 deg.C and senses
that the room temperature is registering 20 deg.C , then the
boiler will not operate and the radiators will cool down. The
radiators will remain cool until the air temperature falls and
the room thermostat calls for more heat.
Note: If radiators are heating up unevenly they may need "bleeding".
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