help with boiler settings etc etc please :-)

[smudgebiscuit]

Hi,
We've recently moved into rented house and our gas bill seems really high. It is a 3 bed detached property-expected it to be a bit colder due to being detached but in the last 12 days we've used £55 of gas!!!
I've added these pics to see if someone can see if we have things set ok.

Many thanks in advance

 

[SimonG]

55 in 12 days doesn't seem bad to me. Gas central heating plus gas fire? and gas cooker?

Turn your cylinder stat down to 60.

Also would be handy to know how long you run it for because if it's only an hour a day then 55 might be excessive.

 

[smudgebiscuit]

Thanks for sooooper quick reply Central heating & gas oven only. Central heating is on 5am-7am, 3pm-4:30pm,8pm-9:30pm weekdays then probably a bit more than that at weekends. Hot water timer is set from 4:30am-5:00am weekdays( no instant hot water in this house-bad times) Seems like cylinder is set at 65 degrees-thought that would be for hot water only-not central heating?

 

[buckley plumb]

is it a pre pay meter - you could be paying the last tennants debt

 

[smudgebiscuit]

no it's not pre-pay. Does seem high to me but then again i know nothing about plumbing/heating etc!!! We are awaiting some free cavity wall insulation from British Gas which we hope is going to help a bit.

 

[doitmyself]

Seems like cylinder is set at 65 degrees-thought that would be for hot water only-not central heating?

That's correct; the heating water temperature is controlled at the boiler. You still need to turn the cylinder thermostat down to 60.

Do you have a thermostat on the wall - normally in hall or living room? If so which make/model?

Why three heating periods in a day? Is the house unoccupied when the heating is off?

 

[lame plumber]

roof insulation essential to slow heat loss, boost the jacket around the cylinder with another, how do you know you used 55 in 12 days, through calculation of kw hours used or via estimated bill?

 

[smudgebiscuit]

That's correct; the heating water temperature is controlled at the boiler. You still need to turn the cylinder thermostat down to 60.

Do you have a thermostat on the wall - normally in hall or living room? If so which make/model?

Why three heating periods in a day? Is the house unoccupied when the heating is off?

Thermostat is a Honeywell home expert-recently fitted and we tend to use that to control heating as controller is upstairs. House is unnocupied apart from the dog during the day.

 

[smudgebiscuit]

roof insulation essential to slow heat loss, boost the jacket around the cylinder with another, how do you know you used 55 in 12 days, through calculation of kw hours used or via estimated bill?

We are with British Gas so we can see our exact usage based on actual meter readings

 

[TBServices]

55 in 12 days doesn't seem bad to me. Gas central heating plus gas fire? and gas cooker?

Turn your cylinder stat down to 60.

Also would be handy to know how long you run it for because if it's only an hour a day then 55 might be excessive.

Blimey. My duel fuel bill is only £60 a month

 

[villa_tom]

Thermostat is a Honeywell home expert-recently fitted and we tend to use that to control heating as controller is upstairs. House is unnocupied apart from the dog during the day.

If no ones in during the day turn the heating off. Your heating a whole house for nothing. Your just making some fat cat even fatter.

 

[Destroyer2813]

As said turn it off in the day im sure the dogs got a nice thick coat to keep it warm :wacko:

 

[GrahamM]

We are with British Gas so we can see our exact usage based on actual meter readings

That does appear a tad excessive. The boiler would not be the most efficient, but no where near the worst.
You sure the BG meter thingy-me-bob is accurate? Take a meter reading over the next few days and work out units used and estimated cost.
Is there individual thermostatic radiator valves on each radiator?

 

[doitmyself]

Thermostat is a Honeywell home expert

Not familiar with those. What is the model number (bottom left corner)?

 

[stevetheplumber]

cutting cost is simple run it less or lower the temperatures on both the stats and on the boiler only thing is in cold weather you may not get the place very warm

 

[smudgebiscuit]

If no ones in during the day turn the heating off. Your heating a whole house for nothing. Your just making some fat cat even fatter.

As stated above-the heating is not on during the day as we are at work only comes on in the morning andjust before i get home

 

[smudgebiscuit]

That does appear a tad excessive. The boiler would not be the most efficient, but no where near the worst.
You sure the BG meter thingy-me-bob is accurate? Take a meter reading over the next few days and work out units used and estimated cost.
Is there individual thermostatic radiator valves on each radiator?

I take our meter readings each month and submit them online so it is accurate and not estimated.

 

[smudgebiscuit]

As said turn it off in the day im sure the dogs got a nice thick coat to keep it warm :wacko:

Yeah she has a nice coat to keep her warm so we don't have the heating on at all during the day and only have the radiator in 'her room' on low as she has allergies that get worse if the air is dry.

 

[smudgebiscuit]

i just wonder if it's better to have the boiler thermostat on high or low- at the minute it's probably on about 75%. We really need to sort this out as we can't afford such high gas bills :-(

 

[doitmyself]

Central heating is on 5am-7am, 3pm-4:30pm,8pm-9:30pm weekdays then probably a bit more than that at weekends.

That's three times a day! What are the times when you: Get up; leave for work; arrive back home; go to bed?

You are heating the house for an hour and a half to two hours at a time. Depending on how well insulated the house is that means it has just about got up to the required temperature when you turn it off and let it cool down again. So every time it has to heat up from cold. That's what uses up the most gas.

Once the house is up to temperature, all you need to do is maintain the temperature, which means the boiler only comes on when the thermostat registers a drop of 0.5C to 2C, depending on the thermostat.

Say you need 22kW to heat house from -1C to 21C, then, if your stat goes off at 21C and comes back on at 20C, you will only need 1kW to raise the temperature again from 20C to 21C.

 

[smudgebiscuit]

That's three times a day! What are the times when you: Get up; leave for work; arrive back home; go to bed?

You are heating the house for an hour and a half to two hours at a time. Depending on how well insulated the house is that means it has just about got up to the required temperature when you turn it off and let it cool down again. So every time it has to heat up from cold. That's what uses up the most gas.

Once the house is up to temperature, all you need to do is maintain the temperature, which means the boiler only comes on when the thermostat registers a drop of 0.5C to 2C, depending on the thermostat.

Say you need 22kW to heat house from -1C to 21C, then, if your stat goes off at 21C and comes back on at 20C, you will only need 1kW to raise the temperature again from 20C to 21C.

We get up at 5:30 and leave house between 7 & 8am then i'm home usually at 4pm and then we just warm the house up ready for bed. Surely it can't be better to leave the heating on all day???

 

[dancinplumba]

cavity wall will help, have you double glazing. and 270mm or more loft insulation. it is detached house, 4 outside walls

 

[dancinplumba]

do you have solid or wood floors vented ? got good thick carpets

 

[smudgebiscuit]

do you have solid or wood floors vented ? got good thick carpets

Detatched house with 3 outside walls(have garage attached on 1 side), not very thick carpet & no underlay and stone floor :-(

 

[doitmyself]

We get up at 5:30 and leave house between 7 & 8am then i'm home usually at 4pm and then we just warm the house up ready for bed. Surely it can't be better to leave the heating on all day???

So you get up just after the heating comes on - can't be very warm then - and leave the house just when it's reached the desired temperature.

Then it comes on an hour before you arrive home - that means it should be warmer - but goes off half an hour after you arrive home. Why?

Then it comes on at 8:00pm, presumably because you are feeling the cold. and goes off at 9.30pm; I assume you go to bed early because you have to get up early.

It just doesn't make sense.

It's not a case of leaving the heating on all day, but being sensible with your times. Which programmer and room thermostat do you have?

PS If you garage is unheated the house has four outside walls.