About cost of running gas central heating in the most economical way?

Question

I've just had central heating installed. It is not state of the art, in the sense that it has a tank in the attic and my rads cannot be individually raised or lowered. Since I haven't had a bill yet I haven't a clue about running costs, etc. Could you tell me, please, if I turn off rads in the rooms I don't need all day heating in, would that lower the running costs? Or do you pay the same cost whether you have one rad on or six? People are telling me I'm going to have a gigantic bill. But, in the living room where we spend most of our time I have to have it on a decent temp. Can someone who knows about this please help me? I'd really appreciate it.

Answer 1

You can turn off individual radiators but keep the one on in the room where your thermostat is (otherwise it will think it is too cold and keep the boiler on.

Simple things will help with gas consumption like closing your curtains and investing in some heavy lined ones.

Remember to close doors to reduce draughts.

If you have a timer setting, set it for 1/2 hour before you get up and to turn off 1 hour before you leave for work. Do the same in the evening. My heating went off at 11pm and it is still warm at 12.30am.

I don't have my radiator on in the bedroom (it blocks up my nose!) so I have an electric blanket which I use in the dead of winter. It is lovely and toasty to get into bed and you don't need to have it on for very long (remember to turn it off before you sleep though if you have one).

Another energy efficient thing you can do is use draught excluders on doors and windows and, get double or triple glazing installed.

You can always do your own meter reading and ask for an interim bill from your supplier. That way you can work out how much more your heating will cost you.

Good luck with it all!

Answer 2

You say the individual radiators cannot be raised or lowered - a point that Steve M has missed. You can turn the tap at the end of the radiator where the pipe enters it, and use that to regulate the heat. It can upset the balance apparently but it does mean you don't have to heat so hightly rooms that you don't use and the less heat you use, the more money you'll save. Do keep the thermostat as low as you can. I'm wearing two jerseys and have a blanket over my knees as I sit here at the top of the house but I'm OK. It's a bit warmer downstairs though but we don't expect to live at twenty degrees all the year round.

Answer 3

I used to live in a big house with central heating and heating bills were outrageous. The best thing to do is to turn the heat on only when you need it most. Usually, people turn on central heating at night, when they are sleeping. Most of the time, I would recommend not turning on the heat in the living room. Unless its super cold, you can always put on an extra layer or use a throw blanket while watching tv to cut down on heating costs. Or just turn it on for an hour to warm up the house when you get home, and then turning it off.

Answer 4

Don't switch the rads off in unused rooms - turn the setting to 'frost'. This is a mark which looks like a snowflake. This will cost very little, keep the rads from freezing up and save you money.

Also, you will save lots of cash for each 1 degree less you have on the temp gauge. Don't have heating on all day - switch off and just sit in the residual heat for a few hours and then put it back on.

Answer 5

by utilising a strategies the main inexpensive kind of heating is gained by utilising geo-thermal. no longer as celeb warsy because it sounds, there are various transformations in this obtainable now and comparable expenses to general heating. an factor is sunk beloew the exterior of the floor, the two horizontally or vertically, which pulls the latent warmth interior the earth and transfers to a water equipment which heats your domicile. Very ecological and so lots extra worry-unfastened than you think of.

Answer 6

If you don;t have any insulation in that house what so ever it is almost impossible to keep the heat in and you waste dollars$$$$$$$$$$$$$$out the door.

If you have an uninsulated home....you need to staple plastic outside and cover the windows so that your house will trap heat.

Your home will look like a plastic monster, but warm inside.