HELP!! Being efficent with Oil Central Heating?

tylercollins

I've just gone through 150 litres of oil in about 4 weeks. Since then I've discovered that having my hot water on as well as the central heating is quite sore on heating oil.

Some background info: I leave work every morning at 7:30am, and don't return until around 6pm. I have a disabled 20 month old daughter who stays with me at weekends. Money doesn't grow on trees, and can usually only afford to get it every 3 or 4 months at about £140 (200 litres).

My question is, what other ways can I be efficient when using my oil central heating?

Dardania

Heating controls help. Alot. Do you hav eany thermostats, so that the the rooms aren't overheated? And do you have a timer, to control when the boile rheats, and when the hot water is heated?

tylercollins

I have a thermostat downstairs in the hallway, I've got another thermostat in the master bedrooms. Every radiator has a controller on it numbered from 1 to 5 and they are all currently set at number 5 (I don't know exactly what these do.) The main dials to turn on the central heating has a timer on it, and you can individually set the both the hot water and central heating to either be on constant or on the timer.

suitseir

Remember the price of oil has almost doubled in the last 2 years so if you usually purchase say 150 litres, you would nearly have to double up to get the same output. No use having central heating on and NOT heating the water.....as heating water by immersion would be way more costly!!!!

Maybe clock it on for an hour and then off for a couple of hours and on again and then when you light a fire turn it off again.....ways and means!!!!

tylercollins

I have no need for the hot water. I have a dishwasher for the dishes and electric shower for "showering" I never takes baths and my daughter get's bathed at her mums.

Say in the evenings (Monday - Friday) would it be best for me to have it on for an hour and then off for an hour and back on again over a ween of hours? What's the best temperature as well? Currently it's sitting at 25 both upstairs and down stairs.

Bigcheeze

suitseir wrote: »

No use having central heating on and NOT heating the water.....as heating water by immersion would be way more costly!!!!

No point heating it if you don't need it. Heating the water is not free energy. It takes a lot of energy to get 100+ litres from cold up to say 60C.

My system has three zones - water, upstairs rads, downstairs rads. Water only is heated from the boiler for an hour in the morning - that lasts the whole day with a well insulated cylinder. In the evenings, the boiler only heats the rads downstairs at first, then upstairs and downstairs when it's close to kids bedtime. Having thermostats helps as it's very easy to overheat the house if the system just runs using the boiler thermostat.

OP, you should turn off rads in rooms you are not using, turn down the rads in rooms that get very warm.

tylercollins

Both the living room and kitchen have double radiators and the heat in these rooms is considerably different as opposed to the rooms with single radiators. I think turning turning the radiators may help balance this out.

You say turning off the radiators in rooms I'm not using. I have a utility room, bathroom, and 2 other toilets, would it be worth while just turning the radiators off in these rooms (or maybe turning them down from 5 to 2.5? or less) as I'm not in them for no longer than 10 minutes at a time and it could just be a waste of heating.

Also, having the radiators off in these rooms, does that affect the rest of house with the cold battling with heat, if that makes sense?

Dardania

With the TRVs, (Themostatic Radiator Valves) you can set the temp you want in the room. It's very lucky you have those.

Setting 1 is usally 16 degrees, 2 is 18 degrees, 3 is 20 degrees. The general recommendation is 3 (20 degrees) in living areas, kitchens, sittings rooms etc. and 2 in bedrooms (18 degrees) cuase you wear covers on the bed there, so it can be cooler...

When you have set the TRVs the way you want, you should set the wall mounted thermostats about 1 degree higher than the TRVs - that way each room will reach it's setpoint, and the boiler will switch off automatically as the valves close down....

with the domestic hot water, to echo bigcheeze, it uses a good bit of energy, so if you can switch off heat going to the cylinder, either if there's electrical controls, or failing that, through the valve to the cylinder. If you're unsure which valve, take a pic of the hot press, and it can be pointed out to you. If you did want to use the cylinder, lag it (at least 80mm thick lagging) and check that there's some way of controlling hwen heat goes to it - ideally a zone valve on a timer, or a tapstat if not possible to wire in a zone valve.

On your boiler, check the flow temperature. If you're heating a cylinder, it should be flowing at about 70 degrees, otherwise you can lower it down to say 50 degrees - your TRVs and thermostats will ensure that the rooms get to the corretc temp.

tylercollins

Dardania wrote: »

With the TRVs, (Themostatic Radiator Valves) you can set the temp you want in the room. It's very lucky you have those.

Setting 1 is usally 16 degrees, 2 is 18 degrees, 3 is 20 degrees. The general recommendation is 3 (20 degrees) in living areas, kitchens, sittings rooms etc. and 2 in bedrooms (18 degrees) cuase you wear covers on the bed there, so it can be cooler...

When you have set the TRVs the way you want, you should set the wall mounted thermostats about 1 degree higher than the TRVs - that way each room will reach it's setpoint, and the boiler will switch off automatically as the valves close down....

with the domestic hot water, to echo bigcheeze, it uses a good bit of energy, so if you can switch off heat going to the cylinder, either if there's electrical controls, or failing that, through the valve to the cylinder. If you're unsure which valve, take a pic of the hot press, and it can be pointed out to you. If you did want to use the cylinder, lag it (at least 80mm thick lagging) and check that there's some way of controlling hwen heat goes to it - ideally a zone valve on a timer, or a tapstat if not possible to wire in a zone valve.

On your boiler, check the flow temperature. If you're heating a cylinder, it should be flowing at about 70 degrees, otherwise you can lower it down to say 50 degrees - your TRVs and thermostats will ensure that the rooms get to the corretc temp.

Thank you very much for taking the time to type that out!! I never knew what the radiator things where for, well I knew they where for temperature, but didn't know to use them.

When I get home from work tonight, I'll go around and set everything, and I'll take a picture of the hot press, and also a picture of the heating system controls. Just to make sure it is what you are referring to.

sasol

suitseir wrote: »

Maybe clock it on for an hour and then off for a couple of hours and on again and then when you light a fire turn it off again.....ways and means!!!!

Would it not be more efficient to have it on for a couple of hours constant, rather than have it "on for an hour and then off for a couple of hours and on again" ?

By doing this, are you not consuming extra oil each time you turn it on, to get the boiler to operating temperature ?

johnwest288

Bigcheeze wrote: »

No point heating it if you don't need it. Heating the water is not free energy. It takes a lot of energy to get 100+ litres from cold up to say 60C.

My system has three zones - water, upstairs rads, downstairs rads. Water only is heated from the boiler for an hour in the morning - that lasts the whole day with a well insulated cylinder. In the evenings, the boiler only heats the rads downstairs at first, then upstairs and downstairs when it's close to kids bedtime. Having thermostats helps as it's very easy to overheat the house if the system just runs using the boiler thermostat.

OP, you should turn off rads in rooms you are not using, turn down the rads in rooms that get very warm.

Hi Big Cheese Just noticed you say your boiler heats the immersion for 1 hour in the morning and it last the whole day:eek: I take it you have one of those modern sprayed on foam immersion tanks? I have a cheapy strap on jacket I must check how long the water stays warm for but its no where near hours i would say 4 hours tops

Bigcheeze

johnwest288 wrote: »

Hi Big Cheese Just noticed you say your boiler heats the immersion for 1 hour in the morning and it last the whole day:eek: I take it you have one of those modern sprayed on foam immersion tanks? I have a cheapy strap on jacket I must check how long the water stays warm for but its no where near hours i would say 4 hours tops

Yes it's a new cylinder with a thick layer of foam. I had the whole system replaced. Have a pumped shower fed from the cylinder and even with that it will still be hot at night.

johnwest288

Bigcheeze wrote: »

Yes it's a new cylinder with a thick layer of foam. I had the whole system replaced. Have a pumped shower fed from the cylinder and even with that it will still be hot at night.

Cheers Buddy. Those tanks are lethal must get a price on updating my copper one.