Hands up if you expected this to be Bot Spam?? Thing is I’m a central heating virgin and would like some opinions on the most economical way to run it, ideally from those with experience running the system. For the last couple of weeks I’ve had it switched on permanently, with the thermostat on my living room wall set to 14 degrees (it’s a small flat with two vertical radiators in the living room and one in the bedroom, so even 14 degrees can get a little uncomfortable at times. The other option is to use the timer so that it comes on half an hour before I get up for work, then timed to go off when I leave for work, and back on half an hour before I get home from work. But there are theories that this isn’t the most economical, despite it being the most logical. Reason being that there’s a huge surge in electricity every time it needs to heat up from cold. Also, does the temperature setting of the thermostat make a difference to the cost? In other words would it cost more to have the thermostat set at 35 degrees than it would at 15 degrees?
Keep it as low as you think is tolerable. Don't start it from below the temperature you want it at because it has to burn up a lot of money trying to get back up to where you need it. If the temperture outside gets above what you have set, even for part of the day, turn it off and open your windows. Heaters have pilot lights that burn gas constantly, even when the heater isn't running. That's exhausted funds. If you're running electric heaters, thay's not so much of a problem. Electric heaters suck though. Best to get an oil radiator for cheap instead as it heats almost better for much less cost.
If you have radiators, you don't have central heat. That’s a radiant heating system with a boiler rather than a furnace. They’re effective, but what you’re experiencing is just the nature of the beast. They can be a little temperamental, a little uneven, and try not to pull too much hair out if air ever gets in the line. if you have ceiling fans, make sure to set them to blow down. Set your thermostat about 11 or 12, the fans will keep the air circulating-moving the warm air that rose to the ceiling-and even things out.
For those of us in the colonies, 14 degrees C is 57.2 degrees F, which is still rather chilly. Human comfort is a combination of temperature and humidity but, as a rough rule of thumb, an indoor temperature of around 68 degrees F. (20 C.) is closer to "ideal." As I get older (I'm now in my 70s), even 68 is too cold for my comfort. As to economy of operation, what you need to understand is how heat works, and why we feel cold. Just as light only goes in one direction (when you open the door to your closet, light goes in. Darkness doesn't rush out), heat only travels in one direction -- from warm to cold. If you stand in front of a cold window and say you can feel the cold radiating from the glass, that's incorrect. What's actually happening is that your body is giving up heat, which is traveling toward the cold glass. In a cold room, you feel cold because your body is constantly giving off heat, which is traveling toward the cold surfaces. So the important factor in feeling comfortable is to not only heat the air (which can be done fairly quickly) but also to heat the physical objects and surfaces in the room so as to reduce the amount of heat your body will radiate toward those objects and surfaces. In terms of economy of operation, I think the ideal would be to leave the thermostat set to 13 to 15 degrees when you will be away for a protracted period (such as a day at work, for example), and then turn it up to 20 degrees when you arrive at home (or a half hour before you return, if you have a timer). If you will be out for only a short period, leave it set for 20 degrees. The point being that it requires energy to heat up those objects and surfaces within the space. Once they are up to temperature, they don't require much to maintain them at that temperature.
There's two important tricks to live by (though these tricks pertain my own life as a downtown top-floorer): 1. Shutters aren't only for light. When it's a sunny, open the shutters. Close them at night. They help with heat insulation a lot. 2. If you are living in a tall building you can often "leech" heating from your neighbours. I live in a top floor appartment which usually means during the winter all the appartments under mine turn on their heating. This doesn't specifically "heat" my flat, but creates a "bottom temperature" that my flat can cool down to. EG, I never really had below 14C in my appartment because of all the heating around me / below me. I sleep cold, so I tend to rely on this during the night. Except that one week last year when my bottom neighbour was away from town and I woke up to 5C in my room.
I think this is the most logical too. Even with the surge of electricity I recon. The temperature set at 14 sounds pretty common. Why don't you test that for a while with an energy meter so you can have an idea of how many kilowatts you are using this way? Furthermore, I don't know about your insulation, but in case you see problematic areas, for example a window that isn't shutting properly, a door that has a great gap at the bottom, etc, if you improvise an instant solution to close these gaps it will make a huge difference. When you are sleeping for example I see no reason why the heater should be on.
I keep it around 64F (18C) through the day when I'm home, at night I turn it down as far as it goes, to around 52F (11C). I sleep in a sleeping bag (on top of the bed) and I dress good and warm. Right now I'm wearing 2 fleece pullovers and a pair of long johns (long underwear) under my jeans. If I'm going to watch a movie at the end of the night I'll snuggle into the sleeping bag on the sofa and switch the thermostat down for the night, get in a few more hours of lower energy consumption. And this is just for the Polar vortex, however long it lasts! Before it hit, and after it's over, I just shut the heat completely off at night. I won't do that when it gets down under zero (-18C).
