Gas Fitters. What is the most fuel efficient or running your central heating?

Question

isolate radiators to the rooms you are using? long and low?

Im preparing for the 40% increase in Gas costs!

Answer 1

I am a certified HVAC technician. The answer to your question all depends on the efficiency of your furnace, 90% plus furnaces are very good but 80% or less will cost you more money to operate. If you can heat some rooms with the space heaters and turn your set temperature down a few degrees that will help more than anything, whatever you do do not close off your supply air vents. It restricts the air flow and will eventually damage or crack your heat exchanger in you furnace.

Answer 2

Make sure your heating system is as efficient as it can be,have thermostats fitted to the radiators,a room stat fitted and set at 20 degrees c,turn down the thermostat on the boiler and hot water tank,take showers not baths,wear an extra layer of clothing,have loft and cavity insulation fitted ,double glazing installed,keep doors and windows shut,curtains closed so long a s they don't cover the radiators,don't have the heating on when you are not at home,turn off rads in rooms you do not use,and keep the door closed.Extra lagging on pipes and tanks will help.

Answer 3

The most fuel efficient way of running your heating is

1.To try and minimize the amount of heat loss from your house, ie cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, draught excluders, double glazing etc, etc.

2.To have modern energy saving boiler such as a consensing  combi boiler (combis are generally more efficient than traditional boilers as you are only heating up the water you use, and not paying to heat up a cylinder full of water when you might only need a small amount.)

3.Have thermostatic radiator valves fitted to your radiators so that they will automatically switch themselves off when they are warm enough, and yes turn off the ones in rooms that you don't use.

4.Have a progammable room thermostat fitted to control your system.(this will work to control both the time your heating runs, and the temperature it will reach so that it will not come on when the timer demands it to unless it is below a set temperature.)

5. Once you get your house to the right temperature then long and low as it uses less energy to heat up from warm than to heat up from cold if that makes sense? although you have to remember that every time you open a door or window you are letting heat escape.

6.Also ensure that your pipes and cylinder if you have one is as well lagged as you can get otherwise you are paying to heat the loft ans the void under your floor.

Hope the above helps, there are websites where you will find more information, try (energysavingtrust.org.uk) i think thats what the website is.

Also depending on your circumstances there are grants available to upgrade your system & have your home insulated.. Check with your local council.

Answer 4

You want to address your question to heating engineeers. Gas fitters just fit the stuff. It's the heating engineers who do all the calculations about heating space and heat loss etc.