Heating...continuous Or As Needed?

[pastafreak]

I've seen a lot of discussions and queries as to which is more efficient and also possibly costs less. I've seen mention that it costs more to get up to temperature if the radiators/ house are cold.
So should temperature be kept on but at a few degrees lower, rather than blast the heat for an hour to just get the chill out.
Does it make any appreciable difference?

[Bazile]

I'm no expert

But i would have thought it depends on things like how cold the weather is /how big your house is / how many rooms you want to heat

[gingejbee]

...and how you heat it, and whether the house is occupied all day, and how warm (or cool) you want/need it etc etc.

[jourdain2]

We're trying to work this out, too. OH is now 89 and goes a horrible pastry-sort-of-colour when he gets cold. (Health conditions inc. heart & circulation problems.)
He keeps insisting we don't need it warm - but we do. I'm trying to use the thermostat now that OH has finally given in on turning everything off all day. I have it down at 20 during the day and that seems OK, unless it's raining as well. In the evening it goes up to 22 and we're fine, and it goes off once we are in bed.
I don't know if it's the most economical way or not - I just know that we need that sort of level of warmth. We'll just have to manage with whatever the bill ends up as. There is fat (like holiday)yet to cut.

[jourdain2]

^^ 'uncooked-pastry-sort-of-colour'

[lankeela]

I have just one electric panel heater in my living room and an immersion heater in an airing cupboard in my bedroom. I leave the heater on about 15 overnight then during the day put it up to 18 or 20 if cold, then up to 22 on an evening. I did turn off the immersion heater but have put it back on as the small amount of heat it gives off keeps my bedroom from being cold which I noticed when it was turned off.

[Atheist]

Pasta; If you want a warm house, then you have to burn fuel and pay for it. If you keep the house warm at all times, then it will be more expensive than keeping it warm some of the time and cool at other times.

[lankeela]

Next contestant, Atheist from AB. Specialist subject - the bleeding obvious.

[pastafreak]

It's an older boiler...15+ years. A Potterton. I have no thermostat in my flat. Instead, there are 2 dials on the boiler for raising/lowering radiator and tap temperature. Several rooms are unheated, including the kitchen and my bedroom...the largest of 3. It's a 60's maisonette on 2 floors. Though our building had super modern exterior insulation applied about 7 years ago, it still is difficult to ever get it comfortably warm. Even with radiators on. I guess I'm asking if I should run the heating steadily for a day or so to get the fabric of my flat warmer. I fear it would be a losing, costly battle.
I'm going to purchase a thermometer so I can check the actual temperature. I had one years ago...pre-insulation...and in weather not as cold as this the lounge temp was mid 50s...13°
Think I've rambled enough here.

[pastafreak]

Lol!

[lankeela]

Have to admit for the first week or two of using the heating this time I did try to keep the temperature down a bit to save, but then thought what the hell, I might drop dead tomorrow so now have the heating on and *** the expense. My aim is to keep the monthly cost to twice the amount the government has given us, ie the £67 a month and add another £67 to my prepay meter just to see how much I am using but I will put in more if I need to.

[pastafreak]

I've been hoping that this cold spell would be quickly gone. But I've just looked at the Met forecast, and we've got "feels like" temperatures several degrees below zero through to next Friday.
Oh joy...

[carrot99]

I recommend buying a heated throw.

The last 2 evenings as I've just sat reading or watching TV I've turned the heating off altogether and used my new heated throw. It's about 4 ft by 6ft, plugs into a nearby socket, has various heat settings and cost about £60 from Lakeland. It's very light and soft.
According to my smart meter display it costs about 10p per hour unlike my central heating which costs nearly £1 per hour.
I do have the heating on in the morning and sometimes during the day but when you're sitting doing nothing a throw is excellent.

[JimF]

Continuous.

[Barmaid]

We have a similar dilemma, Pasta. So far we are only heating the rooms we are using, which we generally do with a fire (and we are lucky insofar as we were given a trailer load of wood last week). The rest of the house is freezing. We are not sure whether to keep on low or just have the heating on for an hour or so in the morning and at night.

TBH, both of us grew up without central heating so we can deal with it. Not so sure our weekend house guests will cope tho!

[jno]

a heated throw is great if you're just sitting there. Moving round, though...