Anyone know anything about heating controls?

[uksparks]

Hi,

I have just swapped my ancient potterton room stat with a new Honeywell DT90E, just because there's now no argument about what temperature its at.

I have a a non condensing boiler with indirect heating via a coil thing (i think) which is unvented.

Its a Potterton Suprima 60L 78.15 Efficient D rated boiler which kicks out 17.6kW.

See link: Potterton Suprima 60L Gas - Boiler Efficiency Ratings

Reason for my concern and want to do something is because the gas bill for the last 4 weeks was £150, the last house it was only £35 per month ish, but this was 312 units, £150 of actual usage not guesstimated.

Anyway, see the photos below of what I have.

I have 15 Radiators and want to know if I can make it all wireless and have a stat in each room, so would want probably 8 room stats.

Can I do this with what I have? I have a TRV on each radiator, but what I want to know is, can I change them all for wireless and pair them all with the relevant radiators so that I can turn the heating up in one room and it opens the stat or something?

Do you see what im getting at?

 

[Geordie Spark]

Firstly the efficiency of that boiler isn't as good as modern alternatives.

But a few things to consider first before you go to any unnecessary expense are:-

Is the boiler installed in an unheated area, e.g garage or outhouse? the reason I ask is that the boiler may have a frost protection stat fitted. they are usually set at around 5 degrees C so it would be worth a check, if the temperature drops low (which it will this time of year) then the boiler will kick in on regular intervals when not in full use.

Try just turning down the TRV's in the rooms you do not use much, and keep the doors closed.

Check to see if the temperature of the heating from source (boiler) is not set too high. Many people have it wound right up causing scalding hot rads which is dangerous and totally unnecessary. The boiler will just constantly keep kicking in to maintain the flow temperature.

I noticed from your pictures that the hot water stat is set ok so are you timing your hot water, or is it regularly set to constant?

Got it in one there!!!

 

[snowhead]

View attachment 27394

Must be nice if you have to get up in the middle of the night to have the house warm, although a bit of an expensive luxury.


CONT(inuous) means always ON.

 

[guest119]

My heating was too expensive and was also heating a tank of water through an indirect coil.
3 years ago I removed the tank and cylinder and made it all direct from a Main 24kw gas direct boiler (E-BLAg £90.)
So now I have 2 boilers and more control.

 

[Deleted member 72666]

Must be nice if you have to get up in the middle of the night to have the house warm, although a bit of an expensive luxury.


CONT(inuous) means always ON.

No! It's what you feel like when you find out you left it on this setting!

 

[amlu]

have a look on your gas bill, see how much they charge you for gas, you may be on some rip-off tariff.

 

[David M]

I'll one was 1985, 3 bed semi, large double rooms, has had 8 rads.

the new one is a 4 bed detached, 4 double rooms.

The old house, it had an electric shower, it's now off the tank.

uksparks,

I would seriously avoid fitting unnecessary fancy thermostats, based on the information you have given us so far.

There are so many different factors when trying to compare the cost of services between these two dwellings.

You never mentioned if the new dwelling had any other additional gas appliances such as oven, hob gas fire..

there are nearly twice the number of rads to heat, and based on this no doubt a much larger cubic area.

Don't go wasting your money by jumping the gun mate. That's my advice

If you are serious about trying to reduce your gas bill then you need to spend time looking at what is running the cost up. Swapping your existing boiler for a new modern condensing one will reduce running cost would be a better solution than exchanging the trv's (in my view). But you would have to decide if throwing out what might be a good working boiler for a modern replacement would be more cost effective in the long run.

 

[andyelectric]

Hum, turn the heating down and installing more insulation?

As the debate moves forward, Murdoch has probably got it in a nutshell.

If the op is continuously heating a large 15 rad house that is poorly insulated (especially if the thermostat is set high) then he's gonna use a fortune in gas.

Short term turn down the stat, turn down the trvs in unused rooms, and set the timer so to reduce the amount of time heating is on.

Long term, better insulation.

 

[HandySparks]

I have fitted this system. It was done on a Listed stately home to provide zoning over two floors to avoid re-piping. The TRV's are battery operated. We had RF issue's (massive house). Honeywell sent an engineer and we had to relocate programmer to a new location. I certainly would not entertain it in your place, have you priced it up yet?

Is that based purely on the initial cost or were there other issues?

 

[Geordie Spark]

Is this system properly set up and balanced???

It SHOULD be your very first port of call ---->> Balancing And Setting Up Central Heating


AND ------>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0O-EAEtXJQ

 

[uksparks]

Thank tou for all your advice, I do very much appreciate it.

ill look into the costs of swapping the boiler but haven't got too much spare money to be really looking at changing it.

i think I'll turn the rafs down or off in unused rooms, turn the eating off at night, turn it down a peg in the day, set the water to only heat once per day rather than continuously. I'll also turn the heat down a bit on the boiler.

thanks for the videos on balancing the rads, I'll do that today.

the house is very well insulated, the only main difference within the house is that it's got hard floors everywhere downstairs opposed to carpet so that's going to make it feel colder too.

i think I just need to control myself a bit.

Happy new year everyone!

 

[Octopus]

Thank tou for all your advice, I do very much appreciate it.

ill look into the costs of swapping the boiler but haven't got too much spare money to be really looking at changing it.

i think I'll turn the rafs down or off in unused rooms, turn the eating off at night, turn it down a peg in the day, set the water to only heat once per day rather than continuously. I'll also turn the heat down a bit on the boiler.

thanks for the videos on balancing the rads, I'll do that today.

the house is very well insulated, the only main difference within the house is that it's got hard floors everywhere downstairs opposed to carpet so that's going to make it feel colder too.

i think I just need to control myself a bit.

Happy new year everyone!

and buy her in doors a new pair of warm slippers!