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Discuss Gas central heating vs oil radiators in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

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Hi all, please could anyone who's got tips from the trade help advise me.

My house has gas central heating with a combi valliant boiler. It's currently set on "auto" with a timer schedule:

5:30am-7:30am : 24 degrees C
4:30pm-6pm: 24 degrees C
6:10pm-9:20pm: 18 degrees C

The schedule is based on the most actives times in the house so when it's at 24 C its when me and the missus wake up in the morning and come back from work. The 18 C is just to keep the house cosy at room temp for the evening.

Now for the night time, we like to keep the bedroom warm. I currently have a 1500 watts oil radiator in the bedroom which is set on timer from 9pm-10pm.

My wife seems to think it's more economically efficient to have the gas central heating on from 9-10pm rather than using the oil radiator. I however disagree as I believe becuase with oil radiators, it uses oil to heat up therefore the heat is retained better and with abuilt in thermostat its not always on. All our radiators in each room have temperature knobs but the effort to turn them off in the night for the rooms unused is too much effort plus they'll be switched off for when needed in the morning.

I was planning on buying a plug power meter reading then working out how much it costs to run the oil radiator
The one I was going to buy was the one in the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071NZ53WR/ref=cm_sw_r_wa_apa_q.JYBbE59QWRE

I wanted to ask, before making this purchase, is it obvious that my methodology of using the oil radiator in the bedroom is cheaper than warming the whole house again, or is my wife right?
 
Use a warmer duvet?

Your heating is on until 9.20pm and you have an oil heater on simultaneously running in the bedroom from 9 - 10pm as well?

Turn up your bedroom TRV and just run it for an extra 40 minutes.
 
I think you should consider insulating and draught proofing your home better it should hold its heat for a certain length of time, are your radiators correctly sized what boiler do you have ?
 
I think you should consider insulating and draught proofing your home better it should hold its heat for a certain length of time, are your radiators correctly sized what boiler do you have ?
House is currently draught proof and insulated with double glazing. Radiators are those newer double sized ones rather than the old single ones. Our boiler is the valliant ecotec 937
 
Use a warmer duvet?

Your heating is on until 9.20pm and you have an oil heater on simultaneously running in the bedroom from 9 - 10pm as well?

Turn up your bedroom TRV and just run it for an extra 40 minutes.

Thanks just switched the timer of the oil radiator to kick in at 9:30pm until 10pm. What do you mean by TVR?
 
It’s always handy to have alternative sources of heating esp. if your cen heating ever goes LALA. 24 degree is way high. If your concerned about energy use, which you are then knock it back a bit , jumpers and pyjamas are quite handy. I would seriously look at your insulation and general house construction you seem to be loosing heat big time too quickly. This is a good subject which many will want to watch as winter marches on. Rob Foster aka centralheatking
 
Thanks just switched the timer of the oil radiator to kick in at 9:30pm until 10pm. What do you mean by TVR?

I'm with your wife, leave the heating on til 10pm at 22C see how you get on. 18 - 22C is considered the normal range where TRV is a temp controlled radiator valve, 18C is the absolute min and 24C a little too warm for most.
 
Thanks alot with everyones contribution and help. Based on all the information provided I'm going to test the following setup:

5:30am-7:30am : 22 degrees C
4:30pm-6pm: 22 degrees C
6:10pm-9:20pm: 14 degrees C
Oil radiator (1500 watts) from 9:30pm-10pm.

Will also buy better bed blankets, currently have summer ones with are rubbish for this time of the year.

Will give it a week to see how it goes and then post an update.
 
Why would you have your lowest temperature when you are at your least active? That doesn't make any sense at all .....
 
Why would you have your lowest temperature when you are at your least active? That doesn't make any sense at all ...
Around that time of the day we're still in the house and last month when we had the heating off, it got pretty cold. Now with the winter picking up, it'll be too cold to keep it completely off. It's only completely off during the night when we are asleep
 
Hi All,

Just an update roughly 7 days after adjusting my home temperature as discussed above. I had decided to trial the following set up:

5:30am-7:30am : 22 degrees C
4:30pm-6pm: 22 degrees C
6:10pm-9:20pm: 14 degrees C
Oil radiator for bedroom (1500 watts) from 9:30pm-10pm.

I had found that by dropping the temperature down by a couple degrees was not a significant change in comfort. The house still felt cosy and warm and im sure the small change will have a good impact on the bills!

With the oil radiator, even not using that at the typical full 3 heat settings was fine. I left it on setting 2, then when I entered the room, it was warm enough to drop to setting 1. Come the morning, it was simply set to setting 2 again.

Hope this thread is of help to anyone else in similar situations.
 
Is that 14 deg C a typo, if it isn't it makes no sense at all that you'd be comfortable at that temperature in the early evening. Purchase an energy meter, it's the only way for to truely grasp what an oil heater costs to run verses what your central heating for another thirty minutes.
 
Is that 14 deg C a typo, if it isn't it makes no sense at all that you'd be comfortable at that temperature in the early evening. Purchase an energy meter, it's the only way for to truely grasp what an oil heater costs to run verses what your central heating for another thirty minutes.

Yep its deg C. It wasnt as bad as i thought, use to be 18 C.

Are you saying theres a chance an oil radiator for one room for 30 mins could be more expensive than central heating the whole house?
 
5:30am-7:30am : 22 degrees C
4:30pm-6pm: 22 degrees C
6:10pm-9:20pm: 14 degrees C
Oil radiator for bedroom (1500 watts) from 9:30pm-10pm.

Presumably, the heating thermostat is set at 14 degrees at 6:10pm, but the house is a nice toasty 22 degrees and slowly cools down.

I agree with others, though, that you should just keep the heating on until 9pm or so, and the house should still be warm for a good few hours after that until you go to bed.
 
Presumably, the heating thermostat is set at 14 degrees at 6:10pm, but the house is a nice toasty 22 degrees and slowly cools down.

I agree with others, though, that you should just keep the heating on until 9pm or so, and the house should still be warm for a good few hours after that until you go to bed.
It might make sense to keep the CH on until 9pm.
 
I have no idea, the rational behind your temperature settings has made no sense to me. Get some catagorical temperature/cost data to inform yourself.
 

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