If 19 degrees is a comfortable temperature indoors why turn the heating up to 22 just because it is cold outside?

The thermostat keeps the house at a fixed temperature. If it is colder outside then the heating will work harder but keep the house at the same temperature. Turn the thermostat up and all that happens is the house gets uncomfortable hot.

Grrr.

I didn't realise that's what people did. If I'm at home I'll leave the heating on longer because the house cools down quicker.

because people want a warmer house?

because people want a warmer house?

But why?

Like WCA says, it's still the same temp inside, so what's the difference?

It's a very good point actually…… 🙂

It's only the same temp. near the thermostat. It could be colder (because it's colder outside) in rooms further away from the thermostat.
Plus it makes people 'feel' better. But I agree, you shouldn't need to turn it up.

Mrs asked the other day if we should reset the heating for the dog (it drops to 15 during the day. I gave the same reasoning as WCA. Besides, the dog sleeps against a radiator. That's way hotter than 15 degrees.

The other silly thing people (some old folks do) is carry the thermostat on them and then go and sit near the radiator because it's cold!!!!!

If 19 degrees is a comfortable temperature indoors why turn the heating up to 22

mine's at 22 all the time

I used to hate this when I worked in an office, in the summer the stat was on 16C, in the winter it was set to 27C; I think some thick twits think it's like a wick you can turn up for more power.

The worst thing was putting the aircon on on a spring day when there was fresh, free, cool air outside the window.

It's only the same temp. near the thermostat. It could be colder (because it's colder outside) in rooms further away from the thermostat.

That's the issue in my place, thermostat is in the hall in the middle of a block of flats – all other rooms are big and with multiple windows – it really is a case of turning up the wick!

As the others have said, if the stat is in an internal hallway or in a room that is generally warmer than the main rooms, its going to have to be turned up to compensate.

Adjusting the radiator in the room with the stat so its cooler should allow the other rooms to warm up as the stat will call for heat for longer. Also, if you have thermostatic valves set too low, the radiator will always shut off before the room gets comfortable, people turn up the stat but the radiator itself still restricts the level of heating available in the room.

Is this not why thermostatic radiator valves exist?
Anyway, for feeble lifeforms rather than machines relative temperatures seem to matter more than absolute temperatures so after cranking up the heat in the car the house has to get hotter to match/feel warmer, IMHO.
18C set here (and thermometer on the clock thing agrees it is working).

Many don't understand thermostats – they think it's like turning on another bar on the fire. I got annoyed with a girl at work who saying it was too cold turned it up to 25 degrees despite me trying to explain; the office then got stupid hot – for me anyway.

The higher the temperature on the thermostat the quicker the house warms up.

Because most people's heating systems are far from perfectly efficient, and their house gets colder in cold weather?

Women do it, the principle of a thermostat is lost on them.

The higher the temperature on the thermostat the quicker the house warms up.

Does it?

Mine doesn't…the stat is either asking for heat, or not, and the boiler is either on, or off. The only adjustment in terms of heating is a dial within the boiler, which I think is to stop it cycling on and off when heating the water cylinder. I turned it down a bit but the guy who serviced the boiler turned it back up to max, so thats how I've left it.

The higher the temperature on the thermostat the quicker the house warms up.

No it doesn't. Not in any way. Most houses do not have modulating boilers, so the boiler will simply heat water to maintain a temp. Turning the stat up results in the boiler just running longer because more heat is required.

Agreed spooky, boiler is either on or off, higher temp on thermostat just keeps boiler on longer, not hotter, now, the little dial on the boiler next to the picture on the radiator? That will make it faster (hotter water from boiler).
Of course, more fancy systems could modulate the heat output of the boiler, but am guessing they don't.

A very good question WCA. On cold winter days, despite maybe having several layers of clothing on, I always seem to set the temperature in my car at least at 25 degrees. And yet, I wouldn't dream of having it at 25 degrees in summer, even though I might only be wearing a tee shirt. In fact if it was 25 degrees outside, I might well turn the air con on and set it at 15 degrees.

Never could figure out what all that is about 😕

I wouldn't turn up the thermostat just because it was cold outside, but if it was cold outside, the house would be colder and so I would turn the thermostat up. Not to a random higher number, but just til the boiler clicked on again……

Have I missed something or are some of you doing weird "boy logic" again?

….are some of you doing weird "boy logic" again?

I think accepting that a thermostat should deal with any drop in temperature and keep it constant is fairly normal logic, that after all, is the whole point of thermostats. What I can't figure out is why it's sometimes nice to be in a warm room in winter, and a cold room in summer.

Because you get more apparent cold spots near windows/drafts etc so overall the feeling is of a colder house.

that after all, is the whole point of thermostats.

Just read recently (as we have had a new boiler fitted) that combi boilers are now 95% efficient whereas thermostats are only about 75% efficient. We spent an extra £100 on a digital model to make our heating as efficient as possible and we have gone from a house that was always cold even with the heating on, to a house with a 24hr constantly comfortable temperature even though the heating isn't on any more.

Turned up to 24°C in my office! In summer it's turned down to 18°C. Don't understand why it has to be so hot.

HoratioHufnagel – Member
The higher the temperature on the thermostat the quicker the house warms up.

No it doesn't. The house will heat up at a constant rate until the set temperature is reached, at that point it will stop heating.

If the thermostat is turned up the heating will simply continue to run until a higher temperature is reached.

The thermostat is designed to control the heating (and cooling if you have it) so that a (more or less) constant temperature is maintained.

Your body expects to compensate during colder weather to keep you warmer, that's why you'll have higher body fat in colder weather. Also why it's a bad time to start a weight-loss diet. It aint natural. So, your brain is telling you you need more heat to compensate for the colder temp outside. May not be logical but when is the human psyche ever?

No it doesn't. The house will heat up at a constant rate until the set temperature is reached, at that point it will stop heating.

If the thermostat is turned up the heating will simply continue to run until a higher temperature is reached.

The thermostat is designed to control the heating (and cooling if you have it) so that a (more or less) constant temperature is maintained.
I din't agree with that – our new therm 'feathers' the heating as it reaches the set temperature – if it was banging away at full power until it reached, say, 20deg then switched off, the heat in the pipes/rads will continue to heat the house somewhat so it would end up higher. Ours starts to switch on and off just below 20deg so it gets to the temperature and stays there. (Which is why, I guess, modern therms are becoming more efficient at controlling the temperature).

One of the offices here is so hot in the winter that you almost pass out from the heat as you walk in, I did point out that if it was that hot in the summer they would all be asking for fans!!

MF-
You are right in that modern digital and electronic thermostats which are properly set up with the boiler will do this.

Older mechanical "turn & click" 'stats do just keep everything on full until the set point is reached. This is why modern ones can keep an area at, say, 20 degrees but a mechanical one set at 20 will keep it typiucally between about 18 and 22 degrees.

mastiles_fanylion, your stat only throttles the heat output at the end of the cycle, meaning that it will still take as long to heat up no matter what the set-point.

backhander – Member
mastiles_fanylion, your stat only throttles the heat output at the end of the cycle, meaning that it will still take as long to heat up no matter what the set-point.

Agreed

Glad you agree – otherwise I feared I might have wasted lots on our fancy new one 🙂

Agreed about the 'throttling' – but if it was set to 24deg it would reach 20deg quicker than if it was set at 20deg as it would be going full throttle to and past 20deg.

"People like to be warm" Shocker.

or even

"People are sometimes a bit irrational" shocker…

Hardly ground breaking news

if it was set to 24deg it would reach 20deg quicker than if it was set at 20deg as it would be going full throttle to and past 20deg.

you're talking about a very small amount of time and heat, undetectable even. The valve would probably start throttling at ~19, so both setpoints would achieve 19 in the same amount of time. The remaining time difference to achieve the 1deg would be minimal (IMHO).
The purpose as you have correctly said is not to heat quicker or slower but to prevent overheating.

you're talking about a very small amount of time and heat, undetectable even.

Possibly am, but I am just trying to justify why some people do it. And we have done it when our babies' room temperature has dropped quickly during the night to get it back up as quickly as possible.

There's a thought

Do most people have heating on though the night?
We don't & never have – even when the kids were babies, ours goes off at 9pm & comes back on at 6am

Hardly ground breaking news

Did it need to be ? I thought the OP was an interesting observation. And that there might be possibly a logical explanation for what appears to be irrational behaviour.

I reckon naedeyw's comment is the closest to explaining it, although I'm not entirely convinced. As humans evolved in the tropics, so I would be surprised if the body/brain compensates that much for very cold wintry weather. I believe that the drowsy 'siesta' feeling we often experience on hot afternoons is in part, a biological process which we share in common with other tropical species who retire during the hotest part of the day.

Do most people have heating on though the night?

We never have in the past but our boiler installation engineer explained that it is actually more efficient to keep the house at a more constant temperature so you don't have the constant hot/cold but a more comfortable temperature that is easier for the boiler to maintain. The heating rarely comes on at night as it is set quite low, but it has done occasionally as we are in an exposed position and if the wind is strong or it is very cold, it can easily drop quite considerably (and the babies' room faces the brunt of the wind).

i think this explains a lot ….. 8)

Perhaps people don't realise the personal heating properties of a patronising smug glow?

No heating on after 10pm in chez Mudshark but wife gets a hot water bottle if she says please….