[Closed] Central heating. Slow and low or quick and high

I vaguely remember the heating guy saying hotter quicker is best..

Iirc from past threads the answer is 56 degrees Rad water temp at the boiler if you have a variable rate combi.

Iirc from past threads the answer is 56 degrees Rad water temp at the boiler if you have a variable rate combi.

Boiler instruction manaul will advise on proper temperature drop between flow and return for best efficiency (i.e. Condensing).

The real question is why you're running your heating in the first half of September... 😉

Condensing boiler works best with a low return temperature
http://www.csemag.com/single-article/boiler-systems-economics-and-efficiencies/882702317f45aa774eb70b797efe75bd.html

However, the most efficient way to heat your house will depend how well insulated it is. In a highly insulated house it can make sense to run heat emitters at a low temperature -- better for stability and avoids overheating. If your house dumps heat to the atmosphere very quickly then makes sense to heat it up quickly only when you need it.

Quick and high.
I ignore the "economy setting", I want to be warm, no matter the cost! 😆

We do have a variable radiator/boiler gauge but no indication of temp, just min-max

We want a low'ish stable temp but we do have a draughty house so hoped someone knew of special magic to have the best of both worlds. Cheap and warm all day :0)

We want a low'ish stable temp but we do have a draughty house so hoped someone knew of special magic to have the best of both worlds. Cheap and warm all day :0)

Pissing on your feet while you shower seems to be this week's advice that could be adopted as an economic starter for 10.

I read somewhere you should set the boiler to high for max efficiency. So that's what I do.

Fix the draughts

Jam bo,how do you go about discovering draughts?What fix do you apply?

I found this little snippet and it fit's along the lines of what we're thinking.. we would prefer a longer period of mild/warm temp rather than the 'hot then cool' peaks and troughs even if this cost us a [u]little[/u] more

If you set your boiler output too high, then the temperature at which the water returns to the boiler after circulating through the radiator system will be too high for it to recover much heat from the boiler’s exhaust gases (the process that normally makes condensing boilers much more efficient).
Try operating the boiler with as low an output setting as is consistent with achieving the required warmth in your home in a reasonable time.

Thinking of going round the house with a lighter on a windy day,to see if I can find any draughts.Mind,with a gas boiler this may not be completely safe!

Wear a Buffalo.

We've still got the windows and backdoor open and are sitting in t-shirts.

But as my kids point out, "We're Scottish".

PS: I'm not.

And then there's this:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/dads-begin-obsessive-relationship-with-thermostat-2014100891473

monkeycmonkeydo - Member

Jam bo,how do you go about discovering draughts?What fix do you apply?

Thinking of going round the house with a lighter on a windy day,to see if I can find any draughts.Mind,with a gas boiler this may not be completely safe!

Draughts are not always from a hole to the outside world, I have new triple glazing and when sat close by it still felt draughty when it was freezing outside and 22° inside. It helped if I raised the blind a couple of inches and it went away. It's all to do with convection currents and rising/falling air over colder surfaces.
I went round the frame with a joss stick but there was no outside air coming in.

Obviously not always the case but surface temp of windows and heater placement is a factor.

Newton's law of cooling. I can't see how 'quick and hot' could possibly be more efficient. It's kind of like saying that traffic light Grand Prix flooring it until you hit 60 is more efficient than a steady cruise. Can someone explain this?

My new boiler has an 'eco' icon at approx 75% on the temperature scale.

Are we talking the best way to make your house warm or the most efficient way to save money?

On ours , more is clearly hotter.

There is an E setting and then a winter setting at the top.

Seems pretty keen to me.

We are trying to optimise what we have, to create a mild/warm house without spending too much money on gas; so a bit of both 🙂

Well, I initially though Kryton57 was making a car related joke re 56 degree C being best water temp from the boiler thru rads, but would appear to perhaps be the case in terms of generally claimed best return water temp back to the boiler should be below 55 degree C for a condensing boiler to fully efficiently re-use the heat.
Couldn't find any definitive answer on the internet tho, so presume that gain must be very minimal and all the other obvious factors significantly more important, double glazing, loft insulation, wall insulation, modern doors, modern boiler etc etc.