Home Temperature Control with Radiator Heat

[MRodger]

I have a 90 year old brick & frame home in Canada. The house is heated by a new, natural gas water boiler furnace with the original radiators. I have installed a modern variable temperature thermostat that allows for the temperature to be changed based on the time of day. I have the temperature set to rise to 70 degrees when we are home & go to 60 degrees during the day & evening when we are out or asleep respectively.

I have been told that it is more efficient from a wear & tear & cost optimization perspective with a water/rad system to keep the temperature at a constant degree setting, as opposed to chaning the temperature throughout the day.

Can someone give me some advice?...particularly important since the cost of natural gas is going through the rook this winter.

[Michael Chare]

The lower the temperature of the house the less it will cost to heat, as the less heat it will loose to the environment. If you keep the house at 70F it will cost more than if you reduce the temperature to 60F for part of the time.

The boiler and radiators won't mind the temperature of the house fluctuating, the temperatures of the boiler and radiators fluctuate quite a bit anyway (more thant he house anyway)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Dunno if there's anything in this theory, but in practice what you're doing is what most decent modern installations do. And heating the house to a higher temperature than needed - like say when everyone is out all day - wastes energy so costs more.

You should also consider fitting TRVs (thermostatic radiator valves) to all rooms apart from the one with the main thermostat. This will allow you to set the *maximum* temperature in that room - useful in places like the kitchen where cooking may already provide all the heating needed at certain times of the day.

However, these only work (IIRC) if you have a two pipe system where each rad is connected to the boiler flow and return. A single pipe system where the rads are all in series would need some modifications.

[Dave Liquorice]

A single pipe the rads are in series but bypassed by the main single pipe. Otherwise if you shut anyone rad down your shut the whole system down... I can't see any reason why you can't fit TRVs to rads in a single pipe system.

+-- | Rad | --+ | | >----+-------+----> single pipe

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Ok. The only single pipe system I've come across was a large bore iron barrel one with purely thermo circulation. No rads but just two 4" pipes running across one wall at skirting level. And as far as I could see, everything just run in 'series'.

[Doctor Drivel]

That is right. What you mean is a thermostat timer.

[Doctor Drivel]

Which is total senile nonsense.

[Doctor Drivel]

Stop giving senile misinformation on things you don't know.

[Dave Fawthrop]

| On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 10:49:49 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote: | | > However, these only work (IIRC) if you have a two pipe system where | > each rad is connected to the boiler flow and return. A single pipe | > system where the rads are all in series would need some | > modifications. | | A single pipe the rads are in series but bypassed by the main single | pipe. Otherwise if you shut anyone rad down your shut the whole system | down... I can't see any reason why you can't fit TRVs to rads in a | single pipe system. | | +-- | | Rad | | --+ | | | | >----+-------+----> single pipe

Mine works fine like that.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Then perhaps you'd give some sensible advice to the OP. As if...

[Doctor Drivel]

Good advice for him is not to take any notice of you whatsoever.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

[Doctor Drivel]

Well and truly.