At the base of it, the argument for leaving central heating on all day has a simple origin. It stems from a belief that extra energy will be required to return the space to a comfortable temperature once it has been decided to turn the heating off.
efficient way to heat your home
The theory is that there is little point spending valuable time heating up your home only to allow it to lose heat and cool down again. Plus, many simply hate waiting for their heating system to boot up properly, and start infiltrating warmth throughout the house.
That said, by leaving your heating on for 24 hours, seven days a week, you’re obviously bound to expend more heat and run the risk of losing energy all day. You can guarantee there’ll be heat lost due to the contrast between the heat outside the home, and the temperature level you want to maintain within the property.
Therefore, if you insist on leaving the heating on constantly, your heating system will be working overtime just to retain your preferred indoor temperature. The more heat you lose, the more energy you’ll need to keep the inside area warm – hardly conducive to lower heating bills!
A much more effective move in the battle to lower energy costs is to ensure that your home has proper insulation. Double-glazed windows, draught-proof doors and dynamic loft insulation are all worthy of consideration to save you money in the long run.
The most energy-efficient way to heat your home is to programme your heating system so that it switches on only when required most. Modern heating developments have only served to make this process more streamlined, and better tailored to the exact needs of the homeowner.
For instance, contemporary thermostat models will allow different temperatures to be set at different times, with alternate programming also available for weekends. These work especially well in accompaniment with modern electric heating models.
By using a timed boiler and thermostat in accompaniment with radiator temperature controls, you’re adopting the most energy-efficient method to heating your home possible.
Don’t just take our word for it. You can put our theory to the test if your home is already set up with good quality insulation.
Try out the timed method and then experiment by having your heating system switched on for 24 hours at a time. You can ascertain whether it is cheaper to leave the heating on constantly, or whether you’ll enjoy lower heating costs by programming the system to turn on at specific intervals.
Trial the respective methods over a week-long period apiece. After that, you’ll have enough of a sample to denote which heating approach is the best one to adopt specific to your property.
You can collate the data you need by taking a reading from your energy meter at the start of the week, and then again at the end of it.
For the best and most reliable results, try to test each method when the outdoor conditions and temperature are similar. It should be quite clear which method is the most energy efficient for your home in its current state.
Then you can work out how insulation can affect your home heating bills.
