boring thread, underfloor heating

[El Pibe]

La Piba and I are trying to work out if underfloor heating should be left on the whole time or controlled by thermostat.

I've scoured on line only to find all advice utterly contradictory, often in the same piece of advice, so hoping the brainy bods of the forum are better than that.

It's only in the open plan area of the house, kitchen/living room/hall, about 1600 sq ft. with 3 statted control zones.

Floor is well insulated and surface is limestone tile, heats up nice and quick and conducts well. probably too much glass, but all triple glazed, and no draughts at all (airtight house).

Someone said this being the case keep your heating on 24 hours at 16 degrees. But does that heat up the room to more than that, is it somehow cumulative, as 16 degrees sounds bloody chilly to me?

[david_carnell]

There would be other sources of heat to bring the room(s) up to a higher temp though.

Solar - sun shining in through windows (granted a rarity where you are)

Radiation - from human bodies and lighting

Electric - tvs, computers, fridge, oven etc etc

In an airtight house I'd imagine they'd all add another 4 degrees which would keep you at a balmy 20 degrees?

Not to mention the odd time you light the wood burner.

[steveo]

You need a couple of these

http://i896.photobucket.com/albums/ac166/Steve_Overbury/201111261657375835_zps0a824bbf.jpg

[El Pibe]

haven't got the wood burner in that room yet, the other one is not going to add enough.

Granted when the sun is shining it gets roasting even if the outside temp is cold, but it can go months at a time without sun in the winter.

I'm not convinced the other things will provide enough heat as it's a vaulted ceiling and double heighted in the hall so we;re talking alot of air to heat with one telly.

I reckon thermostats may have to be the way forward then, at least until we get the burner installed.

Cheers for the feedback D_C, I knew the forum wouldn't let me down.

[El Pibe]

that's basically me at my desk steveo

[Loz]

In that case, someone has stolen your desk. And maybe your chair.

[????]

Always makes me think of Breaking Bad - Kyler in wotsits bathroom

[MrBen]

I'm also struggling with this one. I've got electric u/f in a rear ground floor garden extension under sandstone tiles. The problem is that it's like a very slow radiator and takes 24 to 26 hours to warm up the room to a reasonable temp (if it's cold outside) and then you have to keep the fucker on all the time. I cant work out if its cheaper to keep it on all the time at a lower temp than the spike to warm it up each weekend.

[El Pibe]

I can see in that case it being a bit pointles to turn it off.

To be honest ours takes about half an hour from cold to take the edge off and within 2 it's nice and toasty.

I reckon we'll be fine on thermostats then.

[Pickle]

We have similar, under limestone tiles (and a small wooden area in the dining area of the kitchen). Three "sectors", all controlled by separate sensors. We have it on thermostat, to heat up the space to 20 degrees morning (comes on at about 5:30am, off at 9:30) and evening (4:30 till 9:30ish). In between those times it's set at 17, and it's only on the very coldest days in winter that it comes on outside of the standard times.

Same goes for our central heating. I never switch either off during the year.

Best decision we made when we refurbished our house. Our underfloor is electric and initially I was worried that our energy bills would increase - actually we have found completely the opposite, after a year of paying the same monthly direct debit as before the heating was installed we were significantly in credit.

[Pickle]

... at 16 degrees I'd be freezing, definitely a 20 degree girl. Moving to NZ (the land that Central heating forgot) in a couple of years is going to be a shock to the system!

[Mick Mac]

El Pibe Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> haven't got the wood burner in that room yet, the

> other one is not going to add enough.

> Granted when the sun is shining it gets roasting

> even if the outside temp is cold, but it can go

> months at a time without sun in the winter.

>

Jeez - where do you live!

[El Pibe]

Intereting pickle.

we also have solar thermal, which meant we barely swtiched the gas on during the summer when you don't need to anyway, but of course in the winter means it probably won't be much use, though even with little sunlight it's probably enough for the underfloor.

It's looking like we use about a third of a tank of gas a year on current experience, that's about ?650 for heating, hot water and cooking. That's cheaper than it was in london which was a about a quarter of the size this place, (the london flat, not london, a quarter of the size of rosbercon would probably be an MP's duck house) but hard to say as we only caught the tail end of a mild winter.

[El Pibe]

>> Jeez - where do you live!

Santa's grotto!!

[red devil]

MrBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm also struggling with this one. I've got

> electric u/f in a rear ground floor garden

> extension under sandstone tiles. The problem is

> that it's like a very slow radiator and takes 24

> to 26 hours to warm up the room to a reasonable

> temp (if it's cold outside) and then you have to

> keep the @#$%& on all the time. I cant work out

> if its cheaper to keep it on all the time at a

> lower temp than the spike to warm it up each

> weekend.

Any reason why you went for electric MrB?...