Energy bills

[MSS]

As an aside, our home's CH runs on a swedish oil boiler by a company called CTC. It was manufactured in 1986 I believe and we have been in the property since 1995. It's serviced every year and the combustion efficiency checked. Even now, it is 84% efficient.

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by MSS

As an aside, our home's CH runs on a swedish oil boiler by a company called CTC. It was manufactured in 1986 I believe and we have been in the property since 1995. It's serviced every year and the combustion efficiency checked. Even now, it is 84% efficient.

A good % on the boiler, mine is old now but when I put it in I lagged every pipe and then foil taped over them, the water returning to the boiler is almost as hot as the feed because of the insulation on the pipes, it shuts off the thermal valves fairly often and isn't running cool water much through the system. I'm wondering if you lagged the pipes like I did you'd see an upgrade in % efficiency.

[mbev51]

A modern boiler should last 10-15 years, any more and its doing exceptionally well. Quality old ones could do a huge number of years.

[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by Saga Lout

A good % on the boiler, mine is old now but when I put it in I lagged every pipe and then foil taped over them, the water returning to the boiler is almost as hot as the feed because of the insulation on the pipes, it shuts off the thermal valves fairly often and isn't running cool water much through the system. I'm wondering if you lagged the pipes like I did you'd see an upgrade in % efficiency.

It does depend where your pipes are.-If they are wall mounted then they work as mini radiators and also put heat into the room they are in.

If your flow and return are at a similar temperature then not much heat is being transferred into the room.-----( Could be your rads need purging. )

There shouldn't be any cool water being allowed into the system except from the return pipes.

[macafee2]

Originally Posted by COLVERT

It does depend where your pipes are.-If they are wall mounted then they work as mini radiators and also put heat into the room they are in.

If your flow and return are at a similar temperature then not much heat is being transferred into the room.-----( Could be your rads need purging. )

There shouldn't be any cool water being allowed into the system except from the return pipes.

with a two pipe system ( flow and return) and thermostatic radiator valves, if the flow and return are similar temperatures then the thermostats may have closed as they are up to temperature and no hot water from the boiler is flowing through them.

macafee2

[Avulon]

Originally Posted by macafee2

with a two pipe system ( flow and return) and thermostatic radiator valves, if the flow and return are similar temperatures then the thermostats may have closed as they are up to temperature and no hot water from the boiler is flowing through them.

macafee2

Quite, in which case the main thermostat is set too high!

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by macafee2

with a two pipe system ( flow and return) and thermostatic radiator valves, if the flow and return are similar temperatures then the thermostats may have closed as they are up to temperature and no hot water from the boiler is flowing through them.

macafee2

That's correct, the system relies on the thermostatic valves on the rads to regulate themselves with the exception of the downstairs toilet which doesn't have a thermostatic valve on for flow reasons. The house is well insulated and the log burner keeps the temps at a nice cosy level, the boiler has very little work to do as the rad valves do the job of telling it when to fire up, there is no room thermostat fitted as the house regulates itself from room to room and the boiler thermostat does a grand job of keeping the whole house toasty, the system also has high efficiency radiators fitted that give out more heat for the same flow. it wasn't always that way though and the house used to be a very cold one.

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by mbev51

A modern boiler should last 10-15 years, any more and its doing exceptionally well. Quality old ones could do a huge number of years.

My boiler is now 18 years old and has been looked after, it broke once in a cold January a few years ago and I drove from Wigan to Durham for a new pcb for it or I would have been without heat and hot water for up to a week. That breakdown inspired me to fit the log burner and proved to be a sound choice.

[Phil th Barrow]

Originally Posted by Saga Lout

Anyone that knows a bit about gas knows that, there's a site called SEDBUK where you can check the efficiency of your gas boiler if you have one, most older boilers are very low % efficient and it's worth knowing how much it cost's to run one. Many newer combi condensors are very good and into the 90% range, if your old boiler is say 60% efficient that's 40p out of every £ you spend on gas going to waste. The money a newer boiler costs is soon clawed back with the savings.

Originally Posted by Saga Lout

Having smart meters will eventually lead to meter readers being out of a job, the smart meter uploads your readings automatically.
I don't use self service tills for that reason, basic shop work gets a lot of young people on the employment ladder, one person manning four tills puts everyone's young people at risk of not getting a job, it might get you out of a shop faster but it makes money for the shops and no-one else.

Originally Posted by wraymond

Did you know, we actually pay tax on the air we breath?

Iv had a look at its efficiency and its 94%. Its a 3 year old condensing combi.

Costing less to run than th old one even though its on alot more now we have retired. It modulates a treat and th half hourly report from our duel duel provider via smart meter shows that all is well in what it does.. I would like higher efficent radiator in th front room though. Micheal (Saga Lout) could you tell me your brand of rad you use. Ours is 1000 by 450 double panel with fins inside. Carnt really go any bigger and th wife would disslike 2 radiators in th room.

[Saga Lout]

Originally Posted by Phil th Barrow

Iv had a look at its efficiency and its 94%. Its a 3 year old condensing combi.

Costing less to run than th old one even though its on alot more now we have retired. It modulates a treat and th half hourly report from our duel duel provider via smart meter shows that all is well in what it does.. I would like higher efficent radiator in th front room though. Micheal (Saga Lout) could you tell me your brand of rad you use. Ours is 1000 by 450 double panel with fins inside. Carnt really go any bigger and th wife would disslike 2 radiators in th room.

I got the Wickes range of high energy radiators, they really do pump out more heat, I think it's the fin design that does it. The boiler you have is excellent at 94% efficiency and 6p in every pound lost isn't bad at all, if you can lag every pipe as I did you'll make it even better, I also fitted new windows with Argon filled units that help with sound deadening and are more thermally efficient. The glass units are from Eurocell and made a big difference. I've also over time torn out every internal wall in my house and rebuilt them with insulation as per modern methods, the gable end was rebuilt in 2002 the same way and so, although the house is 96 years old it's very good at retaining heat now.