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Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

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Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Baseboard heaters are often sized such that very high temps are needed (because that's what cheapest/lowest labor/least space used), but they don't have to be sized that way. In the attic bedroom, we have baseboards around the entire perimeter on two walls and same in the bath. I run the attic zone on the same water temp (outdoor reset controlled to be quite low) as the rest of the house (mostly large cast iron rads,…

Which is not exactly efficient. 40C or less is desirable.

My return water temps are 115F (46C) on a P98 design heating day, and obviously cooler on warmer than design days. Cooler is always better, but "baseboards require 180F [82C] water because that's what's on the spec sheet" is a commonly-held but mistaken belief.

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this pretty much what these thermostats already allow? I have a new Honeywell Thermostat which basically does what the twenty years old one it replaced does with a few added conveniences in terms of UI. It has those wake/leave/return/sleep instants for each weekday (but also adds an optional second leave/return pair), and it has an option to override the day programme to 'holiday', which is essentially an eight…

15 C is very cold. Are you American?

15°C would be the standard setting of 'no heating' (just keep the house warm enough to avoid mould and such). The 'holiday' programme would be 21°C or whatever is desired. That would effectively turn the thermostat into one where turn on the heating by putting it in 'holiday' mode, and can turn it off by exiting that mode or just letting it revert to 15°C after 23:00 or so.

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#174
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Btw, a heated blanket would be a lot more efficient, as it warms just your butt.

Heated blankets are ok, but you have to arrange them just so, and then you can’t move without fussing with the cord. It’s the last resort after layering warm clothes before bumping up the thermostat.

I use a heated blanket as a bottom layer sometimes. Lets you move around and do whatever you want with the blanket fixed in place and the cord not in the way. I have larger heated blanket that has independent power/settings for each half. I turn one half on max and leave the other off and can roll and find the perfect direct heat and if using another regular blanket on top all that is captured too.

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#175
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the theory being that warming up a cold house in the morning costs more energy than maintaining a stable temperature This is only true if the heating happens quickly and the system is less efficient when heating quickly. Otherwise, this doesn't make sense from a physics standpoint. A temporarily lower temperature differential means less kWh of heat lost.

This is a whole research topic, my PhD in fact! FWIW I run my heat pump intermittently and with locally-smart TRVs that get to call for heat centrally, and a weather compensation only flow temperature curve, and it WORKSFORME! https://www.earth.org.uk/heat-pump-16WW-control.html

I enjoyed reading this, thank you.

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is not exactly efficient. 40C or less is desirable.

My return water temps are 115F (46C) on a P98 design heating day, and obviously cooler on warmer than design days. Cooler is always better, but "baseboards require 180F [82C] water because that's what's on the spec sheet" is a commonly-held but mistaken belief.

This is bad. Return water should be less 35 degree max. Actually 30 degree after the heat pump would be ideal: https://www.flow30.de/

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on the region, "reasonably insulated home" really is the factor that makes this not so viable for a lot of people. In my Mediterranean-adjacent climate country, most homes are just not well insulated at all, and having heat running 24/7 during winter is extremely costly and inefficient even if the heating is on a low setting.

These home will most likely have a split air con, which will be the most efficient way of heating them. Also there is so much other room for improvement like drafty windows and doors etc.

In many warmer climates, the mini split air conditioners sold are cooling capability only. This is much cheaper to purchase for a 12,000 up to 24,000 btu/h unit than one which is also capable of heating the interior.

Re: Attacking My Landlord's Boiler

#178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My return water temps are 115F (46C) on a P98 design heating day, and obviously cooler on warmer than design days. Cooler is always better, but "baseboards require 180F [82C] water because that's what's on the spec sheet" is a commonly-held but mistaken belief.

This is bad. Return water should be less 35 degree max. Actually 30 degree after the heat pump would be ideal: https://www.flow30.de/

[citation needed]
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