JC said :

KB1971 said :

I dont think central heating is that efficient, especially if it is coming from the roof as the heat travels through the piping outside the insulated bit of your house.

What a stupid statement. Think about underfloor heating ducts, isn’t that outside the insulated part of the house too? Umm yep. Fact is the ducts themselves are insulated so that is not an issue, though yes floor ducts are in fact better than roof for one simple reason. That is heat rises.

One other thing with central heating that people don’t realise is to get maximum efficiency you really need to leave doors open. The reason being is the return air is there to pull the heat through the house so that air needs a good free path to flow properly. If you block it with closed doors then you will get draughts under closed doors and the air in closed rooms does not get enough newly heated air from the duct and rooms that are open will get more.

Stupid you say. Yes I am aware that the piping is insulated but the temperature at the vent is not going to be the same as the unit, there will be loss especially when the vent is say 20-30m from the heater.

Now back to the context of my post, I insinuated that our wall furnaces are more efficient than the old house with the central heating (which would make sense as the heat goes straight into the room without travelling a number of metres first) & you know you agreed with me in your second paragraph by saying that the under floor central is the best type of central heating because heat rises.

The roof space has the potential to be colder and more affected by the ambient temperature fluctuations than under the floor of a house.

Before you think something it stupid, look at the context of the whole post and just don’t quote a bit to suit your purpose. If you still don’t understand, maybe ask first for clarification

Watson said :

poetix said :

Sorry to zombify, but I just paid the gas bill for the last three months, which was $968, making a total of whatever $881 and $968 is for the last six months. (I remembered this thread, where I mentioned my last bill, which is the only reason I can quote the amount. They’re too depressing to keep.) This strikes me as quite a lot for a two bedroom house with three people in it.

As I think I said before, in the 1950s, when the house was built, I think people had a different idea of what was acceptable. Certainly, insulation meant wearing a vest if our house is any indicator. They must have accepted cold as part of life, I think.

This is also for cooking and hot water though.

Ha, I beat you! Mine was $975. Only for heating and cooking too. And that is the last time I will think of that bill. I am moving out of my badly insulated, poorly equipped and inefficiently heated rental and next winter we will be living in a brand spanking new 7 star EER house. I hope I can come and gloat about my low gas bills then!

But for now: what gas bill?

I shall just have to warm myself with the thin awareness of being in such an incredibly…shiver…desirable…shiver…area….(-: