On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 17:58:11 GMT, Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;ª) wrote:

Let's say your boiler comes on 30 minutes earlier than it might need
to were it controlled by "optimum start" that 30 minutes of heat is
not just 30 minutes of "wasted" energy, it is energy being stored
within the fabric of the building,

If a "box" requires 10kWHrs of heat input to maintain its temperature
getting it up to that temperature 30mins before it is required means
that 5kWhrs of heat are lost. Yes, the box structure will also warm up
but it is going to do that anyway, and release that heat later. That
is not relevant, as what ever you do there is always going to be a
10kWhr flow of heat from the box to the outside, laws of
thermodynamics that you can't change.

If you take the same box and reduce it's heat loss by insulation then
the amount of heat lost is also reduced but it is still lost. It is up
to people to decide if the savings from a complex control system or
those from better insulation are best. Personally I'd go for both.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail