On Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:20:06 -0800 (PST) someone who may be
wrote this:-

In our house it's much harder to heat the kitchen than the other rooms
mainly becaus it is in a separate single story section at the back
with 3 exterior walls and poor insulation in the roof.
To heat the kitchen properly we need to have the boiler on quite high
which makes the other rooms too hot.
I tell my missus we should keep the boiler on high and turn the
thermostatic valves down in the other rooms but she thinks this will
use a lot more energy than turning the boiler down and having the
thermostatic valves fully open in the other rooms and put up with the
chill in the kitchen.
How can I explain to her that she is wrong?

With difficulty.

Thermostatic valves should be set at a comfortable room temperature,
which is unlikely to be fully open or turned down far.

Assuming this is the case then heating these the rooms will in
essence involve the same amount of energy no matter what the boiler
setting. If the kitchen is chilly then that will involve less energy
than if it is warm. I'm leaving aside issues like short cycling.

In the short term you should have the boiler turned high and the
thermostatic valves in all rooms set for a suitable room
temperature. However, this will mean using more energy.

In the medium term you should have the kitchen (and perhaps the rest
of the house) insulated to reduce heat losses. Grants are often
available for this.


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54