Geothermal underfloor heating-how long is yours on each day?

[Angies]

We have this heating system but i dont think we have the settings right for when and how long it comes on for. I have it set to come on at night on the night rate meter for 3 hours upstairs and downstairs and the temperature is 18-20 upstairs and 20-21 downstairs. Sometimes the temperature can drop very dramatically, like yesterday when it was a bit colder outside, and it can take up to 10 hours of the heating being on for it to actually make a difference.

Our ESB can be extortionate at times (last bill was €660) Obviously if the heating is on for very long periods of time this is going to really impact on electricity usage. So i was wondering how long everyone else has theirs set to come on for or is this actually normal for this type of heating system??

 

[pops]

We have it only for downstairs as the house has an open plan design which means that the upstairs heats very easily. We also have a wood pellet stove for the evening during cold snaps. The heating is on for 4 hours 55 minutes at night at the moment and the house is very warm, 21 degrees on a cold day.

Our last bill was €250 including hot water, lights, etc for an 1800 sq. ft house. It definitely isn't a system that adapts quickly to a dramatic change in temperature which is why it's handy to have a back up like a stove etc.

 

[Angies]

Thanks for that. Maybe i was underestimating how long it needs to be on to give it long enough to heat up. The last bill we got was the highest ever but has been around €500 for this period the last 2 years. The total ESB for the year is about €1500 so i wonder if it averages out. Obviously the bills are low in the summer when the heating is rarely on.