Re: An out-of place question on central heating

Sounds like it is an excuse to use more of the lovely power the energy companies are producing and so bolster their profits. I am sure there is a good logic here as it will take longer to reheat a house that has cooled excessively, but you should therefore be thinking of ways to insulate and preserve this heat. If the house is suitably insulated it will retain the heat in its structure for some time unless you live in a very cold climate, and even then adequate insulation is the preferred option. I suppose it would depend on the size of home you are heating, the structure of the building and the type of heating boiler/furnace as to the exact calculation but I like your tin foil hat and blanket theory. It would depend on when you took your vacation and for how long. If I go away in winter for a fortnight it is pretty damp and cold when I return. In summer this has no effect.

Failing this do as I do, have a small living space with a decent wood burner and then even in the coldest of weather the internal temperature is suitable for me and my girlfriend to sit around in our underwear or less. Oh, and I live in a part caravan part shed in a hole in the ground so no luxury modern dwelling here.