Green Building Forum - Average domestic space heating requirement Mon, 18 May 2026 05:01:13 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76438#Comment_76438 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76438#Comment_76438 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:16:42 +0000 jules
Does anybody have a source of data, or even their own, which indicates the typical range of heating/HW requirements for an average house, preferably in kWh/day or year/square metre floor space or cubic metre volume? I'm sure such figures already exist on this forum somewhere, but it ain't easy to find!

Thanks]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76449#Comment_76449 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76449#Comment_76449 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:17:46 +0000 seanie
Terraced 2 bed house; 11,100kWh space heating & 2,000 kWh HW per year
Semi-detached 3 bed house; 15,200kWh space heating & 2,500 kWh HW per year
Detached 4 bed house; 23,300kWh space heating & 3,000 kWh HW per year]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76609#Comment_76609 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76609#Comment_76609 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 07:43:30 +0000 jules
My gas bill is now in, and my average since the end of Nov is 172kWh/day, but that's for about 240 sqm - and a long thin house as well. We do have solar thermal, but that won't have done much.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76610#Comment_76610 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76610#Comment_76610 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:06:59 +0000 NickiB
I heat with wood and don't have gas : I use 3.5 kWh per day of electricity for everything apart for hot water and heating - for 68 m 2 for one person if that is any use. I think my daily average is down to about 3 per day since my oven broke. (I still have my induction hob to cook on)

Nicki]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76613#Comment_76613 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76613#Comment_76613 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:05:14 +0000 CWatters Posted By: jules My gas bill is now in, and my average since the end of Nov is 172kWh/day, but that's for about 240 sqm.

So about 0.71 kWh/day/m^2 in winter. About the same as me in winter I think

Averaged over a year I'm using around 0.32 kWh/day/m^2 for heat and H/W. Area 330sqm & family of 4. House built to Building regs 4 years ago but no more.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76619#Comment_76619 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76619#Comment_76619 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:55:43 +0000 seanie
I've seen figures from one of the utilities that the average household's annual gas use is around 20,500 kWh and electricity 3,300 kWh, although I don't know what the 'average household' constitutes.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76621#Comment_76621 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76621#Comment_76621 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:10:15 +0000 wellanna
Semi-detached: http://www.nationwide.co.uk/hpi/historical/SD_Houses.pdf
Detached: http://www.nationwide.co.uk/hpi/historical/D_Houses.pdf
Terraced: http://www.nationwide.co.uk/hpi/historical/T_Houses.pdf

Sadly they don't include any energy usage figures :sad:

Neal.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76626#Comment_76626 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76626#Comment_76626 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:52:05 +0000 CWatters
http://www.unece.org/press/pr2008/08env_p13e.htm

It's talking about Geneva but says..

Low-energy buildings have brought average energy consumption per square metre (m2) per year to less than 50 kilowatts (kW), as compared to 150 to 200 m2 in “normal” housing.


I assume they mean kWh not kW.

50kWh/m^2/year = 0.13 kWh/m^2/day
150kWh/m^2/year = 0.41 kWh/m^2/day]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76628#Comment_76628 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76628#Comment_76628 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:14:54 +0000 jules Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76633#Comment_76633 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=76633#Comment_76633 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:38:16 +0000 sinnerboy
http://www.sei.ie/Your_Building/BER/BER_FAQ/FAQ_BER/Assessors/January_Status_Report.pdf

That way you can put a buildings rating into some context

Is there such data available in the UK ?]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77049#Comment_77049 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77049#Comment_77049 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:01:24 +0000 workaholic Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77050#Comment_77050 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77050#Comment_77050 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:04:39 +0000 jamesingram Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77059#Comment_77059 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77059#Comment_77059 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 20:09:08 +0000 workaholic We have only been back living in the property since August. We had to move out for the major work. The heating has only been up and running since October so I have yet to get a full year in.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77112#Comment_77112 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77112#Comment_77112 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:48:34 +0000 DamonHD
http://www.earth.org.uk/saving-electricity.html#meter2009

Until last year gas was about 9MWh/y and until about 3 years ago electricity was about 10MWh/y. Smug, moi? B^>

AFAIK, modal electricity consumption in UK is ~3.3MWh/y, mean 4.7MWh/y (presumably reflecting houses inefficiently heated by electricity), and gas 18MWh/y. I believe that all but about 1.5m of the 26.5m UK households are on (or have access to) the gas main.

The source of all these figures is the excellent UK government's DUKES (Digest of UK Energy Statistics), available at a browser very near you:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/dukes/dukes.aspx

Rgds

Damon]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77119#Comment_77119 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77119#Comment_77119 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:39:22 +0000 SamTownsend
200m2 1920's Semi. Fairly well doubleglazed/sealed/insulated.

Fabric and Vent Heat loss approx 5.5 kW (@-3C external - 20C internal)
2kw for DHW =
7.5 kWh peak load.

Total kWh for March 09 - March 10 = 13873

Reckon about 500 of that is Cooking.
Heating is off for 5 months over the summer. Estimate about 500kWh a month for DHW.

Started taking gas meter readings every month.
Oct-09 853
Nov-09 1516
Dec-09 2591
Jan-10 2597
Feb-10 2249

reckon the heating went on half way through October.

Looking forward to seeing how this pans out over the years.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77138#Comment_77138 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77138#Comment_77138 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:28:58 +0000 dimengineer Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77169#Comment_77169 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77169#Comment_77169 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:40:21 +0000 wookey http://www.imeasure.org.uk/ ) and compare yourself with some of the groups there. Might help you place yourself.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77213#Comment_77213 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77213#Comment_77213 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:06:53 +0000 jules
I did start this thread because I was a bit taken aback by the size of my gas bill. dimengineer's usage seems a good target to aim at, but that will be tough, especially since I suspect that a long thin 2-storey house is not as thermally efficient as a box with three floors on top of each other.]]> Average domestic space heating requirement https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77328#Comment_77328 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=5432&Focus=77328#Comment_77328 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:38:22 +0000 DamonHD
On imeasure we get an "A" rating compared to the general user base, but only "B" against families with children in similar properties, so you could probably come slightly closer to our consumption without too much pain. Our gas bill is well under £400/y, and expect it to stay that way even on Ecotricity's new Green Gas tariff slightly more expensive than our previous Atlantic deal, since I intend to reduce demand faster than prices go up! B^>

Rgds

Damon]]>