Most economic way of running underfloor heating?

[pat127]

From reading the key posts I get the impression that as it takes a long time to heat the mass of the floor it's better to leave the system running all the time.

Here are 2 scenarios. In both cases what is the recommended way to run the system from the aspects of energy-efficiency and responsiveness to heating needs?

1. A couple, both working, need their heating in the evenings only. during the week.

2. A family with young children where the house is usually occupied all the time.

What is the situation when a house is left empty, e.g. when away on holiday? At what point does it become more economic to switch the system off entirely?

 

[qwerty?]

We would be senario 1, and we leave the heating on 24/7, it kicks in when it needs to. One of the reasons we went for ufh and geothermal was the ease of use, no messing with timers, turning off radiators etc.

We went away for 2 weeks over the summer, and just turned the heatpump down slightly, so the house was kept warm, and the large cylinder of hot water keep hot. We felt by turning the system off completely it would end up costing more to reheat the cylinder, and the house.

 

[pat127]

Thank you.