Have You Put Your Heating On Yet ?

[bobbydog]

started putting the heating on for short periods about a week ago. our house is very cold at the best of times, often to the point where it is warmer outside than in! it is badly insulated and does not hold heat well

however, i bought some loft insulation from homebase, £3 a roll (special offer) and it has made a massive difference. i bought 10 rolls which was more than enough to cover the whole loft which is large. a £30 investment could save us a lot more than that in gas, this winter alone!

[Polar Bear]

I live in a rented flat with storage heaters so can't make any noteable changes to make efficiencies. I did resort to having heating on yesterday but only as I am off sick with bronchitis which won't shift! Otherwise been trying to keep it off. I turned it off over night and have joined a gym so after work and more time at weekends spent out of the house using someone elses heating! I don't actually think the economy seven thing works despite me not been around most of the day how come the bill is higher for the day charge. Everything but the fridge is off!! Something amiss there!

Dreading my bill in three months. Thank goodness for that warm October weekend and am so disguted with the prices. Especially when they decide to up them in time for winter. That reminds me I must switch if I can actually work out the tariff!

[Coast]

It’s time to switch the heating on (if you can afford it): Temperatures plummet as gales blow away the sun

Its time to pull the winter woollies from the wardrobe, dry clean the winter coat and dig out the winter duvet. Today finally sees the end of the unseasonably balmy autumn which seemed to keep going and going this month with temperatures soaring to 19C in parts of Britain over the weekend. Gales and rain battered parts of Britain yesterday and the arrival of winter proper was confirmed as the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for parts of England and Wales. The return of the chilly weather will be a worry for many homeowners, coming just 24 hours after warnings that fuel bills are set to soar by hundreds of pounds this winter.

Environmentalists fear an over-reliance on fossil fuels could push up household bills by around £300 a year by 2020. Yesterday, Prime Minister David Cameron told the bosses of the 'big six' energy companies it was 'absolutely vital' that consumers struggling already with rising food and petrol prices were not also hit by higher fuel bills. The Met Office warned last night that flash flooding was a threat across north-west England and North Wales with predictions of up to 60mm of rain overnight and gusts of up to 70mph.

Just two weeks ago, the country was baking in a mini-heatwave as the mercury rocketed to 30C for some. But today temperatures are set to be a maximum of 14C in the South and only 11C in the North of England.Forecasters said gales of up to 50mph would persist until at least Thursday. Tomorrow and Thursday will be even cooler with more blustery showers and temperatures peaking at 13C, just above average for October. The first ground frosts of autumn will hit the South and North tomorrow night, with temperatures plummeting to –2C overnight.

Helen Chivers, of the Met Office, said: ‘We will see heavy and persistent rain across parts of north-west England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. ‘It will also be very windy in northern England and north Wales. The next few days will see more blustery conditions, with sunshine and showers.’ October started with some of the warmest temperatures for decades but transport chiefs are planning ahead as some forecasters warn of a ‘Siberian’ winter.

The Department of Transport said it has a 2million ton stockpile of salt and grit – its biggest ever. The Highways Agency has 500 salt-spreading trucks ready and Network Rail has spent £40million on heating and de-icing units. Snow has already fallen in the Scottish mountains, starting on Sunday night, with up to 6in expected by this morning. In East Sussex today the South Downs took on an almost mystical quality, shrouded in early morning mist. And the sun's rays soon pierced the fog to create more wonderful scenes. In a warning to motorists who will probably have to scrape ice from their cars this week Andy Ratcliffe, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, said: 'It's going to be pretty cold everywhere across the UK on Wednesday night, with widespread ground frost expected in the whole of the UK and perhaps air frost in places too.' Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan said yesterday: ‘This is the first cold snap of autumn and today is the changeover day.

Cloaked in mist, the South Downs at Ditchling Beacon in East Sussex looked haunting yesterday

He said: ‘All parts will be much colder, with wintry showers of hail, sleet and possible snow on the Pennines and North Yorkshire Moors, and hail and sleet in the Peak District. ‘Wednesday afternoon will see sharp showers in those areas, and we could see snow to lower levels in northern and north-eastern Scotland.’ Mr Morgan said that once the gale force winds subside, temperatures will fall further. Forecasts of Arctic weather have raised fears of a major spike in oil prices for home heating.

Experts said elderly people living on their own could freeze to death if they cannot get their oil tanks filled because of rising costs or because delivery lorries cannot get through on snow-covered roads. Last winter the two million homes and businesses which rely on heating oil for cooking and central heating saw prices double in a few weeks, from 40p per litre to 80p per litre. Many households shivered as suppliers battled to get through with oil and tanks froze when temperatures plunged to nearly -20 in some places. Oil lorries could not leave UK refineries on schedule because of treacherous road conditions as blizzards struck. Now the industry is appealing to people to stock up early and take advantage of lower prices now before they soar with the onset of winter.

Chris Bale, director of whichoilsupplier.co.uk, said: ‘With limited oil available and huge demand, the national price went through the roof and a large number of consumers, especially those in the countryside, were left with no fuel for weeks on end last winter. ‘We are encouraging people to plan ahead and ensure they have sufficient kerosene to see them through the winter.’

http://www.dailymail...l#ixzz1bD0oTqzJ

[Radiating Dendrite]

Well I have set her to fire up for the first time this evening (with my first frost predicted tonight).

Starting nice and easy with and hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

[Coast]

Are people still taking advantage of subsidies and grants for roof and cavity wall insulation?

About 35% of all heat loss from UK homes takes place through external walls. Most homes built after 1920 have twin exterior walls with a narrow cavity between them.

https://www.government-grants.co.uk/loft-insulation-grants.shtml

https://www.government-grants.co.uk/cavity-wall-insulation-grants.shtml

[Ladyofthestorm]

We dont need it but we got our great aunts (she is 86) done in Spring....maybe its the only way to stop the tirade of fuel price increases... the goverment to say that every home inthe UK to recieve adequate insulation and double glazing.... maybe that would stop these silly inflation rises and greed of a few.

[philglossop]

No heating on yet, as its a toasty 16.8c in here- think it could be within the next couple of weeks that it'll go on though.

[TonyH]

Still not on, as it's not as cool as was being forecast this week here. Also we can't afford the oil!

Borderline for the Halogen heater though, 16c in the living room this morning.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Tonyh

[yorkshiresnowlady]

I hold my hands up to being nesh lol, but I am currently sat in bed with an extra blancket, a fleece dressing gown and the heating on .... God help me when winter really digs in, I think I will need a mortgage to cover the fuel bill haha.

[Soaring Hawk]

When I lived in Suffolk the heating went off in April and came on again in October.

This year, living in an old house in the west of Scotland, I can confirm the heating has been on at some point every month.

[bobbydog]

Are people still taking advantage of subsidies and grants for roof and cavity wall insulation?

https://www.governme...on-grants.shtml

https://www.governme...on-grants.shtml

we applied and our landlord refused to approve it.

apparently a tenant applied on one of his other properties, which he did approve. he was then hit with a bill for £3000!

this is why i went out and bought the loft insulation. £30 to insulate the loft, ( which had none!) is well worth it. its not the full recommended thickness but it has made a noticeable difference already. at £3 a roll you can go wrong!

edit: just checked and homebase have stopped doing the offer but B&Q are still doing theirs

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=11127503&fh_location=//catalog01/en_GB/categories<{9372016}/categories<{9372050}/categories<{9372230}/specificationsProductType=triple_rol

Edited October 19, 2011 by bobbydog

[SteveB]

Our heating has been on for an hour every evening for the last two weeks, themostat is set to 20c, it has come on everytime, but switched off after 30-40mins.

We are in the process of getting double glazing, but we can't afford to get it all done in one go so we have just had the back of the house done. It certainly made a difference already.

[stewfox]

I told my partner last night it was either have s** to keep warm or put the heating on.

She wanted to keepwarm for more then 2 minutes so heating went on

[SnowRules]

I told my partner last night it was either have s** to keep warm or put the heating on.

She wanted to keepwarm for more then 2 minutes so heating went on

I put my heating on last week, my feet get cold.

[Nick L]

No heating yet...we're students though so it won't be going on until the insides of the windows are freezing up

[Coast]

I wonder how many people have checked the general efficiency of their central heating systems that may have been off and unused for several months? Has everyone bled their radiators to make sure they are throwing out all the available heat? Do you lower the thermostat on those odd days where the temperature rises?

[Cheviot]

Some interesting views on cavity insulation and the problems that can arise from filling the cavity space with material:

http://www.askjeff.co.uk/cavity.html

[Slowpoke]

"It’s time to switch the heating on (if you can afford it): Temperatures plummet as gales blow away the sun"

That's the headline... "gales blow away the sun", who the f*** writes this stuff?!

[Cheshire Freeze]

Don't and can't understand why some people won't put their heating on.....even if just for an hour or so; it doesn't need to be on full bore 24/7. I have it timed and thermostatically controlled; I simply can't be doing with waking up in the morning, sticking my arm out of the blanket and immediately being frozen with cold just because I wouldn't put the heating on for an hour before getting up......for me that isn't a way to live. Also in an evening when having a shower.....how unpleasant is it getting out of a bath or shower into frigid air??!!! Don't honestly know why people would do it to themselves to be honest.

And to people who say they can't afford it, basic heating, electric, mortgage, rent etc are all necessities in life and I'm sure that some people who are moaning about the price can easily afford it in reality with a little bit of austerity and less exuberance on the 'non- essentials'.

Sadly we live in a 'must have' society now with a seemingly large number of people going out of their way to pay for expensive Sky subscriptions, cars on tick and other gadgetry which is partly responsible for the sad mess the economy is in at this very moment. I was always brought up to the mantra 'if you can't afford it with real 'disposable' money then you can't have it, simple as that; pay for the essentials first then anything after that which you can afford is a bonus'.

Edited October 19, 2011 by CreweCold

[Aaron]

I always put my heating on for an hour if I'm cold.. I'm not willing to sit in a house in discomfort.

[Liam J]

I simply can't be doing with waking up in the morning, sticking my arm out of the blanket and immediately being frozen with cold just because I wouldn't put the heating on for an hour before getting up......for me that isn't a way to live. Also in an evening when having a shower.....how unpleasant is it getting out of a bath or shower into frigid air??!!! Don't honestly know why people would do it to themselves to be honest.

I totally agree nothing worse, I make sure the heating comes on at least half an hour before I get up. Also I have a shower in the evenings I hate getting out of the shower into cold air and shivering! The heating goes off at 10pm so if it's after this I bang it on again.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Liam J

[Bogman]

Put ours on yesterday.

[Lancashire Lass]

Are people still taking advantage of subsidies and grants for roof and cavity wall insulation?

https://www.governme...on-grants.shtml

https://www.governme...on-grants.shtml

Yes we enquired but cavity wall insulation is a no go due to our house having solid walls and we had our loft insulation checked and was told that it was a bit patchy in places but that it was adequate so if we wanted it thicker it would be at our own expense.

I wonder how many people have checked the general efficiency of their central heating systems that may have been off and unused for several months? Has everyone bled their radiators to make sure they are throwing out all the available heat? Do you lower the thermostat on those odd days where the temperature rises?

Yep all radiators bled. The older radiators certainly needed it. Thermostat is up and down like the proverbial whatsits drawers.

What about a winter thrift/tips thread? Would that be of any use to people? Haven't seen the thread if one exists already. In this economic climate it's always nice to help yourself and others save money.

Don't and can't understand why some people won't put their heating on.....even if just for an hour or so; it doesn't need to be on full bore 24/7. I have it timed and thermostatically controlled; I simply can't be doing with waking up in the morning, sticking my arm out of the blanket and immediately being frozen with cold just because I wouldn't put the heating on for an hour before getting up......for me that isn't a way to live. Also in an evening when having a shower.....how unpleasant is it getting out of a bath or shower into frigid air??!!! Don't honestly know why people would do it to themselves to be honest.

And to people who say they can't afford it, basic heating, electric, mortgage, rent etc are all necessities in life and I'm sure that some people who are moaning about the price can easily afford it in reality with a little bit of austerity and less exuberance on the 'non- essentials'.

Sadly we live in a 'must have' society now with a seemingly large number of people going out of their way to pay for expensive Sky subscriptions, cars on tick and other gadgetry which is partly responsible for the sad mess the economy is in at this very moment. I was always brought up to the mantra 'if you can't afford it with real 'disposable' money then you can't have it, simple as that; pay for the essentials first then anything after that which you can afford is a bonus'.

Whilst I agree with a lot of what you say I regularly go into elderly clients houses who have none of the above items and survive on a state pension. After they have paid their rent and bought food there is little left so they fore-go heating. They don't want to be cold but unfortunately it's a necessity for them.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Lancashire Lass

[Cheshire Freeze]

Whilst I agree with a lot of what you say I regularly go into elderly clients houses who have none of the above items and survive on a state pension. After they have paid their rent and bought food there is little left so they fore-go heating. They don't want to be cold but unfortunately it's a necessity for them.

Yes, I should have made it clear the elderly were not included in what I said, nor were people who are unfortunate enough to not be able to work through disability etc.

[classylady]

Heating gone on this evening! Can any tell me if it is cheaper to have CH on constant but low, or on timed to come on twice (am and pm) with thermostat at 20oC? Heard it takes alot of energy to get house at required temp when on timed where as it doesn't if it is on low and clicking in all the time when it hits say 15oC!! Hope this makes sense! By the way had loft and walls done in the summer with help of goverment grant, hopefully will make some difference!! (Heating and hot water run on oil)