Have you turned your heating on yet?

[RJBingham]

Been away for the week, no one in the house, no heating on, had visions of returning to a cold house, ended up having to open the windows to cool things down a bit  

[Duncan McAlister]

Capitulated this evening. The auld yin was feeling chilled coming off the golf course and I’ve not been too comfortable myself either. Just for half an hour hopefully, two heaters in one room.

[East Lancs Rain]

On 22/09/2022 at 08:02, Brucie said:

I also feel that people tend to rely too much on heating.  I see loads of people around here walking around outside and inside in shorts and t shirts even in the depths of winter, and then come home to the comfort of a heated house.

Yes, quite a lot of people have a genuine need to keep warm (these are the ones who we need to think and worry about) but those who just take heating for granted cause:

a)  increase in personal expense on heating 

b)  needless pressure on national grid 

c)  unnecessary carbon footprint

Just use your sense and put some more layers on when your house is moderately chilly (15c). Below 13c, even I might think again though!!

David,  Northallerton 

Shorts AND t-shirts OUTSIDE in the winter? Wow they must be very hardy in Northallerton then. I don’t see that round here, see the odd person in shorts during the winter but never with just a t-shirt, and usually people going to/from the gym, teenagers who have played sport, joggers, cyclists etc.

On 22/09/2022 at 19:25, Met4Cast said:

It's still 23c in my place, coolest it's been since before summer but still no need for the heating, Typically don't turn it on until it drops below about 17c, until then I just stick on an extra layer. 

Wow your house is warm, mine has been 17-18C for a couple of weeks. It’s an old bungalow though so it’s colder. The benefit though is it doesn’t get that hot in summer - yours must have been absolutely boiling during the hot summer we have just had.

On 21/09/2022 at 20:39, Frost HoIIow said:

If I lived on my own it would hardly come on at all. Probably just enough to keep damp at bay but other than that apart from proper cold spells I wouldn't put it on. Rather not put money in the pockets of greedy energy companies. Unfortunately unless it's a heatwave my wife feels cold almost all year round so I don't get much say on it.

I bet it’s you who pays the bill as well..

21 hours ago, markyo said:

Very nice and comfortable 16c both upstairs and downstairs, from the outlook little or no chance of me having to put heating on for the foreseeable. Weirdness and living in a house without a member of the fairer sex really does help to keep one's energy bills down! 

It’s down to 16.5°C in the living room today, and it feels chilly. But we are holding out for as long as possible due to the huge rise in energy prices this year. But with even chillier weather next week we will have to put it on I think. Last year we didn’t have to put it on until 1st October as it was a warm September.
 

I see a lot of people are going back to using logs, coal fires etc. I am seriously considering getting solar panels or even putting a small wind turbine in the garden.

The only way to beat the energy crisis is to generate your own power.

[Polar Maritime]

Living room currently 16c but not sitting about and keeping active makes a big difference if your able to that is.. I'm trying to keep my heating off which is an old fashioned oil Aga range untill November at the earliest. Hot water bottles, blankets and some extra layers make such a difference. And snuggling up to the dogs

We do have an open fire in the living room but the amount of effort that's involved with 70+% going up the chimney I've blocked that off with some plaster board and painted it black.. it's still there if I realy need it and have plenty of free wood from my woods if need be.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Polar Maritime

[hillbilly]

On 24/09/2022 at 19:30, markyo said:

Very nice and comfortable 16c both upstairs and downstairs, from the outlook little or no chance of me having to put heating on for the foreseeable. Weirdness and living in a house without a member of the fairer sex really does help to keep one's energy bills down! 

You are right about the Mrs.How my other half has gut to yesterday without heating is amazing unfortunately she has gone to Spain for a few days with friends so her shock when she gets back might force me to light the log burner at least.Currently 15 deg indoors,ok for me at mo but certainly better than when i was renovating my old house at 340 metres in the Pennines in 2010 with no heating at all!

[Dan B]

Agreed with the wife that if the stat drops to around 16ºC then we'll consider having the heating on in the mornings etc...

 

Until then...

 

 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

3 minutes ago, Dan B said:

Agreed with the wife that if the stat drops to around 16ºC then we'll consider having the heating on in the mornings etc...

 

Until then...

 

 

What a lovely house you have x

[Sunny76]

Turned heating on for half hour last night,  but only using it here and there since the chilly mid September period.

Once the daytime drops to 15-16c for a longer period of time, we will be using the heating more frequently.

Old Victorian building with poor insulation is a curse. It was like a furnace about 5 weeks ago.

[Methuselah]

I've been trying to make an arrangement for eon to come and fit my smartmeters; what a pity their 0808# shuts off a second after it connects. I smell a money-spinning telephone scam!

[snowdog]

14 minutes ago, Ed Stone said:

I've been trying to make an arrangement for eon to come and fit my smartmeters; what a pity their 0808# shuts off a second after it connects. I smell a money-spinning telephone scam!

My daughter had a smart meter installed mid July, with SSE, and it’s still not been updated on her account! She is unable to submit any meter readings and when she tried to phone them she got passed around different departments, on hold for over an hour! They have still not sorted it out. These companies think people have endless time to wait on the other end of the phone. She is thinking she shouldn’t have got the smart meter after all. 

[Bristawl Si]

Havent had a smart meter fitted. Wont bother until they are 'universal'.

[ANYWEATHER]

Just turned our thermostats on down stairs for front room and diner by front door to heat landing ,and bathroom.  Only on low though just enough to keep chill off. Not bothered at all at the moment for bedroom heating. 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Don't think our heating has been on this morning. Wasn't on last night as we were cooking to it heated the house up. It was on yesterday morning though.

[Met.]

I'm waiting til October 1st to see how my standing charge/unit prices will change before using the heating. If it isn't as bad as all that then I'll use it as normal (fairly conservatively) to keep temperatures about 18 degrees in the day.

[East Lancs Rain]

6 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

Turned heating on for half hour last night,  but only using it here and there since the chilly mid September period.

Once the daytime drops to 15-16c for a longer period of time, we will be using the heating more frequently.

Old Victorian building with poor insulation is a curse. It was like a furnace about 5 weeks ago.

We finally gave in and turned ours on last night. Indoor temp now around 18°C. Only a 1-2°C rise in temp but amazing how much warmer it feels. Put winter duvet on last night. Opened the bedroom window for a bit in case I would be too warm in bed, bedroom temp cooled down to 16°C, felt lovely and snug under the duvet.

 

My house is an old detached bungalow, built around 1930 I think. It’s got some loft and wall insulation. It’s a cool house, nice in summer but once outdoor temps drop to 15-16°C the indoor temp struggles to even maintain 18°C. This is a disadvantage as it means we have to use the heating more and can’t wear summer clothes as much as we could if we lived in a more modern house. The advantage however comes in summer, no need for air conditioning, and even in a heatwave it “only” reaches 25-26°C.

 

Being up north as well, it’s cooler so we have to use the heating more than most southerners do, around 8 months of the year, from around mid September to mid May most years. And that’s to keep the indoor temperature at 18-19°C. It has been 15-16°C here for a while now, and the last couple of days has dropped into the low teens. Brrrrr!

6 hours ago, Ed Stone said:

I've been trying to make an arrangement for eon to come and fit my smartmeters; what a pity their 0808# shuts off a second after it connects. I smell a money-spinning telephone scam!

I wouldn’t get a “smart” meter if I were you, read a lot of bad things about them. When the meter man came to read our meter, he didn’t like them either, said they do nothing to save electricity at all. He also said some customers had been blackmailed into having one by the energy companies, he said they can not force you to have one. 
 

Check out this website for more info: 

stopsmartmeters.org.uk

6 hours ago, Bristle Si said:

Havent had a smart meter fitted. Wont bother until they are 'universal'.

Won’t be getting one in this house unless they become mandatory. They are more like dumb meters. Just like “smart” motorways. Pointless, stupid and dangerous. 

[Don]

The heating has come on downstairs but will remain off upstairs for now.

[damianslaw]

Quite a lengthy part of the day Ive needed electric heater on. Without, its dropping down to 15 degrees. Its probably more expensive than gas central heating..

Edited September 26, 2022 by damianslaw

[markyo]

Bedroom at a nice 13c this morning, just about ideal, nothing in sight to warrant any heating on at all for now.

[Dan B]

15mins this morning to get the towel rad hot in the bathroom... Horrible getting dried off with a cold, wet towel

[reef]

We finally caved in this morning and put it on. After two days of 20-25mph wind blowing right at the house from the NW and a min of 4.0C last night it had dropped under 18C inside. Only took 45 minutes to get it up to 20C so that'll do.

[snefnug]

Just ordered oil at 85 p per litre, ouch!  So no, oil fired heating not on.  Hot water goes on for an hour in the evening, as solar buddy generates enough for the daytime at the moment.  Wood burner on in evenings in sitting room.  Summer wardrobe swapped for winter and woolly socks and cardigan on today, winter duvet on bed. Current temperature in house at @15c. 

[Sceptical]

5°c at 7pm yesterday, inside temperature 17.3°c. Still no need for the CH to be fired up  

[Sunny76]

15 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

We finally gave in and turned ours on last night. Indoor temp now around 18°C. Only a 1-2°C rise in temp but amazing how much warmer it feels. Put winter duvet on last night. Opened the bedroom window for a bit in case I would be too warm in bed, bedroom temp cooled down to 16°C, felt lovely and snug under the duvet.

 

My house is an old detached bungalow, built around 1930 I think. It’s got some loft and wall insulation. It’s a cool house, nice in summer but once outdoor temps drop to 15-16°C the indoor temp struggles to even maintain 18°C. This is a disadvantage as it means we have to use the heating more and can’t wear summer clothes as much as we could if we lived in a more modern house. The advantage however comes in summer, no need for air conditioning, and even in a heatwave it “only” reaches 25-26°C.

 

Being up north as well, it’s cooler so we have to use the heating more than most southerners do, around 8 months of the year, from around mid September to mid May most years. And that’s to keep the indoor temperature at 18-19°C. It has been 15-16°C here for a while now, and the last couple of days has dropped into the low teens. Brrrrr!

I wouldn’t get a “smart” meter if I were you, read a lot of bad things about them. When the meter man came to read our meter, he didn’t like them either, said they do nothing to save electricity at all. He also said some customers had been blackmailed into having one by the energy companies, he said they can not force you to have one. 
 

Check out this website for more info: 

stopsmartmeters.org.uk

Won’t be getting one in this house unless they become mandatory. They are more like dumb meters. Just like “smart” motorways. Pointless, stupid and dangerous. 

I think we would still like to wear winter clothes, if we lived in a modern house though. That way, we would probably leave the heating off for longer periods of time.

Ideally, if we lived in a modern flat, we would use the heating for an hour or so just to heat the place up, and have it off for the rest of the day. And just wear some warm jumpers.

 

 

[Puddy Galore]

Had to admit defeat and put the CH on for a while this morning to get some quick heat. It was 16c in the bungalow and as my 90 year old mum was coming down to me, I had to warm the home through for her benefit.   I normally light the burner for her  but other things were going at the same time so opted for a blast of CH.

[MP-R]

Not yet... but haven't had windows open at length for quite a few days now, which normally don't stop doing until well into October.