I'm putting the heating set at 20 all night .. will this work?

[beanbaghashtag]

Normally heating goes off at 8pm. Set to come on just before 6am at 21. However it's been freezing in the mornings as we have loads of windows. It seems to take hours to heat up and things feel damp and cold underfoot in most rooms. Last night DS woke complaining he was cold in his room and DD also woke.

We usually have the window open a tiny slither for air to come in anyway, but our room is much warmer than the kids due to the position.

So tonight I'm leaving the heating running all night and hoping for no night wakings. I'm also hoping if the house stays warmer I can get away with running it at 20 all day rather than 21/22. Maybe wishful thinking that?

I have a smart meter so will see if it's costs loads more? 🥶

Says it's 4 degrees now outside, forecasting a low of 2 degrees.

[ozymandiusking]

Close the windows at night. I do understand you might want fresh air at night, but just whilst it's so cold, close them. Turn the temp up another degree in the morning.

[GingerAndTheBiscuits]

I’d put it a bit lower OP, to 18 or so?

[JurgensCakeBabyJesus]

We have 20/21 during the day and 18 at night which is comfortable and means it kicks in if it gets chilly

[dementedpixie]

Keep your windows shut
Have your heating on until later at night but I'd still have it off overnight
Invest in warmer duvets and/or warmer pj's for the kids

[beanbaghashtag]

@GingerAndTheBiscuits

I’d put it a bit lower OP, to 18 or so?

Had it on 18 last night and it didn't come on. I don't think our thermostat is particularly brilliant, although whole heating system is only 5 years old and serviced each year.

[SittingOvation]

Where is your thermostat? Is it possible that it didn't drop below 18 where it is positioned but was colder in the kids' rooms?

[Sideswiped]

I'd keep it on the higher setting for longer.

[100problems]

I have a big Victorian house and don't usually need the heat on at night, in fact it makes us all sleep badly. However last night I left it on at 18.

Woke up and felt awful but warm. So warm I turned it off and didn't need it again until 5pm, which I figure nets it out and then some.

[SequinnedShawl]

Our house is 12° if we're lucky first thing in the morning! 18° would be a balmy paradise!!

[AnotherMansCause]

Why would you have the heating on all night but then leave the window open to let the warmth out?

FWIW, I struggle to sleep when it's 20 degrees. In summer we sleep with no duvet, & have a fan on when the temperature gets to about 23 or 24... it's 19 in my bedroom right now & I'm uncomfortable under the duvet.

If you are cold, wear better pyjamas, blanket on the bed, electric blanket etc. Get slippers if it's cold underfoot. It shouldn't feel damp with the room temperatures you describe - if it does, cranking the thermostat up is unlikely to improve it significantly, it'll just be warm & damp.

[ElBandito]

Close the window and put another blanket on your kids' beds. Or be bankrupt by Easter.

[MrsAmaretto]

We have oil heating and have Tado/Hive thermostats on all radiators in order to control the heat and save money. Means the kids rooms can be set to a lower temperature than ours at night.

[Talipesmum]

Try it. If it didn’t come on set at 18, and it was still v v cold in the morning, maybe the place where the thermostat is, is warmer than the cold places. Is it portable - can you put it in the kids bedroom?

We had night wakings with babies / toddlers for years, and it was so awful if the heating was off. We caved and just left it on (18-19 ish) overnight for those years. I reasoned if we were still up, it was needed!

Do you have double glazing? Roof insulation?

[Talipesmum]

And maybe try having it go off later, as a compromise? 8pm seems pretty early.

[Iggly]

Hot water bottles, windows closed at night and another blanket!

[MioneAnna]

I feel so unwell when I have the heating on at night. Decent pyjamas and bath before bed work for us

[8stone13]

The best thing I've found to prevent kids (& me!) waking cold in the night is electric blankets. We all have them, love them & wouldn't be without them.

[Divebar2021]

You could invest in a couple of portable electric radiators for use overnight in the coldest rooms. We used one for DD’s room when she was a baby as it is north facing and has 2 windows. They’re much cheaper to run overnight than the heating and maintain whatever temperature you choose. I’d also leave my heating on an hour later at night and earlier in the morning. It sounds like you have an overall problem with insulation though. Our 1920s house felt considerably warmer once we had our old windows replaced.

[GrandmasCat]

Close the window at night, you are letting the warm air escape through that.

It may be that your house is too damp if you are feeling that cold under the covers and also a reason why it takes so long to warm up(another two good reasons not to leave the window open at night)

Put the thermostat away from radiators. I turn the heating off at night and we are still warm under the duvets with the temperature going down to 15-16 degrees. On very cold nights, a hot water bottle is your best friend.

[MazzleDazzle]

When my kids were young I used to set the heating to come on for two hours in the middle of the night.

[Pixiedust1234]

Damp air stays colder for longer. It might be worth investing in a dehumidifier to get the air drier/warmer especially in the children's bedrooms. A decent one will cost around a hundred pounds but worth the investment

[Notcontent]

It’s good to air rooms but do that by opening windows for 30 min or so every so often with the heating off - don’t have the windows slightly open as you are literally throwing large sums of money out the window.

My house is warmer downstairs (where the thermostat is) so I also set it to 18 for night time and I think that means that in practice it’s set for around 16 or 17 upstairs. That’s ok for us even though we really feel the cold but we do have warm duvets and quilts on top. And bed socks!

[HeddaGarbled]

Close the windows. 8.00pm is too early for it to go off for the night - it’ll be freezing before you even go to bed. If the thermostat is set at 18 and the heating doesn’t come on when the temperature is 2-4, there’s something wrong with the thermostat.

[TheSmallAssassin]

Get some hot water bottles! Much cheaper than putting your heating on overnight. Mine stays warm til the morning in its cover.

[Lysianthus]

We have ours set to 16 and it is off from 10pm. Proper pyjamas, good duvets etc. Kids tend to kick bedding off, so onesies is a good plan. Unless you are not worried about cost then plan for big hikes and don’t underestimate what that will mean. I’m in a Victorian terrace with good glazing but sometimes the condensation does worry me. We put the heating on sporadically throughout the day and have an electric condenser for damp (prevention).