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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To put heating on?

64 replies

lockdownbabyx · 15/10/2023 09:48

So for context, I live in a 3 story townhouse and our living room (where we spend most of our time) is on the second floor and directly above the garage. Therefore it's always the coldest room, with hard flooring aswell so feels even colder.
Now I can deal with the cold just by wrapping up etc but I have a 2 year old and an 9 month old who spend most of there time playing on the living room floor. I worry that it's not warm enough for them.
We have a large rug and also a large playmat on the floor for them. But their hands and faces still feel cold.
It's currently 16c and I'm dying to put the heating on 🥶

OP posts:
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Curiosity101 · 15/10/2023 19:47

Our heating is all thermostatically controlled. It's taken me a couple of years of tweaking to get it just right so that the thermostat is in the right place relative to the rest of the house and all the radiators are set to the correct temperature and balanced.

So we don't 'put the heating on', it just automatically heats the house when the house is too cold.

FWIW if I was going to physically put the heating on, it'd definitely be on in a room that was 16 degrees.

Tebheag · 15/10/2023 19:42

I put mine on the other day as it was so wet outside it had that horrible damp in the air feeling plus kids home with wet clothes.

Original poster
lockdownbabyx · 15/10/2023 11:43

AutumnWellyBootsandScarf · 15/10/2023 11:02

@lockdownbabyx

could you look at using another room as the main family/play room? Think outside the box, it doesn't matter if it's a bit unconventional.

Have you asked the LL if they'll put some insulation in the garage?? If they'll carpet that room? (Good underlay& carpet is much better than a rug & playmat.

if the won't, ask if they mind if you do or go 50/50. It'll save you money in heating.

put several thin layers on the children & feel their chests to see if they're warm enough, not fingers & faces.

children don't seem to feel the cold like most adults, maybe you're projecting! Have you got layers on?

@AutumnWellyBootsandScarf our living room is opposite my son's bedroom so he does play in there also.

We asked about having carpet fitted, she said no. It's the same flooring throughout the house and she wants to keep it that way. We are looking to move anyway, a townhouse with two young children isnt convenient for us, but that's another story.

I put the heating on for an hour and we're up to 19c which is perfect. I probably worry more than I should, they don't seem affected at all and I'm generally a cold person anyway.

OP posts:
Sandrine1982 · 15/10/2023 11:08

3 storey victorian house here and we've put the heating on for the past 3 days (half an hour in the morning, half an hour at night, 15min in the evening). Not all rooms though and it takes a bit of running up and down switching off radiators we don't need.
i've done a fair bit of insulating this year too (doors, windows etc) and I'm insulating the ceiling in the basement too as we're losing heat through there too.
Good luck - 16 C is too cold so YANBU.
We aim for 19C....

WhateverMate · 15/10/2023 11:07

This is a very strange question to ask the internet, because if we all said "YABU, continue freezing", you're hardly going to abide by the decision.

Having said that, you're not alone as this thread comes up every single year.

zingally · 15/10/2023 11:06

Yeah, that's a cold indoor temperature. I'd put the heating on.

TattiePants · 15/10/2023 11:05

I promised myself I wouldn’t put the heating on till November but it’s bloody chilly on the north coast this week. Our thermostat is in the hall and it was registering 14 degrees yesterday. We’re planning on gardening all afternoon so we’re treating ourself to turning the heating on tonight!

skyeisthelimit · 15/10/2023 11:04

It's never unreasonable to put the heating on, no matter what the time of year, if you are cold then put it on.

If you can't afford to put it on then that is a different story.

I put my heating on in August when we had a couple of cold nights. That is what it is there for.

There is no law that says you can't switch it on until November.

allthegoodusernameshavegone · 15/10/2023 11:03

Ours is on, we are warm & cosy.

AutumnWellyBootsandScarf · 15/10/2023 11:02

@lockdownbabyx

could you look at using another room as the main family/play room? Think outside the box, it doesn't matter if it's a bit unconventional.

Have you asked the LL if they'll put some insulation in the garage?? If they'll carpet that room? (Good underlay& carpet is much better than a rug & playmat.

if the won't, ask if they mind if you do or go 50/50. It'll save you money in heating.

put several thin layers on the children & feel their chests to see if they're warm enough, not fingers & faces.

children don't seem to feel the cold like most adults, maybe you're projecting! Have you got layers on?

ffsrainagain · 15/10/2023 11:00

I've had my fire going for the last three days. It's turned cold, it's October, it's time to put the heating on in whichever form you use. Must admit it cheaper for us to light the fire than use the gas central heating 🙄

linelgreen · 15/10/2023 10:59

Surely that's why you have heating - if it's cold then it goes on regardless of the time of year.

GettingStuffed · 15/10/2023 10:55

Our heating isn't going on yet. I'm the only one who feels the cold so I can bundle up. I was a child when central heating wasn't common so I'm used to houses being colder than they are today.

My grandson comes from a house that is really hot so we snuggle up under a duvet on the sofa once winter hits. He'll go and play but if he gets cold it's back under the duvet until he warms up again.

BarelyCoping123 · 15/10/2023 10:51

All the health advice I've read says that indoor temperatures below 18C can lead to health issues; for the elderly, young children and people with health issues, it's 21C.
Last year we set the thermostat at 15C and off overnight, because of the cost. It still cost a small fortune and we were always freezing. If you can afford it, put the heating on. Also bundle up.

DinoMummsy · 15/10/2023 10:51

If you can afford to, definitely put the heating on for a bit, esp first thing in morning. Freezing here this morning, was down to 3c during the night 🥶

helloisitmeyourelookingfor · 15/10/2023 10:47

I don't get all the angst about putting the heating on

Is it your house?
Are you responsible for paying the bills?
Do YOU want it on?

So put it on

Doesn't matter what everyone else is doing

Ginmonkeyagain · 15/10/2023 10:47

It feels a lot colder as the temperature has dropped very suddenly. Last weekend in London it was 25 degrees, today it is 10.

I tend to run hot so I am ok sitting here in jeans and a sweatshirt with bare feet and the window open (no heating on). However it is not unreasonable to feel the cold a fair bit at the moment. It will get better as you adjust.

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 15/10/2023 10:47

It’s 10 degrees outside here going by the weather app, and raining - ours is on. We live in an old granite property which takes a while to warm up so it’s better to have it on low for longer periods than blast it for a short time if we’re at home. We have good credit built up from summer (and are very fortunate to be able to afford it anyway). I hate being cold.

Desecratedcoconut · 15/10/2023 10:45

😅 right? Here, have some proper information rather than my scrambled ramblings 😁

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/28/pressure-jeremy-hunt-as-2m-more-households-fall-into-fuel-poverty

Testina · 15/10/2023 10:44

“Of course I'm not going to let my children go cold and will put the heating on. My post was just getting an idea when others put theirs on, general curiosity. Isn't that was these forums are for? “

I don’t run MN so it’s only my opinion, but no - I don’t think AIBU is for general curiosity about when people put the hearing on - I’d use Chat.
You say of course you’re going to put the heating on - but that’s not what your OP said.
That’s why you haven’t gone the general curiosity answers you wanted - because your post want clear.
Seriously, don’t underestimate the number of threads on here with people asking other people to make basic decisions for them! Hence the type of answers you did get.

You’re putting your heating on - great.
I hope your finances are better after mat leave.
To answer your curiosity - I will hold out much longer, as I can’t afford not to.

cocksstrideintheevening · 15/10/2023 10:43

@Desecratedcoconut your numbers don't work.

Graciebobcat · 15/10/2023 10:41

Ours is now "on", at certain times of day, but hasn't come on much yet with the thermostat at 19.

cocksstrideintheevening · 15/10/2023 10:40

If you're cold out the heating on.

Dweetfidilove · 15/10/2023 10:40

OP, I’ve been holding out too and have been managing pretty well without needing it.

My teenager asked on Thursday and I said not yet, but the cold I woke up to this morning means it will go on when we get back indoors.

If you have a dehumidifier that may also work. Turned mine in to dry some clothes last week and it warmed the room so well (something else MN reminded me of, after about 8 years of having it buried in a cupboard).

Desecratedcoconut · 15/10/2023 10:34

User5646382910 · 15/10/2023 10:24

It nothing new though. The house I grew up in had a fireplace in almost every room. Only the sitting room fire was ever lit because coal was so expensive.

We weren’t poor.

Show quote history

7.4million homes now meet the old school definition of fuel poverty - so 10% of their income spent on fuel.

That's two million more homes than the year before, and almost a third of homes

So yes, fuel poverty has always been a thing but to gloss over the recent decline in people living comfortably isn't helpful.

Edited because my numbers were completely wrong the start with 😬

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