MIL not sleeping over our house being too cold

I resent putting the heating on and always try and refrain until November but I've been freezing since the beginning of October. When I'm home during the day and in the evenings I keep it at 18/19 and quick blast if I'm cold but at night I get hot so put it on 16. My house is well insulated and all my rooms are over other rooms.

Is your bedroom over a garage? I used to have one of those and I used to freeze at nights unless the heating was on at least 19. Why don't you try what MIL suggests, I'd find it annoying if she kept going on but she sounds right this time (which is even more annoying) 🤣.

I'm with your MIL that's freezing 🥶 I wouldn't want to stay over either

You are joking? Wtf! What the hell is your energy bill like? 🤣🤣

24 is hot and 30 is ridiculous! I agree 16 is too cold, although that's fine for a bedroom while you're sleeping.

Have you got a hive system? If you can afford it then I suggest doing so and installing the hive radiator valves.
That way you can control the heating per room and time of day and it saves money long run.

I prefer a cooler house, our bedrooms are set to 17.5 overnight. You can get a gro egg which will tell you easily if temperature is right.

Our heating is set to kick in when the house temp drops below 18 degrees. When our children were small we had a gro egg temperature light that we would go by and keep their room a little warmer but never over 20 degrees.
People are used to different temperatures, your MIL is being a little hysterical to be so concerned at your house being at least 16 degrees and you are being over sensitive.
My Mum’s house is too cold for me, around 14-16 degrees but she likes it and as it’s her house and she has to live in it I don’t nag at her about it, just say to her when it’s starting to feel a little damp so she runs the dehumidifier.

16 degrees is a false economy; you will get damp and mould at that temperature. We started to get some when we reduced our thermostat to 18. We are set to 19 now and no problems.

Depending on your heating system, it may also be more economical to have the heating on constantly at a set temp than heating a cold house.

It seems like a lot of fannying about with measuring temperatures, heating experts and fan heaters whilst ignoring the massive elephant in the room. If your house feels cold or damp, turn the bloody heating up.

I think when posters mention a tight husband that controls the heating and refuses to turn it on (even though obviously it’s a joint house and you are all living there) this instantly screams control, always makes me feel sad for the OP to live with a man like that, how miserable

This. You’re freezing your poor baby living like that. Your mil is absolutely right!

Going against the grain……our thermostat never gets turned above 15 and in fact our heating hasn’t even been on for the last 5 days because the house is sat at around 16/17 degrees.

We don’t have damp and none us have health conditions because of it. DS is 17, perfectly happy and healthy.

Conversely - SIL/BIL are heating at 23 degrees people…. both of them and their 2 DC are CONSTANTLY poorly with colds and viruses; DN has respiratory issues that the Dr can’t really get to the root cause of and has done since they were a baby.

Should be between 18 and 21. Be careful having a new baby with those temperatures. Your MIL is only speaking with the best of intentions for her grandchild. Of course, you are entitled to say she is interfering but, from what I can read, it is from a place of justified concern. Your life, your baby, your choices but don't complain if baby develops any conditions because of the cold.

16 degrees is very cold. If this is all you can afford, YANBU, but if it’s a choice then I don’t blame your MIL for wanting a more normal temperature.

Sorry to jump on the bandwagon but agree your house is too cold, especially with a young baby and the issues with damp. We have dehumidifiers in the bathrooms to help with this and at this time of year need to have the thermostat at 18 minimum. If we are home all day and when it becomes colder in winter then we turn it up during the day.

I know you don't really get health visitors come so much anymore but my first was a winter baby and even though he was wrapped up, the HV came into our house and said it was too cold for a baby and he needed more layers (I like you was initially concerned about overheating so had gone the other way). I would listen to MIL on this.

Read the op....
They heat up to 16 max for a couple of hours a day.

They have a new born.

And yes i have hive and know temps in each room especially my 3 and 1 yr olds

I have mine on 20 just for the dogs. I would not want to stay either at 16 degrees. Sorry.

Yabvu and either stupid or foolish.

She is (correctly) trying to tell you HOW concerned she is for her GC

what is wrong with you?
The house is 16 MAX so presumably 12-16 most of the day. That is just too cold for a baby that small.
A drop to 14 or so in the middle of the night for a few hours is fine but what you describe is not okay

If money is such a problem cut back elsewhere.

If i was in the situation and had no additional money i would actively be raising money to heat the house.

Heat the house to 18 degrees minimum and stop being tight arses.

Agree, too cold. Too cold for the elderly and too cold for babies afaik. The recommended temp is 18-21 oC.
If you hate a warm house, get those plug in oil filled radiators so guests and children can have warm rooms. 16 is uncomfortable for most.

YANBU. Our house is normally at 14 for sleeping and during the day, heated to 16-18 if we're not doing much and in the evening. 20 is psychotically warm.

I don’t think 16 is too cold, I like a cool room to sleep in and generally I think people have their houses way too hot these days. I don’t know where you live but we’ve not really had any cold weather yet, actually we’ve been commenting how mild it is. So you may need a rethink when the temp drops.

As an aside, how do so many posters know the exact temp of their house? I’m pretty sure heating thermostats aren’t that accurate. Do you have thermometers in each room?!

16 is fairly cool, you'd notice a huge difference in comfort if you upped it to 18, still a conservative warm for some but much more reasonable. Ignore those who are suggesting 24 or 30, that would be fair too stuffy and ridiculously expensive.

Why is your house that cold? I walked from my office to boots yesterday in a cardigan it's only 14 degrees outside. I live in an old Edwardian semi windows are double glazed but old. High ceilings , original wood floors and too knocked through for for the age of the building, our heating clicked off around 7:30 last night and it's currently 20.degrees downstairs which means it is a degree or two warmer upstairs (which is fully carpeted with smaller rooms than downstairs).
You need to check that thermostat is accurate. Also using heaters is probably costing you more than having the heating set to 18

16 degrees is the HSE minimum temp for working (not including food production places). It is cold! Put the bloody heating on to 18 minimum.

I don’t feel the cold but 16c is objectively on the cold side and you’ve had to move rooms because of it. You probably have a cold external wall in the main bedroom and layer of insulation will help.

18-20c will be more comfortable for the daytime.

Put the heating on a timer.

Im not one to agree often with the MIL but she’s so right, not surprised she’s worried! 15/16 is when I put the heating on, to avoid damp and cold. Girl get over yourself, your husband too and stop being a tight arse and put the damn heating on xx