Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Are you constantly thinking how much having the heating on is costing?

81 replies

Aldibaldi555 · 14/10/2019 20:43

Not put the heating on here yet but will need to soon.

Got a plug in radiator in DC room.

Are other people just constantly aware of how much having heating on is costing?

We’re not poor by any means, but it’s expensive. Admittedly we have a large, older house.

OP posts:

ParkheadParadise · 15/10/2019 00:15

Heating has been on for weeks here.
I find the cost usually balances out over the year paying by dd.
I can't stand the house being cold.

rededucator · 15/10/2019 00:22

West of Scotland and haven't had it on yet. Dressing gowns when up and about cooking etc and when on sofa we both have fleecy blankets.

Fuma · 15/10/2019 00:29

Just as I wouldn't consider Siberia in winter with a coat on to be the equivalent of southern Spain in summer, so I do not consider sitting under a blanket in a cold house to be the same as sitting in a warm house. So, although I don't enjoy spending money on it, I do think that being warm, indoors, in my own damn house is absolutely a reasonable expectation.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Home improvement

RubbingHimSourly · 15/10/2019 00:35

Mine won't go on until December when it will be used in the evenings. Can't afford it so that's how it is.

DobbyHP · 15/10/2019 00:43

I never turn my heating off, summer mornings can be mild🙈
My partner constantly moans about it been to warm & opens our door/windows. I quickly follow him shutting them all. I love nothing more than a toasty warm home.

CrowleysBentley · 15/10/2019 01:12

We are all electric and only have storage heaters, which are useless and expensive to run so I don't use them. I have oil filled radiators that we use instead, but I watch how much we run them, we're on a prepayment meter so it's easy to track how much electricity is going on heating. We've all got big fluffy dressing gowns, extra blankets and warm duvets on beds and fluffy fleece blankets on the sofa. The flat definitely gets cold in the winter, but there's not much I can do about it. I was thinking about getting one of those electric stoves for the living room, and a couple of heated throws.

sleepyhead · 15/10/2019 01:20

I try not to have the heating on till November. Its been quite mild here so should manage it.

We've only got storage heaters but luckily they work really well so we'll be toasty when they go on - useless for unpredictable occasional use though. Its all or nothing and once they go on I'll leave them on til at least April which costs £££.

We've got great insulation and a huge fleecy throw for the sofa at night so that should see us through for a few more weeks and save some cash.

safariboot · 15/10/2019 01:32

Well I do now. But we still can't have a cold house.

We have a decent boiler now, and double glazing. But like a PP, solid brick walls, not much we can do about them. The bathroom ceiling also has fuck all insulation which is why the bathroom is always bloody cold.

OctoberLovers · 15/10/2019 01:35

Our plug in heater costs alot more than the oil radiator

RainbowMum11 · 15/10/2019 01:36

Always very aware - don't have central heating just horrid storage heaters so rely on blankets, jumpers & hot water bottles!!
Very very careful about putting any heating on really.

Bloodybridget · 15/10/2019 04:29

I should be thinking about fuel bills, and I certainly will next time I get a statement, but like some other posters I hate being cold indoors. Luckily it's been very mild for the time of year here in London, so we haven't needed heating on during the day much, but it's on morning and evening. Use sweaters and rugs on the sofa too!
It's sad and shocking how many people simply cannot afford to have adequate heating.

Tippety · 15/10/2019 04:35

Yes, but as I have a small child I put it on when necessary ie for their bath time if it's cold. When it was just adults in the house wed put on jumpers, dressing gowns and slippers before putting the heating on.

Phillipa12 · 15/10/2019 05:32

After living in Yorkshire in a large house with oil fired central heating and being cold every winter when i was married, im now in a lovely but old cottage down south with gas central heating and i never want to be cold in the winter in my own house again. I do though make sure that my curtains are thermal lined, and the windows are double glazed, the chimneys that are not used have draught excluders in them, the fire is used regularly so that i dont have to put the heating on in the middle of the day, and im currently saving up to have the old radiators replaced. So luckily my dual fuel bill with 3 small dc is just under £1000 for the year.

Spanglyprincess1 · 15/10/2019 05:45

I worry about it but our electric is more expensive as 4 kids and they never ever turn anything off and I wfh most of the time.
I'm cold. Currently. Under a dressing gown and blanket. I've bought the toddler a warm dressing gown and toddler slippers socks to keep him warm.
My heating set to 17 all day which is means it seems to only come on overnight really and this is mostly for the toddler as I don't want him cold.

gonewiththerain · 15/10/2019 05:51

Not yet, the wood burner is on pretty much constantly and is keeping the house warm. I know environmentally they’re not great but I’m given free cut logs as many as I need and I can’t really afford the same level of heat using the gch. The wood burner warms the whole house if I leave all the room doors open. It would not be a cheap option if I had to buy wood.

SuperMeerkat · 15/10/2019 06:17

We have a Nest thermostat which seems to have helped. The biggest thing i’ve found is changing my mindset so I don’t worry. Eg in the summer, the heating/tumble drier are rarely on so it’s like you’re saving up your ‘allowed’ usage for the winter. Ages ago, Martin Lewis showed a really interesting graph on his show which was basically this and that would should go into deficit over the winter but by being careful, you’ll easily make it up over the warmer months.

reluctantbrit · 15/10/2019 06:28

Not constantly but I am aware. We do a meter reading each months and pay for what we used, so lots of savings in summer.

We also have a thermostat monitoring the temperature and only letting the heating on when it drops under a programmed level. Investing in decent windows and good curtains also helps on the long run keeping costs down.

I hate being cold and I hate wearing ton of layers, so heating is on.

PulpPixie · 15/10/2019 06:37

No. I refuse to be cold and sit with a hundred layers on indoors. I’m in a new build anyway so insulation is fantastic. You can keep your draughty, always freezing, cost a fortune to maintain, period houses. I love my cheap to run new build

MuseumOfYou · 15/10/2019 06:45

Live in a 400 year old mill house, so always fighting the damp. Oil can cost £300 a month if we go mad so I'm always turning the thermostat down a bit. I work from home and don't have heating on in the day just for me. I'm seriously thinking of a heated throw now...

Oblomov19 · 15/10/2019 06:48

Never worry about it. Never think about it. Heating is set to 19. All year. I refuse to be cold.
But Dh refuses more. He was poor and had ice in the inside of the windows! Refuses to have that now.

Jayaywhynot · 15/10/2019 06:56

Iv got a smart meter and it shows iv used £780 worth of electricity this year that figure does not include the gas, I'm in utter shock, I'm dreading having to put the central heating on

PearlsBeforeWine · 15/10/2019 07:03

I have my heating set to 18. Its only on from 6-9. So no, I don't think about it much..

Better for the environment to stick on a jumper!

Toomanycats99 · 15/10/2019 07:10

My nest is set to 17 during the day and 14 at night so it hasn't kicked in yet.

Occasionally I have felt a nip in the air but when I look at the thermostat it's showing 20 so I think that's just me acclimatising to the winter.

I do have a mini oil radiator - I work from home a lot and don't want to heat a whole house for the tiny square I am sitting in - especially when that's in the loft so takes longer to warm up anyway.

We are away half term so I am hoping to easily get to November before putting it on.

GymNovice · 15/10/2019 07:15

I don't constantly think about it, on a sunny day we don't need it as we have large windows and it heats up. On rainy days I do moan that the people underneath (flat) haven't put their heating on yet! Actually, I just need to reacclimatise from the summer and get used to wearing slippers and a jumper again.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 15/10/2019 07:16

Ours has been on for a little while as I hate being cold. I worry about the environment costs more but try and balance it out so don’t have a tumble drier, walk as much as possible etc. Would rather save money in other areas if I had too than be cold at home.

Flip

1 2 3 4