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Original poster

Dd always putting the heating on..

235 replies

HowLuckyAmI · 18/04/2021 23:50

For about 3 months now DD aged 11 turns the heating on randomly when it really is not needed. Mostly she gets up in the middle of the night/early hours to switch it on then goes back to bed which then leaves the flat stuffy.
Ive asked her nicely to stop doing this, if she is cold than she has access to an extra blanket/dressing gown etc which is at the end of her bed. Instead she is turning it on making the whole place ridiculously hot.
I have covered the thermostat so she cant turn the dial but she has learnt how to turn it on direct from the touch pad.
DH has said to her if there isnt a good enough reason for her to do this and it wont stop then there will have to be punishments as she is delibrately ignoring our requests and the gas bill is huge!!
Any suggestions on how to get her to stop doing this?

OP posts:
NiceGerbil · 19/04/2021 16:45

It's been 3 months and you didn't think about a heater or anything?

My DD runs cold and she has 2 duvets on her bed and a pile of blankets she can pull over, really warm thick snuggly pajamas and onesies, hot water bottle, fluffy bedsocks etc.

I run really hot and she always looks way too snuggled in for me but she's not me so fine.

Just remembered as well when I was at uni my room was the coldest in the house. Despite being a radiator person I used to pile my clothes on top of my duvet and still found if it was under a certain temp when I got in, it did not get warm even under the covers. It was bloody cold though so doubt she's that cold although suppose depends where you live.

3 months and you've not done anything except tell her to stop putting the heating on? You can do a bit better than that.

BluntlySpoken · 19/04/2021 16:46

What temp does she have it to and what's it on?

HerMammy · 19/04/2021 17:30

@HowLuckyAmI
You’ve been repeatedly asked if you’ve spoken to her? how cold is she? what is wearing to bed? why are you not being firm?
You’re allowing a child to dictate to you 🙄

murbblurb · 19/04/2021 17:58

don't worry, OP. Some of the responses on here make it clear why so many of the UK's kids are litter-dropping, wasteful, noisy, entitled brats.

give her the kit she needs to stay warm and if she continues disobedient, start removing privileges.

5zeds · 19/04/2021 18:19

I can’t imagine an electric heater will be that much cheaper. They eat energy. We have to run on a tight budget, and live in an old house. My children understand that we can’t afford the kind of life where you don’t dress appropriately but instead spend a small fortune in heating. Doesn’t she understand that the money will have to come from somewhere?

Waxonwaxoff0 · 19/04/2021 18:21

I wouldn't bother with an electric heater, I had them in my old flat and they made zero difference. Might work if her room is faifly small though.

Original poster
HowLuckyAmI · 19/04/2021 19:00

Her room is of reasonable size, bed is no where near the window. She currently wears a onesie to bed but has options of fleece pj's /bed socks etc. She has a 13.5tog double duvet and a fleece type duvet cover. Also at the end of her bed is two blankets and next to her bed is where her dressing gown is. To be honest i had not thought of seeking medical advise from GP but if Dd still complains of being cold when i have bought other the items recommended on here, then i will speak to them.
I have asked her countless times why she continues to turn it on and she just shrugs her shoulders and says because she is cold.
The reason i did not rush out and get anything 3 months ago was because it actually was cold then for everyone.

OP posts:
3Britnee · 19/04/2021 19:03

Does she use the extra blankets and still complain of being cold?

HercwasanEnemyofEducation · 19/04/2021 19:05

The recommended bedroom temperature is 16-19C for sleeping.

I'd be awake sweltering, my thermostat is set to 18 during the day! I need it to be colder to sleep at night.

Babyboomtastic · 19/04/2021 19:08

The recommended bedroom temperature is 16-19C for sleeping.

I struggle to sleep with it under 20 degrees.

woodhill · 19/04/2021 19:14

@mrsm43s

She's cold! If you don't want her turning on the central heating, you need to find some other way of warming her overnight, such as a portable heater or an electric blanket. Blankets or a dressing gown is not good enough. I can't believe so many people want to punish a cold child for turning the heating on, that's what it's there for.
She has been asked not to turn it on repeatedly. I would be annoyed.

I'm sure the electric blanket is a good solution

SleepingStandingUp · 19/04/2021 19:22

I couldn't sleep in a dressing gown, it'd wrap around my legs and trap me. Similarly I wouldn't sleep in a long nightie. Layers and layers of clothes would make me feel claustrophobic so I couldn't sleep in t-shirt, onsie, sleeve, socks. I would put on extra blankets but I can understand why they might feel too heavy. Basically I don't like feeling buried under clothes

flippertygibbit · 19/04/2021 19:38

Are you sure she's not sleepwalking?

HerMammy · 19/04/2021 19:47

From what you’ve described she sounds adequately dressed and with cosy bedding.
Is she cold during the day?
I’d be more concerned as to why she wakes up every night, is it possible she wakes up and obviously notices it’s cooler and switches heating on rather than thinking for a minute and staying in bed or pulling up a blanket.
Make it very clear to her she is NOT to touch the heating at all, she’s being incredibly entitled and disrespectful by continuing to ignore your wishes.

INeedNewShoes · 19/04/2021 20:24

My bedroom at my parents' house is really cold and colder than their bedroom which is at the other side of the house and more sheltered.

I wake up cold to the extent that I can't get back to sleep. The solution for me is an oil filled radiator left on all night but on low which takes the edge off the air temperature and I take a hot water bottle to bed which stays warm enough to make the bed itself not so cold.

It is horrible being cold when you're supposed to be asleep (my gas and electricity bills combined at my house are £55 a month which in my house is sufficient to keep me warm so its not that I'm a complete wuss who spends £100s on heating my own house!).

The other thing to bear in mind is that skinny people do tend to feel the cold more.

Plumedenom · 19/04/2021 20:28

Do you have a thermostat? At what temperature does the heating kick in? I.e. what is the lowest temperature of the house at night? Does she have a good thick duvet? Does she have a decent bed that's not down on the floor? One thing is for sure, she is cold. It's not disobedience to be punished, it's a problem to be resolved. A vest helps under clothes, or a thin tshirt. Bed socks make a massive difference and an electric blanket would add some heat that would remain trapped in their and help. You could even get a timer plug to turn the blanket on at say, 4am, to give her a boost at the right time, or if she is waking anyway she could just turn it on. We have a little electric heater in bathroom. Not great for heating a Josie but for a little kick of heat as you get dressed and have a shower they are great.

Muddledupme · 19/04/2021 20:42

Electric blankets cost pennies to run and we've got them on every bed so that people can regulate their temperatures. It works well and the heating is set on low.we've found under blankets to work best.

ChrissyPlummer · 19/04/2021 21:18

And whoever said that you don’t want her to remember her parents house being cold is right. It is one of my abiding memories of having to be freezing getting up from school and getting in from school. My DPs house is a ‘cold’ house anyway, always has been, whereas my old flat was always pretty warm, even without heating on.

When I moved, I could tell my DF was disappointed that I didn’t visit more often, but I knew I’d be cold (I then lived too far for a visit with no overnights). About 12 years ago I rented a house about 10 minutes from them and went over Christmas Eve, asked my DF to take me back on Christmas night as I just wanted to be back in my warm, cosy house.

Like a pp, I hate the idea of sleeping in loads of layers, just claustrophobic and uncomfortable. It is not unreasonable to want to be warm and comfortable in your home.

ScissorsBike · 19/04/2021 21:30

Get her an electric blanket

Chesneyhawkes1 · 19/04/2021 21:57

Oil filled radiators are good. I had one for my dogs in the conservatory at my old house.

Tbh I'm a cold person and keep the heating on all the time. I also don't want to sit about the house uncomfortable dressed up like I'm going outside with loads of layers on. But I pay the gas bill, so I guess it's my choice.

But I hate being cold so I feel for her in that respect.

RandomMess · 19/04/2021 23:05

My youngest loves having her room unbelievably baking hot and I love mine really cold.

I hope she doesn't have any ill health problems.

feistymumma · 20/04/2021 05:21

@mrsm43s

She's cold! If you don't want her turning on the central heating, you need to find some other way of warming her overnight, such as a portable heater or an electric blanket. Blankets or a dressing gown is not good enough. I can't believe so many people want to punish a cold child for turning the heating on, that's what it's there for.
Completely agree with you
SunsetBeetch · 20/04/2021 07:32

I second buying an oil filled radiator. They are pretty economical to run.

CorianderBee · 20/04/2021 08:08

Make her a hot water bottle when she goes to bed...

ufucoffee · 20/04/2021 08:24

Asked her nicely? I'd be furious when she's been told not to do it. She's 11 and capable of putting on an extra blanket or socks if she's cold. I assume that the people who've said that the warmth and comfort of their children is the most important thing ever will be happy with the children having full control of the central heating if that's what they fancy doing.