Has anyone caved and put the heating on?

[DetetectiveDouche]

I get that not everyone can - or should - try to manage without. But I’m among those who want- need really - to try to manage without as long as possible. We are middle aged and grown up kids have flown the nest now and it’s not going to kill us to be a bit chilly and sling on an extra jumper. Reason being of course, that our British Gas direct debit has QUADRUPLED from this month 😮.. I know we are not alone.

Had been doing ok but God tonight it’s so bloody cold! I’m having a bath rather than a shower just to warm up! (I know that costs more than a shower in itself).

I’m working from home some days and seeing my colleagues appear on Teams wrapped in their dressing gowns because they’re doing the same!

Goodness knows how we coped when I was a kid, in our house with one coal fire that used to heat the water too (if we were lucky) and had ice climbing up the insides of the window. I’ve definitely gone soft since then!

Am thinking of buying one of these oil filled radiators.. but doesn’t help that downstairs is so open plan. I’m laying in the bath now and it’s the first time I’ve felt warm all day. Am tempted to rip the HRT patch off my arse at bedtime in hopes of inciting a hot flush! Not really

I’ve dug put my reindeer onesie for when I get out of this bath!

How is everyone else fairing?

I haven’t but I’m fucking freezing and WFH today. We are also taking hot water bottles to bed at night.

Another daft question - is there a way to stop your heating coming on in the middle if the night? I think ours is set now to come on if the temperature falls below 18. But if that's at 2am, will the boiler come on?

We thought DH had set it only to come in at certain times, but it kicked in at lunchtime.

Back to the instruction manual

20c here this morning. Went out in winter jumper. Was melting. It's 18c outside now that it's cloudy

I ‘m pissed off with the house design. Lovely insulated, new build middle terrace, south facing , in the SE. Should be toasty as.
However downstairs I only have a living dining room, a tiny kitchen, a hall and a loo. So everything is done in the one living room. Unfortunately the knobber architects have put the back door to the garden and the car park. So every time you go to the garden for the bins, open the door to take your boots off, let the dog our, go to the car - whoosh all the hot air disappears. Why the heck they didn’t put the kitchen there so you could close the door between that and living space so only the kitchen cooled down. Also useful to open the back door if the fire alarm went off. But no. Fuckers.

Yes. We have set the thermostat to the lowest we can tolerate indoors and the heating comes on when it drops below that. Have had to put on for an hour in the morning as otherwise the bathroom totally fogs up when having a shower, which is in turn, causing problems with mould (we have an extractor fan but the cold means far more condensation).
Already got blankets in the lounge for when we're in there, and extra bedcovers on, etc.

We bought a 15 tog quilt at the weekend. It’s lovely and snuggly… until you have to get up

You're not in the UK then.

I've had a HWB attached to me all day. Cooks my core to the max and I'm as warm as toast.

They don't think
My bathrooms - normal size radiator, toasty warm
Giant open plan living room and kitchen? One radiator in the living room. None in the middle of the room or the kitchen
I don't hang out in the bathroom, I want heat in the living room!

It was mild in October in the UK. That is around my niece's birthday and there is often a little spike in temperature for a few days. Certainly this year it was warm because I texted my sister to comment on the warm weather.

After trying everything I’ve finally found how to keep warm:

Thermal leggings (heat holders)
Two duvets (average tog, not winter ones)
A heat holders blanket over my shoulders

I’m absolutely boiling and I’ve been freezing all week.

Yeah mine went on Monday and Tuesday pretty much all day. It doesn't go on full stop on the days I'm working bar tonight. I'm that cold my legs and hips are aching like anything, both my little toes are throbbing so bad that if I didn't know any better I'd be convinced I'd broken them. I also have pains all around my kidneys which is making me feel sick and shaky. Hearings off now but I've had the electric blanket on for a good hour plus a hot water bottle and I'm still laid in bed freezing cold.

I have, today and I feel joyous. Really lifted my mood to be warm at last, and not have the constant niggling worry about damp in the house (just a constant niggling one about the gas bill instead, but I'm trying to put that to the back of my mind for now).

I feel deeply for people who don't have the luxury of choice.

I've had it on yesterday and today as they're my days off.
I despair at what it has cost me, but, I balance it out by having it on only for an hour either before I get up for an early shift or when I get in after a late shift (and mostly not at all for late shifts) on my days at work and using the electric blanket instead. Spending that much time in bed to keep warm I'm going to end up with bed sores.
There was a distinct damp feeling in the air before I put the heating on too.
And it's only November. FFS.

Yeah, it was mild until about a week ago. No where in the UK is 20 degrees right now.

Yes but only s little gas fire in the room we're in, for a gas hours to heat us and dry clothes

On for about 5/6 hours a day

My fan heater has broken 🥲 so heating the whole house with the central heating on instead of the one little room I work in 🙄

My friend isn't and it breaks my heart that someone who works long hours and has never been unemployed can't put the heating on :(
It's so sad that even with some government help for those bills she is so cold :(
We have ours on between 7 and 9 , just to take the chill off. We are so lucky compared to her

Ours kicks in automatically. I have a preprogrammed thermostat. I keep it at about 17 overnight and 21-22 during the day.