Heating on or off when WFH

[Teachymummy]

I'm WFH (studying) today and looking for what most people do with regards to heating when WFH. It's just me rattling round in the house until 3pm.

Heating has been on 2 hours already and I've just turned it off and it's 14 degrees inside (-1 outside).

I want to leave it on all day tbh but it's so expensive (large house). No working thermostat so we manually turn it on and then off again.

Currently wearing a vest, dress, thermal tights, normal socks, slipper socks, slippers, a cardigan and oodie. And hot water bottle and flask of herbal tea. But I'm cold!

Got internal doors closed and curtains open to let the sun in.

Is it just one of those things that Is part of WFH having to put heating on?

I could drive to college and work there but it gets noisy in the library and then there's the cost of fuel and parking. Plus roads are like an ice rink here

Leave it on today but can you pick up a heater for the room you are in? I generally put the heating on for an hour in the morning and then on again at night as needed.

But during the day I have a heater in my study, a small oil filled one, a lovely scented candle. It isn't expensive to run and keeps the room cosy.

I put the heating on just in the room I'm working in (plus low level elsewhere). I have fancy controls which make that possible. In your situation I would just get a small heater and keep the door shut in the work room.

As per person above, I would see what I could do specifically for that room. Maybe getting a small portable oil radiator would be cost-effective. I do know those blow heaters aren’t. But no way, can you sit there in this weather without some form of heating?

Can you turn other radiators off? Just keep a few on?

I keep mine set to 16 degrees all year round, so the heating comes on if it drops below 16 indoors. I bump it up to 20 degrees at this time of year between 6am-8am, 3pm-5pm and another hour in the evening just to take the edge off.

I heat my office and that's it!

Longer term you need a little plug in heater or heated throw. Have a Google and find the most recent article with how much per minute each of these take to run, they are quite efficient.

For today, you need a hat on and fingerless gloves if you have them. Then just have to suck it up with the heating until you can get to a Argos/dunelm order from Amazon for something to heat your room.

Usually off during the day but it's currently minus 1 so it will be set to 16c today. I have a heated throw too which helps.

I’m thinking about getting a heated blanket or an oil filled radiator so I can warm up the room I’m in.

For us in a 30s semi it doesn't make much difference leaving it on all day or letting it cool and then reheat as it's the heating up that uses the most gas and not maintaining the temperature. So when WFH I just leave it on but we have a room thermostat that regulates boiler.

We use the box bedroom at home as my office, and instead of heating the whole space I usually have the door closed and an oil heater under my desk which warms it all up nicely. It isn't working at the moment so I put the heating on yesterday and it cost us considerably more than just having the heater on so I will be replacing it pretty quickly!

Get a heated blanket. I’m at home and it means I don’t have to heat the whole house. Game changer.

Your heating sounds terrible. 2 hours and only 14 degrees!

But, I work from home and I have a heated blanket as I don't want to heat a whole house for just me in one room.

I also have an oil filled radiator if need be.

I have heard good things about infra red panels.

But today, I'd have to have the heating on as I don't think you can sort that out quickly. I find it very hard to do sedentary work below about 16/17.

But a duvet and hot water bottle might help.

Ours comes on at specific times in the day for a couple of hours. In between, I have an electric heater. I work from our bedroom so can also snuggle under the duvet if I need it. I hate being cold.

Like the rest, I keep heating off and use layers to keep me warm. I have a sleeping bag so I can stuff my feet and legs in as I suffer cold feet!

Also - if you can find time - do a fast jog outside for ten minutes at lunch or something else active - it will help.

Honestly I heat the whole house, it's fairly energy efficient albeit a good size house. I also have all of my interior mood lighting on 😂 I couldn't work in a dark cold house, for me half of the atmosphere is light and heat - I'd feel grumpy otherwise.

All internal doors open and windows open for a slight breeze too 😂 it's a contradiction but the fresh air feels good in a warm house!

We both WFH and as much as I am worried about bills being high, the way I see it is if you're wearing 3 layers and you're still cold, that justifies the heating on. No one would be in this house in a tshirt and the radiators on, but if I'm wearing a tshirt, a cardigan and DP's jumper over the top and shivering, it's going on.

I also have fibromyalgia and struggle to regulate body temp. I work in the smallest bedroom, and have a teeny electric heater in here that goes on when I needs it, and heats the room quickly

I WFH and don't have heating on during the day. The room I'm in is currently 12.5. I've got a fleece top and trousers on and quite comfortable. I think I've acclimatised as I hate the heating on now. We had friends over at the weekend so turned the heating up and I felt ill and had to keep going outside. I much prefer a cool, fresh room.

Either your house is really badly insulated or your heating isn’t up for scratch.
After 2 hours, temp should be higher than 14oC.

Otherwise, I’d get a small electric heater and put it on in the room you’re working, with the door closed.

EDIT: Also double check that your thermostat is working properly. Get a new one with a timer so it comes on and off at the same time and is linked to the house temp.
fwiw it’s quicker and less expensive to warm a house where the temp hasn’t dropped down too much. You might actually be better really warm the house up and then keep it always over a certain temperature (15oC?) rather than trying to play catch up all the time.

Ive worked from home for the last 20 years and it would never occur to me to not have the heating on during the day.

This! I'm the same.

Mind you, we have a draughty Edwardian house. The heating has been on since 6.30 and the warmest room has reached 16 degrees. The hall is still at about 12. The heating is on al day with the thermostat at about 18. It normally reaches that by about 5pm. There is no way I am spending the entire day frozen.

I don't understand why people don't put the heating on when working from home. I couldn't work if it was too cold.

I work from home. I live in a draughty 3 bed 1930s semi. Our heating is on all year round controlled by a thermostat.

We have a smart meter and IHD showing the cost of our gas and electric use. Even on a really cold day our daily energy cost might be £12 per day with the heating set to 21/22 degrees (boiler firing constantly to maintain temp).

Compare that to the cost of driving to work, buying a coffee and/lunch. And you get a toasty warm house.

I WFH all week, DH two days. On the days I'm on my own, I don't have the heating on. I have an oodie and have a hot water bottle. Occasionally cuddle the dog if v cold (me or dog). I do pop the heating on just as I'm doing school pick up, just for half an hour to take the edge off until heating kicks in around 6pm.

When DH is at home he likes to have the heating on all day, heating the whole house (I find it ends up a bit too suffocating) and has a fan heater he blasts at his feet for about 4 hours. He likes to be hot rather than just warm.

I go by "heat the person, not the house" - we don't need all rooms heated all day, the AM and PM programmes are fine.

@Seeline Yes my house is the same age, and quite draughty. Our hearing bills are huge but I'm not prepared to work in a cold house wearing loads of layers.

My heating comes on for a quick blast every hour or so I think - I used to just have it coming on two/three times a day but that’s less economical apparently.

I don’t turn the heating up when wfh tho, just use a hot water bottle, warm clothes and make sure I have a warm breakfast and lunch.