What's the big deal about heating???

[2boyzNosleep]

So, NOT including financial issues, why is putting on the heating a huge issue?

After reading some recent threads regarding heating, it's got me thinking.

If you can afford it, why do people refuse to put heating on as long as possible? Why purposefully suffer in a freezing cold house? We all know that living in the cold is detrimental to our health, so personally I'd rather stick the heating on and be comfortable and healthy and an higher energy bill, than save money, freezing & be more susceptible to illness.

I'm on a fixed tariff so I pay the same amount each month for energy based on an estimate. Usually the estimate is well over what we use and we end up getting money back, so we're not shocked by a massive quarter bill to try and pay. Not sure if that's part of it?

Again, just to be clear, I'm not talking about people who are really suffering with paying bills, cost of living etc.

Also often people say they don't put the heating on, and then they mention they have a wood burning stove or some other heating source so they have at least 1 warm room.

We can afford to put the heating on, DH was at home yesterday, he picked DS up from school at 3:15 called me around 4 (usually they go swimming but no lessons this week) he was just asking if I had anything I particularly wanted for dinner and what time to pick me up from work. He mentioned it was a bit chilly at home, I looked on the app and it was 15 degrees, I asked if he'd put the heating on and he said no he was alright just a bit cold. I put the heating on remotely because if DH was cold so was DS. I don't get it if I feel cold at home I put the heating on unless I'm about to go out

I can afford to put the heating on but don’t often as I tend to run hot (the joy of menopause). I actually like it when I feel cold and over the last couple of days I have felt cold a few times which is lovely as it doesn’t happen often. I am usually boiling hot and feel like I am in front of a furnace.

I used to very much enjoy the feeling of cold and feel quite claustrophobic by too much heat or having the heating on, we do have the windows open all year, but now I am cold all the time, nothing warms me, so we have the heating on a lot, plus the log burner roaring, I walk round like the michelin man with lots of layers and its still not enough

However I understand why people dont have their houses as warm as ours is now.

I find it makes me feel groggy if it is too warm.

I prefer to keep an eye on the bill too.

That’s how we keep costs down. We could run the heating all the time but it would mean cutting back elsewhere.

Not everybody has an abundance of money or the same priorities.

It's great that your payment plan makes you feel secure because you know what to budget. But ultimately you will pay for what you use, if you use too much you will owe them money, if you use less then you could reduce your DD (as you will build up a credit, I'm not a fan of lending them your money for free) which would alter your finances.

Some people are just really tight. I had a friend a school whose parents never had the heating on during winter, even though they could easily afford it. They were much better off than my parents.

Going to her house was utterly miserable in winter and we'd have to sit bundled up under duvets. They weren't just doing this to themselves, there were inflicting it on their children. I felt really sorry for my friend as she absolutely hated it, but I never wanted to go to her house. Selfish, tight arsed gits.

When someone genuinely can't afford it, that's different, but the vast majority can, and will still spend in holidays, going out etc.

Financial issues is the main concern for many. You can't just set that aside. It can also be wasteful. Some people put it on when it doesn't need to be on. I know someone who has it on full blast in August when it's slightly chillier. I'm sitting there with the sweat pouring off me and the air stuffy.

My house just haemorrhages heat constantly and we can't afford to get the windows done, they have to internal as it's a wired building. It's always freezing even with the heat on. So wearing a jumper and hat and body warmer has become standard.

I prefer to be in a cool environment and wear warm clothes.
Central heating really dries out my skin.
An overheated room makes me feel headachy/sleepy - I feel better able to concentrate and my mind sharper if the room is cool

Well I’m British and I’ve never come across people who think it’s some kind of failure to have the heating on. Everyone I’ve ever known likes a comfortably warm house, (whether they can afford it now is another matter).

I don't put the heating on unless I need it because of the cost, the environmental impact, and not wanting to wear the boiler out.

When someone genuinely can't afford it, that's different, but the vast majority can, and will still spend in holidays, going out etc

Maybe they would rather spend their money on holidays and going out.

I just wear an extra jumper and fingerless gloves. I have a heated pad and a small electric radiator for when I am working at home. I don't need to heat the whole house all day.

Yeah and the more you use it the more likely it is to break down! As with anything.

OP you really aren’t understanding your billing. When you submit a meter reading it will adjust so you are paying for the amount used.
The fixed tariff refers to the price per unit.

I grew up like this. We were all fucking freezing all the time. None of us got used to it although we will still all put extra layers on before turning up the heating because of the costs.

I hate having the heating on and I'm much more comfortable feeling cold but it's not because I think I'm hard or better than anyone who gets cold lol I don't get the competition around it all, maybe I'm lucky that I just don't feel the cold but I do stick it on to take the edge off if I know someone is coming to visit.

You are just misunderstanding me or don't understand that we have a fixed direct debit along with a fixed tariff.

I have a fixed tariff for the unit price, and a fixed monthly payment estimated based on the previous years usage.

Even if I did not put my heating on or tried to save energy in other ways, it wouldn't make a difference right now, as my contract doesn't end until July. Hence, my monthly payment is the same year round, regardless of whether its summer or winter.

At the end of the tariff we are usually in credit/have a refund as we've used less than they've estimated.

We can afford it. I avoid putting heating on as much as possible for

Environmental reasons
&
Health reasons - I hate the central heated air. It makes me sneeze and hurts my eyes
&
I run hot anyway.

Every year before the heating starts clicking on due to thermostat setting my DH has to clean the radiators.

I keep the temp between 17° and 19°

I was asking exactly the same thing earlier op. Maybe a cultural thing here. In northern Europe countries it's never an issue to have a comfy temperature at home nor a virtue to not have heating.

Forecast to be 14 where I am overnight, I've just come in and it's surprisingly mild outside

I very much doubt you have a fixed price per month regardless of usage tariff as I don't think such a thing exists, you're in credit because you always pay more than you use not because you have unlimited usage.

However if you have found something that no one knows about are you willing to share which energy supplier it i