Advice on how to handle- dds housemates at uni want to out heating on overnight

[Thethingswedoforlove]

How can we convince them that it really isn’t cheaper to keep the house at a constant temperature?! They want to have it on at a ‘low’ temp of 17 degrees! It’s a huge house with 6 people and most students don’t even have it on during the day let alone at night. I’m at my wits end. How can we afford that bill? I told her that she should say that those that want it on overnight need to pay and she won’t pay a share of that but clearly that is a bit confrontational and doesn’t lend itself to harmonious living. How can we convince them?! It is utterly nuts. Some are saying things like my dad knows about heating bills and it is def cheaper etc.’

No one is claiming authority or rights. My dd wants help and advice. But I am suggesting she steps back and goes with the majority view and I will help her with the bills. Friendships are definitely more important.

DD is on minus £6500 after accommodation costs.
if we couldn't fund it she wouldn't be there

You are right it is cheaper to turn it off than leave it on all the time - unless of course there is some consequence like a burst pipe.

But in houses of 6 people you only have 1/6 of the say in what goes on. So you have to really accept that. 17 degrees is not a hugely high temperature, it's not exactly tropical island territory.

I think more of a problem is that noone will actually figure out how much the bill will be until it is too late (end March ?) unless everyone is aware of it. At that point you can pretty much guarantee there will be a huge row as to who is going to pay for it. Some of the 6 may well do a runner and not want to pay. So the best thing you can do is prep for that, and take whatever steps are necessary to make sure you are not lumbered with the whole cost.

Just be glad that you only have 1/6th of the bill, and that there is a finite amount of gas a boiler can actually burn.

Thank you Mermaid. This is exactly the situation.

You can't convince them. Its their house not yours. They have the right to try their way and discover for themselves the cost impact. When the house is shared and a decision effects everyone the only way to reach it if there's disagreement is a majority vote. One person (or her parents) can't override that. Nor is it practical for her to refuse to pay given she will benefit from the heat. All you can do is take this one on the chin as a downside of house sharing and hope they discover for themselves its more costly (if it is) and stop doing it.

I can see that now. Agreed.

DD is on minus £6500 after accommodation costs .if we couldn't fund it she wouldn't be there

Blimey! I guess I shouldn't complain!

17 is a very low temperature. The house shouldn't really be dropping below that at any time. If it's already above 17 degrees in the house, the heating won't come on so it won't make any difference to the bills. If it's below 17 degrees, then the other students have a right to not want it painfully cold.

Mine did this too. Just buy her an electric throw for her room

They can decide themselves. They need to make an agreement to all pay their share on time with no disputes. The bill will be high. They could already set aside the payment. They need to dress warmly and wear a blanket, thick socks or slippers and a hat inside. Warm bedding will also help . They should study in the library instead of in their room.

And how would a medical student pay their own bills?

If the parental household earns over £60,000 a year then the student will get the minimum loan which is £4,767 a year if you live away and outside London.

DD1's accommodation costs alone in halls is more than £6,000 a year and they are very much at the cheaper end. Fortunately with her course she can get a part time job, but we still have to give her a substantial sum each month.

This stuff about 'constant low temperature' being more economical is untrue in many cases, but it is easy to test. Have the heating on for 24 hours at constant low temperature, and then do the 'off and on as needed' and see which is most economical for you via meter useage.

In this cold weather, I've spent basically double my usual costs because son is here and is acclimatised to student halls heating, so I have the 'constant low temp' thing going on. My budget will be much improved when he goes home in a few days' time!

Wearing a hat inside is ridiculous. Clearly too cold if you need to do this.

I'm really surprised to hear that people leave their heating on overnight, if even at a low temp. We have ours on intermittently throughout the day, for an hour each time. There's no need for us to have it on overnight as our duvets are warm enough. First thing in the morning it is put on and the house warms to pretty fast even though we live in an old building.

I wouldn't be happy if my student housemate's mum started dictating the rights and wrongs of the fact the majority of people in my house want the heating on.
Quite frankly I suggest you keep out of it. They're grown adults. They need to work it out amongst themselves without parental intervention.

How do they pay the bills? Presumably one of them is the named person on the gas bill and collects everyone's share?

If your DD is that individual and therefore ultimately responsible for getting her flatmates to pay her then I would be more nervous about doing anything that would significantly increase the bill... in case the time to pay comes and they start saying they had no idea it would be that much and can't pay.

If it's the responsibility of one of the people wanting the heating on 24/7 though then probably easiest to just let them crack on.

Not at all if you’re sat studying in a cold house. Perhaps you’ve not done this in a cold house or you could afford heating as a student.

Yes. Student loans have not kept up with inflation and in addition if the parents income is over £25,000 per year the parents are expected to contribute.

My daughter is a mature student on full loan. Despite having worked full time in hospitality/customer service for the past 3 years she has been unable to secure a part time job that fits in with her studies despite having applied for over 200 jobs since September.

17 degrees is low. I have mine at 21 degrees - but I am not young. The heating is on a timer but also responds to drops in temperature. The cost of heating overnight will not be huge, esp if only at 17 degrees.

Yeah it was tough being you.

Hat indoors is a step too far, I agreed with you until then.

I think that some posters have no idea what student loans are like these days or just how expensive student rentals are now.

What happened when they were students is completely irrelevant to 2025.

Yes, many students work to supplement their income. Some courses are so content heavy that the student isn't able to work or isn't able to earn enough to cover their living expenses.

Parents are expected to top up student loans.

And how many kWh of gas do you use to get it up to temperature after letting it fall overnight?

Because mine is 'on overnight' and what that equates to in reality is that on a night like last night which dropped to -4c, it kicked in four times for about ten minutes to keep the house at 17c. It's not as extravagant as it sounds but it does mean that people aren't hiding under their duvets on a morning waiting for the heating to do something useful.

Until the advent of central heating it was not unusual to wear a hat of some sort indoors. Think women's caps, baby caps. The rule that men remove an outdoor hat refers back to the time when people wore hats indoors all the time. Also mittens (fingerless gloves), shawls, waistcoats and jackets with a gown over them. Look at some pictures of people in the past.

Completely agree with this. I also lived in a house(s) with mixed views on heating and agree who is funding bills did feel like it made a difference. But agree not worth the battle sometimes especially if in a part of the country where it really is freezing - has been -7 overnight in Manchester. Student houses vary in terms of insulation / efficiency and often the bigger houses are older Victorian / Edwardians which are harder to hear and you really do feel the cold in them.

@Thethingswedoforlove. I think a bit harsh people saying just leave them to it they’re adults - to be fair as much as I thought I was an adult when I was at uni doing a 6 year degree I wasn’t and would often ask advice from my parents. Agree that you can’t persuade them (OP has also agreed with this too) but also think there’s nout wrong with a bit of compromise. Keeping heating on overnight for a week or two whilst weather is freezing probably won’t make a huge difference to costs and then go back to whatever the arrangement was beforehand or using a thermostat etc. Hopefully things warm up soon - and good luck to your daughter in her studies

I mean I’m not 100% sure but I think the OPs daughter is at university after the advent of central heating.