Am I being unreasonable to only have the heating on twice a day?

[SantasHat]

I only have the heating on twice a day: 6.30am to 9am then 4.30 to 10.30.
Friends now tell me it is cheaper to run it all day as it costs more to heat the system up once it gets cold.
What do you all do?

It is cheaper to have it running low all day long than for it to keep going off and on.

Isn't that what central heating does anyway? When left on, it switches itself on and off all day long depending on the temperature.

I'd say it's only worth doing the 'low heat all day' thing if you've got your house insulated well first. That way, once you've got the place warm, it'll stay warm and the boiler just ticks on and off occasionally. If your home isn't insulated then all the heat will escape and your boiler will be working hard all day.... v expensive. My thermostat is also a timer so I have it set to be 18C early morning and late evening and 16C night time and daytime. Gas bill very modest.

Sadly I used to live in a maisonette and the lower floor was lovely and warm because the downstairs neighbours were retired and in all day. I can imagine how cost-effective a flat is. Similarly when I was in a mid-terraced house it was always toasty.

My parents bought a house with ceiling heating in the early eighties. WTF? I've never understood that. Heat rises. Can any of the experts here shed any light?

6.45 -8am and then 4.30 -9.30 at about 21c approx.

We also have a crappy electric fire which throws 2kw on the lounge wall after my gas fire was condemned, it looks pretty but does not do much in the way of heat. I wish I had one that blew heat from the bottom and not out of the top. (the ceiling get really warm!!!!)

I only put the heating on in the evening & then only at 16 degrees. I just wear more layers. & sometimes sit with a hot water bottle...but them I am scoogelike when it comes to heating

I use these rather than central heating as I am often alone in the house all day. If my feet are warm then it is easier to cope with.

Must point out that I rarely use the microwave for anything else and clean it regularly

Winterwonderland, I have those slippers - totally life changing.

I only have it on twice a day too: 8am - 8pm, then 8pm - 8am!

Yes they are life-changing! They do wear out after a few months and lose their scent / spill seedy things all over the place but I can't live without them and always make sure that I have a new pair ready to go.

The best thing about them is that when you come home with DC / shopping they can be heated up in 90 seconds so you can experience lovely warm feet while changing the baby / unpacking / doing all the ancillary tasks you have to do before getting comfortable yourself and until the central heating kicks in.

smokeinaces Interested in your post about the hot water. Think I might reduce our hot water times to evenings only. Should be OK as there will be some left in the tank which will be warm next morning for first-thing washing. None of us are keen on showers in the morning.

we have ours on 6.30-9am and 4.30-8.30pm, just changed the timer yesterday so it's on for longer due to dh moaning. love those slippers, bit worried for me they might make my chilblains worse though!

we're having extra loft insulation fitted for free in jan, can't wait. am hoping it'll be like putting s big blanket over the house.

ps, how long do those slippers stay warm for?

Are oil filled radiators hard on electricity? I have one but scared to use it in case it eats the electric

We have oil heating which is really expensive and have gone through the last two winters without it. Nightmare.

We have ours on now for an hour in the morning 7-8, and two hours in the evening 5-7. If we're really cold we boost it for a bit.

Thank you for this thread OP - I'm having the same dilemma. I hate being cold, and I work from home. Sometimes I leave the heating off and use the oil heater only in the room I'm in, but at the moment I'm leaving the CH on low from about 8am until about 9pm. No idea what the cost will be, but as someone else said, I can't stand the cold.

there was another thread recently which explained that it is definitely ot cheaper to have the heating on all day.

clowns Yes, I used to have an oil-filled radiator years ago and it was very heavy on electricity. The advantage is that they are fairly safe to use and not as prone to cause accidents as other forms of heating eg coal fire/ electric fire.

Thank you Santa. Hmmm that's confirmed my suspicions then. Best give that one a miss.

Hope no-one minds but rather than start a new thread, I thought this might be a suitable place to link to a website where there's a petition about the cost of gas and how the prices are artificially high in the UK despite wholesale costs being lower.

Apologies in advance if MNHQ decides my post is off-topic and deletes it...