AIBU - heating for guests

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Went to BIL's for Boxing Day and the house was freezing. They asked if we were warm enough, DH said he was a bit cold so they said they'd put the heating on low. We had our lunch in conservatory and in afternoon we noticed that we could see everyone's breath in the lounge. I then spotted a temperature gauge, 14c. AIBU, but this was far too cold for guests? Have to admit we tend to have temperature around 19c when we have guests.

I don't think it's got anything to do with money. We invited them here but BIL's wife loves entertaining and insisted we go to them. Food was lovely two choices, veggies, salad, bread and two pudds to choose from (better than what I'd have offered in all fairness), so it's not as if they'd invited us under pressure.

Probably not even £1 for most households although in the winter you might need 2 hours of heating to warm a house.

Delatron thats a real lot, do you think it might be a good idea to get someone to check the meters and your appliances to make sure theres not a fault or something?
My Mum has the fire on all the time on hot and theres a gas fire in the kitchen and the winter quarter bill for gas is less than £300.

"I love how some folk assume that popping the heating on for a few hours is affordable.

Gas is expensive and thousands of families have to choose between heat and food."

How much does it cost to heat somewhere for a few hours? I think it's less than the cost of food for guests so I don't see how someone can afford to have guests to stay or for food, but no heating.

My combined fast and electric is £167 so I can easy see it being higher for a 4 bed with underfloor heating.

I’d be happy to bung a friend £2/£3 to slap them heating on the dor the few hours I’m round so I wouldn’t freeze and could enjoy being there.

GAS!! Dam phone.

Way to many errors in that message. I apologise for my crappy iPhone being a dick

I don't really believe any of you actually have houses at 9 degrees! That would be considered dangerous to human life. I couldn't possibly get my house that cold.

Do you live in a new build flat?

Surely you understand the idea that without heating on the temperature indoors will become only a degree or two above outdoors?

Because to heat a house so it's adequately warm often means the heating being on for longer than the time the guests are there.

Cups of tea cost pence and most people have some food in the house anyway so the expense of food is minimal/non-existent compared to the cost of heating the house for a few hours on a regular basis.

How on earth do you 23 degree-lovers cope when there's a baby in the house? My understanding is that they shouldn't be warmer than 16-20 degrees, preferably the lower end, as being too warm increases the risk of SIDS.

Most children in the world (I'd assume) are raised in conditions warmer than this and without air con!

Surely you understand the idea that without heating on the temperature indoors will become only a degree or two above outdoors

Maybe if you never have your heating on ever and have rubbish insulation, your pipes will likely then burst and you'd have bigger issues than putting your heating on for 1 hour a day.

It's just £280 for this month, it was £180/£190 the other month. It's a 5 bed, old draughty house and I do have the heating cranked up. But does seem a lot. I think I need to switch companies.

It must cost £1 to put the heating on for a few hours though. So I do think that's achievable for most and not a 'sacrifice food' situation.

I don't have the heating on at night so if I had a baby it would be fine. 22 is for daytime, don't think that's an issue for children!

I don't really believe any of you actually have houses at 9 degrees! That would be considered dangerous to human life.

Lol, my flat has got as low as this before when the heating's been off. And as for dangerous - it's cold, you put some layers on and a blanket over you until things have warmed up a bit.

That’s crazy low. People are weird about heating though. We keep ours at 21.
I take a blanket round to one of my friends houses as she keeps it so cold.

Maybe if you never have your heating on ever and have rubbish insulation, your pipes will likely then burst and you'd have bigger issues than putting your heating on for 1 hour a day.

Ours got down to this temperature after 2 days of no heating at all during the Christmas of widespread flooding and power cuts.* House got down to 3 degrees. No burst pipes luckily.*

I'm confused about what people think will keep the house warm if the heating isn't on? If it's zero outdoors does everyone really think a bit of cavity insulation and body heat will keep the temperature raised by 10 degrees or more!?

I don't really believe any of you actually have houses at 9 degrees! That would be considered dangerous to human life.

Where I am it’s -17c outside with windchill taking it to -28c. Last night we spent in a caravan. With the heating going we warmed it up to 8-9c when we got home today the house was 6c before we lit the fire. We are up to 15 now

I assure you my house will not get that cold. Unlike,say, a garage it has insulation and double glazed windows and people moving about in it and breathing.

A totally unoccupied house left abandoned for a few weeks would probably get that cold.

I do live in a new build house but my previous 1920s semi also would not have got that cold. Colder than my present house.

The DoH would definitely tell you 9 degrees is dangerous. At 9 - 12 degrees (and at 24+) we run risks of strokes and heart attacks and at less than 9 there is a risk of hypothermia.

Interesting article here anyway about the social history of heating and about thermostats:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12606943

It's so hard to know for guests. Our house is old and freezing but we're used to it. My parents found it cold on Christmas day even with the heating and coal fire on but they like their house to be roasting and we always feel too hot in their house! I guess a lot of it comes down to what you're used to and what your preference is. Ours was 14 tonight and felt cold but we couldn't see our breath, that definitely doesn't happen at 14. We've had the heating on for 3 hours (been out all day) and the fire and it's now 15 but feels ok for us x

If it's so cold that you can see people's breath then no YADNBU! You can't insist on being host and then freeze your guests!

18C here during the day and 16C before baby arrived. Now we do 18C 24 hours a day, it was warmer when he was smaller. If my anaemia is bad or were poorly I have no problem upping that to 20/21 etc. It's just that we're comfy in dressing gowns and slippers etc.

Now I grew up in a massive Victorian house, each room larger than many studios in cities. No central heating, single glazing, draughty etc 8C it was in my room in winter. That was grim.

jafinar - no, it would be the people in the house, the massively thick loft insulation, the double glazing and the brick building materials in my area. And things like sunshine during the day.

I actually think my house is a single membrane wall or whatever they call it .Cavities have gone out of fashion, I believe.

I think most posters are talking about miserly people - not people on the breadline. We have one of those in the family - she makes it quite clear that she feels morally superior for wearing a couple of jumpers around the house. Many friends and relatives refuse to visit this person in the winter. Making your guests uncomfortable on purpose is incredibly rude and nothing to do with real fuel poverty.

This thread is funny.

Those of you with your gas and electric paid up to date and on direct debit are presumably aware that it is MUCH more expensive to buy gas and electric on a pre paid meter as people on lower incomes have to? Just another way being poor costs more.

And again, what’s with people beating their houses to over 20c? Do you really have your heating on in May and September because that’s higher than the average temperature for nearly the whole year.

I've just remembered a time that I stayed over at a friend's house. I knew her house was cold so had gone prepared with fleecy pyjamas, thinner pyjamas for underneath and bed socks. I had a duvet and a spare blanket but it was so cold I had to put my jumper and coat on over my pyjamas to attempt to get warm. My teeth were literally chattering. Didn't sleep a wink.