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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU - heating for guests

388 replies

ifonly4 · 27/12/2017 19:15

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.

OP posts:
AnotherWorry · 30/12/2017 00:41

Im in bed fully dressed with two jumperS and heated blanket up to max and I can't get warm.

Newyearnewyew · 30/12/2017 00:45

It depends! If hosts are sweet and lovely and short of cash wouldn't one sit and Bare it.
I kept coat on at pils, ghastly time, living room cold...

kaytee87 · 30/12/2017 07:59

@AnotherWorry could you buy some oil heaters and all sleep in the same room?

My heating wasn't working a few weeks ago and I used oil heaters to heat our bedroom, our toddlers bedroom and the living room. If they're left on and the doors are closed then they're very affective.

AndhowcouldIeverrefuse · 30/12/2017 08:12

Anotherworry I understand what you mean. Being cold constantly in your home is miserable, it gets you down. The cold gets into you and makes you feel ill. Oil heaters are effective; if you can't get hold of them even a cheapie electric heater will make a world of a difference after a few minutes on in one room.

AnotherWorry · 30/12/2017 08:42

We've got an oil heater in the living room plus the gas fire and another oil heater in the hall and a fan heater on the landing. It's not touching the bedrooms and bathrooms though. The living room is fine so long as we don't leave the house and keep the gas fire on. We had to go out yesterday so that's probably why the living room wouldn't then heat up.

I was going to see if we could get a holiday cottage for a few nights but maybe half a dozen oil heaters would be better.

kaytee87 · 30/12/2017 08:48

@AnotherWorry I'd take the heater out of the hall and landing and put them in a bedroom.

TheOrigFV45 · 30/12/2017 10:29

Me and my SIL staged an uprising against FIL who was hosting Xmas one year. He has an Aga in the kitchen so that room is warm, the rest of the house is freezing.

We said we wouldn't come unless he put the heating up (all in good cheer), which he did. By god...we were sweating!!! Grin

TheDailyMailIsADisgustingRag · 30/12/2017 11:27

Agree with @kaytee. Heating halls is a waste of energy. I’d put the heaters in the bedrooms.

Maireadplastic · 30/12/2017 11:39

Definitely put heaters in bedrooms, AnotherW, you don't need warm halls and landings. Try to air the bed linen too.

Gwenhwyfar · 30/12/2017 11:48

Halogen heaters work really well in small rooms.

kaytee87 · 30/12/2017 11:50

@AnotherWorry if you have a tumble drier then put any bedding through that if it feels damp.

OuchLegoHurts · 30/12/2017 13:31

Don't waste heat in the halls! Just keep the rooms you live in warm while you're in them!

SimonBridges · 30/12/2017 13:42

Can you all ‘camp’ in the living room. Keep one room warm, bring in mattresses, pillows, duvets etc.

Gwenhwyfar · 30/12/2017 13:43

I'm not convinced that heating the halls is a complete waste. Whenever you open a door to a room, cold air from the hall comes in so you need to turn the heating up in the rooms. If you heat everywhere, you don't have this problem. It probably evens out.

Delatron · 30/12/2017 13:53

I assume if you can't afford the heating on then no way will you be running a tumble dryer!

Maireadplastic · 30/12/2017 14:00

Delatron, Another's heating is broken rather than it being a cost problem, I think.

kaytee87 · 30/12/2017 14:02

@Delatron the person I'm talking to heating is broken and given she was talking about booking a holiday cottage, it's a safe bet she can afford to run a tumble drier (if she has one)

Bexterfish · 30/12/2017 14:17

My SILs house is freezing. She has all the doors open for the dog. We have the heating set to 20-22c at home. I like to be warm. She puts it on a tiny bit for me,but I complain in cold, when she comes here she complains she's too hot. My PIL house, they expected my toddler to sleep in a room that was 13c, A duvet and 3 blankets and she was still freezing!. They just like it that way. I don't really expect people to make themselves uncomfortable for me though. I just generally put up with it (and moan)

EvilDoctorHogmanayDuck · 30/12/2017 16:18

Heating our hallway isn't a waste of time as we don't have space for a tumble dryer and we use every single radiator every day to dry clothes.

AnotherWorry · 31/12/2017 01:14

Thank you for the broken heating advice!!! I was feeling very sorry for myself yesterday.

We reorganised the electric heaters today to the living room and our bedroom and kept all doors shut and it's been much better. Kids are camped in our bedroom after putting their bedlinen on our heated blanket for a while.

I didn't think about using the tumble dryer - will use that for towels tomorrow!

Abbylee · 31/12/2017 18:16

Apologies if anyone else checked: breath shows at 7.22°c or 45°f.

We live in a converted barn. (Not romantic or beautiful) and we must run the furnace at a certain temperature or our pipes freeze on one side of the house. There is no way we can live without heat. When dh lost job we used wood stove and fallen trees. It was miserable! Especially the frozen kitchen pipes. Now, i keep an electric blanket "on" on my bed. It helps with the chill. As do space heaters.

I grew up with "see your breath" bathrooms! I certainly didn't linger! It was survival, not frugality.

My mother taught me that "good manners means making everyone comfortable." This applies to reasonable heat/cool as well as words if possible.

Abbylee · 31/12/2017 18:20

Btw, when my dc were young, i would put fresh dry towels in dryer and remove just as they were leaving the bath in winter; they still remember hot towels on cold nights.

2ManyChoices · 01/01/2018 02:01

I don't use my heating, and not because we're, poor, saving or tight, although I am a little!! I just don't see the point, it's set at 13c and rarely drops below 18c and if it does I light the fire. Only thing our boiler is good for is hot water!

halfwitpicker · 01/01/2018 02:05

14 degrees? WTAF.

Way too cold.

whats wrong with these people?

FuzzyCustard · 01/01/2018 14:52

14 degrees? WTAF. Way too cold. whats wrong with these people?

Well in our case, my DH has been unable to work for many, many months due to cancer (and the effects of the disease and the treatment), I got made redundant and as his primary carer cannot now get another suitable job, so we have gone from two jobs to rubbish benefits.

So that's why affording heating is very difficult for us. And being judged for it isn't nice either. Perhaps try to be a bit more thoughtful? One day it could happen to you...

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