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Original poster

I want to relax, owner controlling central heating remotely

184 replies

PaddingtonBearPumpkinstare · 26/10/2019 11:52

I am currently on a long weekend with DH and two DC. Whilst the cottage is lovely and we can’t fault it, the heating is controlled remotely via an app by the owner. It is set to 22 degrees and to come on at 6.30am to 10am and then 4pm to 10pm. If we want to alter the temperature or turn it on or off we have to text the owner and ask her to do it. Is this the norm?! I’ve never heard of this before.

We only arrived last night and have already had to text her twice. We arrived just as it was starting up at 4pm and as I was unpacking I was absolutely boiling and had to open all the windows upstairs. Our heating at home is never above 19, DH asked her to turn it down. She said she’d turn it down to 20 for the rest of our stay unless she heard otherwise.

During the night DS woke for a bottle at 3am and I was really cold and actually couldn’t get back to sleep for a while. Obviously we couldn’t text her at that time. If that had been at home I would have just put the heating on for an hour whilst he had his bottle. Then this morning at 6am, DS started whinging in his sleep and when I checked him his cheeks were really cold. So this morning DH has texted her again and asked her to put it on at 2am for an hour but she hasn’t yet responded.

I can only assume the reasoning for it is to stop people leaving the heating on all day when they go out. The weather is horrible today and I want to arrive back to a nice toasty cottage but that won’t happen if we arrive back before 4pm.

AIBU to want to relax on this short break and not be pissed off and feel like a child asking for the heating to be put on?

OP posts:
recrudescence · 26/10/2019 16:11

I would really hate this. Hope it doesn’t become a thing because I do like a cottage holiday.

Oblomov19 · 26/10/2019 16:17

Leave a complaint.
I like 19 degrees and hate to have the heating on at night.

Whoopstheregomyinsides · 26/10/2019 16:17

You absolutely need to request control unless it was in the advert that you had no say in the heating, which I doubt very much

Abraid2 · 26/10/2019 16:22

22 degrees is HIGH! I'd hate that.

spanglydangly · 26/10/2019 16:31

I own a holiday cottage and have the same ability, but I put clear instructions saying I've set it for what ever time but feel free to override it. I could easily unplug that control though and leaving them no way of altering the heating.

It's great that I can turn down heating when they've left and set up up when people are there.

No way would I want to irritate guests by being so controlling.

Mention it in your review.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 26/10/2019 16:53

@Tianc Yep, no hard controls at all. It was installed by Boxt, who we understood were replacing the original thermostat, but the engineer said he'd just been told to install a Honeywell system.
We complained, but they said they don't install external thermostats anymore, and they couldn't arrange one to be fitted now that the boiler was fully installed.

The Honeywell app is a nightmare, it goes down constantly and you can't change the heating while it's down. It's got a little screen that tells you the temperature but it has no controls on it and you can't make it do anything without the app.... I wish we hadn't got it installed.

MrsPellegrinoPetrichor · 26/10/2019 17:06

Where in the country are you? Is it freezing?
Window open is obviously the solution if too hot, can’t see how it can be too cold between 10am-4pm (realistically 11ish before the house loses all the heat from the heating going off at 10?)

We've had the heat on at 19 all day and I'm pretty hardy. Chilly today where I am and damp too which makes it feel colder.

OP - it sounds a bit daft to have to text her but then so does putting the heat on in the middle of the night for an hour- surely you just wear a dressing a gown to keep warm?

Beveren · 26/10/2019 17:06

Is it worth buying a cheap and cheerful fan heater for your son's room? There's not much point heating the whole house if he's the only one who needs it.

ASandwichNamedKevin · 26/10/2019 17:23

MrsPellegrino OP will want to keep her 11 week old baby warm if feeding him during the night.

This situation is bloody ridiculous and I would phone the owner and ask for control while you are staying there.
Have had heating on most of today in South of England.

Tianc · 26/10/2019 17:28

AnchorDownDeepBreath Shock

breakfastpizza · 26/10/2019 17:38

Please do mention it in the review. I've had this before and it's outrageous. We all have different body temp ranges and if I'm paying to be on holiday I'm damn well going to be comfortable.

Ninabean17 · 26/10/2019 17:50

Please, please place a complaint with hoeseasons. It's your holiday, you should be comfortable. Especially with a young baby

Original poster
PaddingtonBearPumpkinstare · 26/10/2019 18:00

Back in the land of mobile signals now. As someone said, I would be fine if it wasn't for baby, he was whinging in his sleep this morning and was extremely cranky when he woke up and wouldn't take a bottle so I think he actually woke up as he was cold as he normally guzzles his first bottle

Anyway, I told DH what to text and he gave me his phone to do it Grin. I said something along the lines of please provide access for us to control the heating ourselves. It is not satisfactory when we have a young baby. It is spoiling our enjoyment of our break.

Her husband has responded (interesting she gave the phone to her DH and we were the opposite way round!) telling us a load of blurb about it being set for the optimum enjoyment of the cottage and about the impact on the environment but also where the thermostat is.

Does anyone know if the thermostat will override if the heating is not set to be on anyway?

We have just bought a little fan heater (although we shouldn't have to) which I guess will come in handy at home. Just heading back now, will be interesting to see how warm it is tonight after coming on over 2 hours ago. It's definitely not very well insulated to have gone off at 10pm and be freezing cold again by 3am

OP posts:
Bellringer · 26/10/2019 18:05

Hotels often have heat on timer. Ask for supplementary heater

LIZS · 26/10/2019 18:08

Depends on the controller but yes you may be able to use it like a normal timer/thermostat to change times, temperature etc. However the app can still be used to override changes.

cultkid · 26/10/2019 18:09

Fuck that install the app on your phone and log in

LIZS · 26/10/2019 18:20

But op has no username or password!

Findumdum1 · 26/10/2019 18:21

you can normally set up a new user by scanning the barcode off the thermostat or the box - can definitley do this with a Nest

BoffinMum · 26/10/2019 18:29

We have a holiday cottage and it has a Hive system with a controller in the hall by the front door, really obvious.

We had guests contact us during the heatwave saying they were cold (!) and wanting it turned up, so we did this remotely even though they could have done this themselves. Then they complained it was too hot! Each radiator has its own thermostat but we think they really wanted a butler to attend to their heating needs.

We were staying there last week and I put it up to 22C via the boost function in the evenings as I was rather chilly even with a sweater on. It’s usually set at about 19C.

cultkid · 26/10/2019 18:55

Set up a new account it's possible xxx

Oblomov19 · 26/10/2019 19:14

Did you read the reviews of this property? Pre booking? I wonder if owner has done this before. Surely someone else would have said?

Oblomov19 · 26/10/2019 19:14

Her husband's response just makes it worse!

Original poster
PaddingtonBearPumpkinstare · 26/10/2019 19:37

@MrsPellegrinoPetrichor as we are away for a short break I haven't got a thick dressing gown with me to wear, it's a thin flimsy thing which doesn't take up much room in the case and as someone else pointed out it's DS being cold I am concerned about

And also, why should I have to wear a dressing gown in bed at 3am!!

OP posts:
purplepigs · 26/10/2019 19:38

This is not acceptable !

Original poster
PaddingtonBearPumpkinstare · 26/10/2019 20:04

@Oblomov19 yes I thought the bit about the environmental impact was a bit Hmm. Us city folk just not giving a monkeys and, you know, wanting to be warm!!

OP posts:
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