With the heating in the house?

[RoseMartha]

I am on a tight budget. I live in a mid 1960's terrace.

I currently have heating set for one hour in the morning and two hours in evening but I will if cold put it on for three hours in the evenings or longer on weekend mornings if necessary. I set temp at 20 degrees.

One of my dc's keeps telling me I am mean. That I should put it on 25 and all the time. Said dc will also prefer to go about the house in underwear rather than dress properly.

I have told my said dc that underwear (bra and knickers), is not suitable for winter round the house and a hoodie and t shirt and leggings would be ideal. Dc is having none of that apparently I am the worst mother ever. If she wants to wear underwear only she will.

I have also suggested she uses a fleece blanket if she is cold.

I feel the cold a lot but have not been cold with heating as it is as I layer and always have a jumper on.

AIBU?

We are onesie wearers. Only me and my DC at home. We both spend most of the time upstairs where is it a lot warmer naturally. Hardly ever put the heating on - I don't feel the cold and have the heating turned off in my bedroom. DC turns it on in their room and the bathroom when they are cold.

I've recently moved into a brand new, (self build) house with lots of insulation and UFH. What I find strange is that, I guess because of no drafts, a lower temperature is plenty warm enough.

So whereas before I had it set at 22 or even 23, to be comfortable in the evening, the highest I now have it set for is 20, although the temp keeps going up for nearly an hour afterwards (to about 20.4). It goes off sometime between 7 and 8 in the evening and is still pleasantly comfortable until I go to bed between 11 and 12.

mine is on about 17-18. It goes on at 6.30 until about 9 and then in the evening from 4.30-`10.
But my bedroom has the radiator switched off and a window open. I like to sleep in a stone cold tomb.

Thank you for your replies. She is 12. I posted as I needed her to see she was being unreasonable.

House heats up quickly. I cant afford to have it on 25 or all day. If she is not cold she is too hot!!! Must be teenage hormones.

We have a room thermometer that I keep an eye on and goes up to 21 sometimes when heating thermostat is on 20.

Yes to the posters who said about climate change. I have told her it is not good for the environment. To which she usually pipes up. You are only saying that because you are poor! 🙄

She thinks we will be better off if I get a job as a dr, bearing in mind I am not qualified as one!!!! (I am a admin worker).

I think YABU (a bit). I’ve posted this on another thread recently, it doesn’t matter how many layers I’m wearing, if the air around me isn’t warm then I won’t be either. I lodged in a house (that was large and not particularly well insulated) where the owners would only have it on for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. I sat there in PJs, a onesie and a dressing gown with a hot water bottle and I was still freezing and could see my breath. It was miserable. My LLs used to sit and watch TV with their coats on. Like fuck would I do that in my own home.

Your DC is being ridiculous with not being dressed, but you sound like my DM. I would wear jeans/trackies, a vest and sweatshirt/jumper and she would tell me to put a fleece or some other layer on. No one should have to dress for outside when in their own home and those clothes (that I had on) should be perfectly adequate for indoors.

I thank the lord that I have a house that heats up quickly and a DH who doesn’t mind how often/what temperature I put the heating on.

It sounds like a conversation with your adult housemate rather than a child! She sounds precocious, to put it politely.

(I’m with you, lots of layers in this weather can make a real difference).

My rule (for me) is that if I’m still cold with slippers, vest top, thin jumper and cardigan on, then the heating goes on. Maybe suggest something similar to her.

Heating goes *up I guess, not on.

@MissCharleyP i meant fleece blanket not fleece jumper or jacket.

@vivacian she is. But there are other issues going on with her that I havent mentioned and which I am not going to mention now.

I brought my kids up to respect others and be kind and generous and be forgiving and she has gone the opposite way and hates those things. According to her it is about what she wants and she doesnt care about anyone else!!! But all of that and the issues surrounding it are another topic entirely.

Ah, well that’s a bit more reasonable but I maintain that people shouldn’t have to be wrapped up in layers inside to feel comfortable. I used to go out a LOT and spend tons on eating out and going out on my days off so I wasn’t in the horrible cold. I have got a Sherpa blanket which is lovely and toasty.

My DM was very kind and paid for me to have my hair blow dried as I’d phoned her in tears at there being no heating/hot water in my shared house and it was similar temperatures to this week. My DPs have got a lot more generous with it in their house in more recent years.

Thank you for your replies. She is 12. I posted as I needed her to see she was being unreasonable.

So are you showing her this thread?

I never have mine on i just wear extra layers and thermals saves me a fortune especially over winter and i enjoy the extra layers and blankets

We set our heating to 18 as an average then turn it up to max 22, but that can sometimes get too hot.

It does feel super cold on an evening sometimes but we'll leave the heating on 20 and grab a blanket.

Get her a hot water bottle and a dressing gown.

When she pays the bills she can have the heating on whenever she wants

I might be wrong here but I think Martin Lewis said it was cheaper to leave it on low all day than have it turn off then on again?
This year we decided to use a thermometer to see what the temp in the house was, over a few days, without the heating and it was always around 15c so we set the heating to stay on 5c all day so it's a comfy 20c ish all day. I will generally be in t shirt and leggings in the house, will pop a jumper on in the evening when temp outside drops. I hate being hot so I couldn't have it much higher, certainly not so I could be in undies.

Ha try heating my 300 year old house with flagstone floors up to 25 degrees, it isn't happening.
I am constantly huddled around the woodburner with the cat. The woodburner saves me ££££ initially quite high cost to put in but I buy two £90 loads of wood in the summer when it's cheaper and it lasts me all winter.

Tell her she is a spoiled brat and that if she wants to walk around in her underwear she can bloody well freeze

I think if she has clothes on - trousers, t shirt, jumper, socks - and is still cold - then give her a hot water bottle. Or she might like to get a nice little paper round and help out with the heating bills

I think the studies have proven that it’s not cheaper to leave it on, the reason being that the house leaks heat.

Personally I think good insulation and one very warm room is better. Wood burner or a small heater.

Massively missing the point, but given you have more than one DC, should she be walking round in her bra and knickers? DD2 started to wander round in pj top and knickers a few years ago in our house and got sent back upstairs. It wasn't appropriate and the boys didn't like it.

Our heating is never on more than 20. My 4yo and husband would melt (they're very warm bodied)
Generally it stays at 19 which is still a bit chilly with it being an older draughty house. If I'm home alone i might treat myself to a warm house.

25 degrees! Christ!
I only put mine on if it gets to about 14-15 degrees and it's plenty warm enough by 18 degrees.

My heating is on 24/7 set at 20 overnight and 22 during the day but I have an immobile wheelchair user who lives with me so they can’t move around to keep warm.. plus they are as old as dirt so serve to be warm at this stage in their life.

I budget all year knowing my heating bills will be really high between September and April so I put extra away plus overpay my monthly standing order.
If you are on a tight budget then she will just have to put more clothing on. Just tell her she can’t have what you haven’t got so go study some more so that in 10 years time she can afford all the heating she wants.

25° would be absolutely boiling in my house. I don't scrimp with the heating, we have it set to 20°, very occasionally a bit higher if it's been extremely cold and we need a boost. My kids will wear socks, and/or use a warming wheat bag if they are a little chilly. I certainly wouldn't entertain them complaining of being cold while not being properly dressed.

Not sure ours has ever started with a 2! I never have the bedroom radiator on and the window's open unless it's bucketing down, I once woke up to a pile of snow on the window sill.

When I win the lottery I’m going to have my heating on 25 all day and all night.
Till then couple of hours a day wear loads of layers and a fleece blanket. Roll on summer.