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 don’t have central heating. The log burner goes on when it’s REALLY cold. We have electric heaters in the bedrooms and living room. Ours rarely goes on, the baby’s is on a thermostat control and goes on at 17 degrees.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles

Try bleeding your radiators, it sounds like they may have air in.

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.

What?? Is there something wrong with them? How do your fragile boys cope when their sister is wearing a bikini?

To buck the trend on this thread, I have through careful monitoring of trial and error, found that the only sensible way to heat my house is to have the heating on all the time at a low temp.

It may well be different for other houses, but my house is a stone built Victorian affair with semi-open plan layout and double glazing.

Having the heating on very low all the time is more efficient for my boiler, and it prevents the walls of the house becoming cold (which are a heat leech if you switch the heating on and off all the time).

I'm never sweltering, and usually wear at least a jumper, but there are benefits to the house in keeping it dry and maintained well.

And as for fuel consumption - well, we had an £800 rebate when we switched energy suppliers, so we're certainly using far less energy than expected of us.

Ours is set to 19 all the time - the most fuel efficient setting for the boiler. We are in the US though and any lower means we risk pipes on the outer wall freezing; our weather is pretty severe this time of year.

I bump it to 21 for an hour in the morning before getting up, but then it’s at 19 all day unless the outdoor temp is above 10. If the outdoor temp is above 10 it goes off entirely during the day because the house gets too warm!

Ask her what she wants to do without to pay for the heating to be on to 25 C all the time?

Maybe if you didn't ever buy her any clothes, seeing as she doesn't want to wear any, didn't have wifi or a phone and bought only the most basic food and drunk only tapwater, that would free up enough money so she could have the heating on as much as she wanted while she lounged around in her underwear .

Or she could just put some bloody clothes on and appreciate that you are doing your best for her with what you have.

I turn my thermostat to 15 for 20 minutes every other day when it's cold (frost on cars outside!). I work from home so I'm here all day, I layer up with clothes and socks, heating is off the rest of the time. I can't afford to do any more than that!

I only have heating on for half an hour morning and evening. The house was built in 1700 and has sash windows so no double glazing and it's pretty cold, but DD and I wear dressing gowns, thick socks, have blankets etc. Neither of us want the heating on more and surely that's the point - that you all agree (and we split the bills so she has a say at 22 - when she was 12 she might have felt cold but has obviously grown used to it 😀).

@vivacian no not showing her thread but I will say I have chatted about it .

Thank you all for your replies.

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I'm also in a mid 60s terrace (ex-council house). We have heating on for one hour in the afternoon, and an hour and a half in the evening. So you sound pretty reasonable to me.

Thermostat set to 16 but it's in the hall which is much, much colder than the living room. If I set it any higher I swelter.

@RoseMartha you may want to tell her that we have a Dr in the house (DH) and our heating never goes above 21degees and isn't on all day even though my office is in the house - I opt for jumpers and a blanket over my knees. I'm aware that I'm cold all the time so I dress appropriately.
We have a zoned system so we have different temperatures in different rooms depending on the time of day and automatically protects from frost but it varies from 16-21 degrees when on.
I miss having a terrace house ours got and stayed warm so much better than our semi.

My heating is on 24/7, at 21 degrees.

I'm in a semi and when the heating's not on the temperature drops very quickly.
To the point where getting out of bed in the morning is difficult because it's so cold.

I suffer from problematic joints so can't afford to get cold, but even before then I liked a warm house.
Plus DD hates wearing socks, vests... anything made to keep you warm - so I need it on to ensure she's warm enough.

My grandmothers house was always freezing cold, to the point you could see your breath, and she refused to put the heating on - telling us to put a jumper on instead (when we were already pretty layered up and uncomfortable as it was.)
I don't visit her anymore.

Can't stand being cold.

But, your DD wandering around in underwear and moaning it's cold is ridiculous. If she'd some decent clothing on and was complaining I'd turn up, but in just knickers and bra? No chance.

YANBU.
I've had to start leaving the heating on from 11pm-6am in our room as it gets so cold and DS who is 4 months is in with us.

I would have it on a timer to add but it doesn't work and landlord won't fix it 🙃

To me it sounds like you have a problem with a silly little girl rather than an issue with the heating.

12 is plenty old enough not to behave in such a selfish way, let her get cold and complain and as someone else said get her to watch a programme about children in real poverty, sorry to say but she sounds a little British to me.

*obviously my autocorrect doesnt like brattish, she doesn't sound British