To never ever put the heating on?

[Awayawaywe]

In the last 2 years we have had the heating on a maximum of 10 days. We use hot water bottles at night and blankets and copius amounts of tea to keep warm. This means our electricity bill is the same in the summer as it is in winter (although we do bathe more in winter as in summer we mostly just have a wash)
We have 3dc all five and under and now when I visit other peoples houses I am sweltering! I end up in a vest sweating my head off!
Are we the only ones?!!!!

Ps this is saving us about £30 a month in the winter months.

What a miserable existence to save just £30 a month!

Just to save £30 per month! if you can afford £30 then it seems a huge misery.

You really wouldn't want to see the cost of our winter oil bill!

Those saying central heating is recent, that's true, but people had open fires and wood burners, or old gas burners to provide some form of heating. Even those 'poor' would have just waited until early evening, but still had heating daily at some point.

What a miserable way to save money 😂 I detest being cold and sometimes blankets just don't do the trick. Also only washing in summer not bathing what's that all about

Im more concerned that you dont bath in the summer😱 digusting

and using thermos water to make tea is abhorrent... if it's not 100 degrees that's not tea you are making.

Me & the family would much rather put an extra jumper and some fluffy socks on than the heating. I grew up without central heating so am used to it.

I suppose it depends where your home is. It's probably easier in some parts of the UK to go without heating.

I'm quite frugal with heating (I don't like being that sort of hot; it makes me stuffy and sneezy) I'd rather be warm because of clothing, moving or hot water bottles. Sometimes it gets as low as 15° in the house. Heating set to 16° during the day and we'll whack it up to 19° when the kids are home. Or I'll let it get to that too if I'm feeling cold.

It does mean I have acclimatised to that temp. I find anything over 22° too warm.

I also try and be frugal with the heating due to environmental reasons. If the kids complain of being cold I'll check the temp first and then decide whether they need more clothing on or if it's heating time! I love to keep them cosy but the heating is never my first choice.

I bet your kids are the ones in nursery who always have red runny noses and bright pink cheeks. And thick itchy woolly jumpers with snottery sleeves.

Some people hang outside? It’d take a while in winter, admittedly.

How can you hang your washing outside?

It's rained almost every single day for the last couple of months in most places in the UK.

There are 5 of them in the OP's house. It'd be impossible to dry their clothes and all their bedding in that way.

Reminds me of my life in the early 70s before we had heating installed - but to inflict this purposefully on your kids, and to be proud of your cruelty, it beggars belief.

Are you renting? Because landlord won't be happy if yes. If not, you won't be happy in a bit. Houses need heat and air, heat and air especially in the wettest winter like we just had. It may not show now, but you will end up with damp and mould as pps said.

I heat to 18 degrees. Anything above is hot for me. Great that you save per month, but it is a bit of a false economy considering cost of damp removing and plaster...

YABU. Thermos tea is horrible compared to freshly made tea. Why suffer crap tea?!

For £30 a month I’d rather be warm. I can’t even consider it, my house would be freezing. I am happy to make savings where I can and I will gradually reduce time it’s on now as the weather gets warmer

open windows when out in the day

You do realise your insurance won't pay out if you get burgled and the windows were left open.

If socks, snuggly hat etc don't work I put it on for 20 mins.

I adore my hottie so love cuddling up with that if the temp is nippy.

Sometimes it gets as low as 15° in the house. Heating set to 16° during the day and we'll whack it up to 19°
I have the same except I prefer 18 -18.5 in the evening when we sit down.

You need to tell us what temp your house is and in what part of the world you live. If it's 18 or 20 degrees in your house, fair enough. Any less, then I think for £1 a day, you are crazy. £1 a day?? Really?? This is how people lived in 'olden' days, when they had damn all choice as yo whether they were warm of not, when they picked up TB and the like. It's not healthy - particular moulds thrive at less than 16 degrees. How do you dry clothes?

Surely your kids sit still at some point -playing Lego, watching TV? They must be freezing - kids often don't recognise when they're cold.

I can't get over only needing a wash in the summer.

I DO NOT understand how you dry clothes (especially in recent weather) with no heating on. I hate seeing clothes drying on radiators anyway but there hasn't been a chance to get them dry outside lately.

You only wash in summer? < NOT envy

It sounds bloody miserable and slightly exaggerated. How can you drink 'copious' amounts of tea from one kettle full? Unless it's a kettle the size of a fish tank.

If you're only saving £30 a month, I'd rather have the heating on, unless you're on a very limited budget. And I too live in a semi, our house would be freezing if we didn't have the heating on at all.

@TheNoodlesIncident
Agreed, tea out a thermos hours later is crap.
Do you need to save £1 per day OP?
I even leave the heating on for the dogs!!
I can save in other areas but no way am I having a cold house, blankets and hot water bottles 🙄 it’s not the 1950s 🙄

I grew up in a house with no heating except in the sitting room which was not allowed on very often and I can tell you it was bloody miserable. I can remember going to bed in my school uniform as it was too cold to undress. I do think many people have their homes too hot, but why live like our ancestors had to.

Our electricity goes up in summer due to the fans. We rarely have the heating on as I grew up in a household obsessed with the bloody thing and I hate being too hot and stuffy! I vowed I would avoid it as an adult and we pretty much do.

It takes all sorts. I grew up in a house with only a coal fire in the sitting room. I wouldn't want to be like that now but I suspect you acclimatise to the conditions. Inside may be chilly but I doubt its life threatening.

"bet your kids are the ones in nursery who always have red runny noses and bright pink cheeks. And thick itchy woolly jumpers with snottery sleeves."

What a horrible thing to say. Colds are viruses you dont get them from being cold. And why would you think they are in woolly jumpers?

Lucky for you living in a flat means you don't have the same exposure to outside temps as those in houses, esp old houses. If I could heat my (old, detached) house for £30 a month in winter I'd be thrilled. Seems you're going a bit overboard though and unless you are on the breadline I don't get it.

I don't think the OP has said she lives in a flat? Just a 'semi-detached'.