to ask if your heating is struggling in this cold snap?

[ohbigdaddio]

We've just moved to a Victorian terrace and are bloody freezing. The thermostat is struggling to get to 17 degrees in the double glazed kitchen and the heating has been on all day. There's no way it's 17 degrees in other parts of the house!
Only been here a week so no idea what it's like in normal winter temperatures.
Trying to work out if it's our new house or if it's due to the unprecedented weather! We have wooden floorboards throughout all 3 floors, single glazing at front of house (conservation area so can't change this) and a lot of the house is open plan which I know will be contributing to the cold but is anyone else having this issue?

Oh and that’s the warmest room, upstairs isn’t anywhere near that warm!

My heating is set to 21 degrees. The thermostat in my kitchen which is usually the warmest room, is showing 16.5.

My house is old, exposed and draughty. Cannot wait until Sunday when the temps start to rise again

Nope heating is set to a degrees

Once the temps drops below that the heating kicks on.

Stove in sitting room on from 4pm ish
House grand, not cold.
Sitting room too warm

yes, my house is cold. the front room is toasty due to a log burner but upstairs is decidedly chilly

I reckon it’s the radiators. Our downstairs is freezing, upstairs really toasty and rads not full blast. We moved here c18 months ago and replaced all upstairs rads but left the downstairs ones (they look ancient and small) as we will be doing a major refurbishment at some point. The new radiators are soooooo much better.

And we have single glazing on the front, double on the back. Main bedroom has single glazing (huge bay) but new rad it’s really warm.

My Victorian terrace is toasty, but it is double glazed. Have you checked all your radiators are hot all over? And are they adequate for the size of the rooms?

Also if you have fireplaces, is heat going up there? A chimney sheep might help. Check for drafts around window frames and skirting boards too. This weather is very cold, but it shouldn't be impossible to keep the place moderately warm.

Our house feels absolutely arctic!

All the curtains are closed, the heating on-all the radiators are boiling, thick curtains up at the front door. I’m wearing two pairs of socks, slippers, a jumper, thick cardigan and a hat-I’m still cold!

Yes, our Victorian terrace is bloody freezing and our direct debit has just gone up alarmingly in spite of double glazing throughout and OTT loft insulation. I had to buy a blanket to wrap myself in while I was working because my hands were too cold to type. Only two more days and we will be warm again OP.

Our house was built in 1948 and we've just had gas central heating installed last year. We've got double glazing in most windows but not all of them. Our bedrooms in the basement have just been finished but we don't have internal doors downstairs, yet. Despite the temperature outside dropping to -17 over the past few days, it's been fine inside. To be fair, I've been more surprised that my car has coped and started without issues the past few mornings. It's been frozen shut and I had to spend ages getting the doors to open but it's been fine once that was sorted. I drive a 15-year-old Peugeot.

Despite the temperature outside dropping to -17 over the past few days

I thought -5 was bad!

It shouldn't be that cold.

Get better windows fitted - my parents had some installed behind the windows somehow so that it didn't alter the look of the house from the outside. fill the floorboards in. Also simple things help like heavy curtains, keeping doors shut.

Turn thermostat up and keep it on constantly if you can afford to.

My house takes time to heat up. I would never switch the heating off at night in most places, more efficient to leave it permanently on.

If you're detached, your house will get colder more quickly.
Also, if you have laminate/exposed floorboards then your house will feel colder.
17 degrees is a tad low.

You need lovely thermal lining on your curtains and blinds, it's better than double glazing and much more attractive than secondary glazing. And rugs on those floors. Those are both quick to resolve at least.

Longer term you'll want loft insulation, floor insulation (involves lifting those lovely floorboards) and since I assume you don't have cavity walls either internal or external wall insulation (if internal you'll need to resolve any damp problems before you do the insulation). Possibly replacing some of the walls if it's so open plan.

Even if it's just the weather at the moment it'll save you lots on heating if the house is insulated to modern standards.

Perishing here and yes boiler condenser pipe frozen so even though its insulated outside so another one out with hot water etc. Neighbour reported large leak in house as outside overflow pipe had frozen and things backed up so worth keeping an eye on things like that as well

Definitely struggling today, our heating has been on 12 hours and it's currently only 22.7 degrees in the house (and it'll be switching off in 40 mins).

I'm not surprised you're cold with wooden floors, single glazing and an open-plan house!

As a quick fix, carpets/rugs on the floor will help, lined curtains/blinds at the windows and close as many doors as possible to warm the rooms up that you are using.

We recently went four months without central heating (we did have a fire downstairs thank GOD) and we used sherpa lined blankets on the sofas, hot water bottles and layers to keep warm. It was grim in the mornings but you soon warm up. Hot drinks help too.

I’m in a Victorian terrace too, double glazing but open plan downstairs and floorboards upstairs. Had a new boiler fitted today and after several weeks of delays(been using electric heaters, hot water bottles and electric blankets for weeks) tonight I’m in short sleeved luxury!!!

1920s house, heating on all day and it's a Jew boiler and radiators, it's ok when on all day.. but only ok. The front door let's loads of cold air in

We live in an 80s build and most of the time, we're freezing downstairs and it's like the carribean upstairs. We've had new glazing, new doors, new loft insulation, cavity wall insulation. We've got thermal Luxaflex blinds at every window. And we spent £6k on a Worcester state of the art boiler (we're rural and on tanked LPG).

Thermostat hasn't budged above 18c downstairs all week. And 1st thing, it's dropped as low as 14c. We've run out of wood for the woodburner which really isn't helping.

My house is hard to heat at the best of times, one reason I'd never have wooden floors. At the moment it's freezing, the heating (oil) is on full blast all day and on low at night. I keep all doors closed which makes a big difference and have some electric fires on as well.

@coronafiona

1920s house, heating on all day and it's a Jew boiler and radiators, it's ok when on all day.. but only ok. The front door let's loads of cold air in

What is a Jew boiler?

We have a slightly older house and it is cold.

My tips. Shut any doors you do have. Turn the button on the boiler to fill capacity rather than the most economical position for this cold snap.
Heavy curtains, Blackout blinds help, but don't put in front of the radiators. Sometimes in the coldest weather, I leave the bedroom curtains and blinds closed.
I'd also lay down some rugs. It's definitely warmer in the carpetted rooms.

Our house is 300+ years old. Our boiler is 40+ years old.

Despite the solid walls and single glazing, it's lovely and cosy.