Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want to restrict how much we have the heating on

901 replies

reallyagain · 01/11/2021 22:26

After a winter working from home last year we were hit with a horrendous heating bill (several thousand on top of already paying quite a high amount per month). So this year with gas prices being so high I’m really conscious of being careful. DH wants it on much more than I do and it’s causing endless rows. He’s turned it on 4 separate times today and is sulking when I comment. We share heating bills - I suggested he pays more to have it on more but he refuses.

How much do you have the heating on if you work from home?

OP posts:
Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:15

And for further context DH never wears gloves outside, whereas I wear merino liners under mine

OP posts:
frumpety · 02/11/2021 09:15

Whinge between 25-30 I'd say, from 5am to bedtime pretty much

If you had added that to your original post I am sure you would have garnered a lot more sympathy !

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 02/11/2021 09:16

I can’t wear wool, or any hair fibres like cashmere, fleece or acrylic. They all make me itch or give me eczema. Even if they just touch a certain area for a limited amount of time. I could never wear wrist warmers.

I have the heating on high.

user564398 · 02/11/2021 09:16

Unless the boiler is huge I'm surprised an old house can reach 30C in the winter, ours sometimes struggles to get in the low 20s when it is really cold

MegaClutterSlut · 02/11/2021 09:18

I agree a cold house is horrible, I normally have mine set to around 20 when its really cold but £660 a month is ridiculous and I genuinely don't know how its that much. All those calling op abusive, it's £660 A MONTH. Whether there's a problem somewhere or not she has stated they can't afford it, not many people could afford that much imo so where does she pull more money from, her ass?

TravelLost · 02/11/2021 09:18

I think people feel the cold in different ways.

At 19oC I’m cold, especially in the evening. I can’t go to sleep if I’m cold either.
My dcs are in t-shirt and bare feet.

This doesn’t mean I am wrong and they are right. Just that we all have different sensibility to cold. Nit something you can really do anything about.

This means we do have the heating on more than other people I suspect. However, I’m also careful to use my own little electric heater in the room I’m working. I have layers on. And I take a warm shower before going to bed (so I can fall asleep).
I much much prefer it when we have the wood burner on instead. It’s a nice 21+oC and I’m feeling much more comfortable then I have to say (so I get what your DH is saying there too!)

FWIW if he is feeling really cold and is also tired, I’d advise him to go and see his gp. The fact he is feeling cold could well be because of a physical reason such thyroid issue.

RosesAndHellebores · 02/11/2021 09:19

Your figures are incomprehensible op. We have a 3500sq ft house, built in 1920s, hive heating, solar panels, double glazing. Heating is set to 18° and not all the house is heated all the time (I have a plug in radiator when working from home). Our energy bills are about £3.5k per annum.

Even at 24° I cannot see how a 1400 sq foot terrace costs £7200+ per annum to heat unless you have all the windows open as well A contributor to the bills may be the way your house faces - are those big bays north facing?

vickyc90 · 02/11/2021 09:20

@reallyagain

Bogey the bills are so high because he wanted it on so much
Ours is set to 20ish (it gets turned up) on most of the day as we work shifts so normally someone home. Only time it's off is midnight-6am from October until it warms up. £260 per month all year and we are in credit, maybe get a smart meter so you can see how much it is costing. Also get a gas engineer to check as £600+ per month seems to much
DameMaureen · 02/11/2021 09:20

Have you considered the savings that you are making by not going to work ? Have you saved on petrol , car usage , trains , clothes , lunches out etc ? Does this apply to you two ? Perhaps some of that can offset some of the energy costs but I do agree with you - that is a ridiculous amount of money .
We are a 3 bed house ( but new ) and we pay 95 a month for gas and electricity which covers us for the year . We are at home too . We are trying to be vigilant this Winter with soaring prices and have thermostats set to come on if it drops below 19 and 2 set periods in the day for about 90 mins when it takes us to 22. I feel the cold more than H so will often sit with a blanket while watching TV .

TravelLost · 02/11/2021 09:21

@reallyagain

Whinge between 25-30 I'd say, from 5am to bedtime pretty much
Sorry I had missed that post.

Are you saying he is expecting the temperature to be between 25 and 30C because otherwise he is feeling cold?
Does he feels cold to touch (cold hands, cold nose) otherwise?

Because if he does, then his issue is physical and he needs to go and see his GP

stairgates · 02/11/2021 09:22

Hopefully the change of supplier and monitoring it will help a lot. Your bill has been very high. I havent read the whole thread through just your updates so I dont know if someone had suggested that if you do change your radiators maybe going for under floor heating as I believe that is more effective so less expensive in the long run on the heating bill :)

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:22

Roses I specifically referenced last winter, I didn't mention a 12 month period as clearly in summer the amounts would be lower (expect you realise that so not sure why you extrapolated a winter monthly charge to the full year)

OP posts:
Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:23

Dame he works 10 mins away so any saving is restricted to food really

OP posts:
Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:23

Thanks staircases. I think radiators need looking at as they're mostly old and will be inefficient

OP posts:
Oftenithinkaboutit · 02/11/2021 09:23

I don’t hold back
Literally heating on high all day every day throughout winter

It’s a luxury. I very very rarely eat out and never get takeaways for example and don’t drink alcohol. My “treat” is warmth. My home is lovely and cosy and that’s worth more than a Chinese takeaway and a bottle of wine hands down

stairgates · 02/11/2021 09:24

Just to add I have a 6 bed semi including loft conversion, 50's build and have never paid over £130 a month combined gas and electric and have terrible drafts throughout the house.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:24

Often fair enough - he wants all the takeaways, eating out etc too though!

OP posts:
AmIABabySeal · 02/11/2021 09:27

@reallyagain

Vivienne do you mind me asking how much you spend on gas/electric per month? Last winter we were averaging £660pm. Can't really cut back elsewhere to pay for that! It's a 3 bed house albeit Victorian
Not read the whole thread as couldn’t get past this, holy shit OP, that’s insane. He needs to read some of the threads about how people pay so much per month etc. Definitely worth some additional heaters spending it on curtains/insulation?
user564398 · 02/11/2021 09:27

@reallyagain

Roses I specifically referenced last winter, I didn't mention a 12 month period as clearly in summer the amounts would be lower (expect you realise that so not sure why you extrapolated a winter monthly charge to the full year)
Maybe because you made it sound like a monthly amount, I questioned you about this upthread and you said the £660 was not a red herring
middleager · 02/11/2021 09:28

We don't currently have it on in the day and have only just put it on at night. It's not a small house either.

We both wear rip off Oodies and I also have an electric blanket as they cost pennies to run.

ancientgran · 02/11/2021 09:29

@reallyagain

Vivienne do you mind me asking how much you spend on gas/electric per month? Last winter we were averaging £660pm. Can't really cut back elsewhere to pay for that! It's a 3 bed house albeit Victorian
My DH is disabled, he feels the cold and it is a health issue for him, he's also at home for the vast majority of the time and has some electric aids. We have a 4 bed detached house. I've been stressing that we spend £200 per month on gas and electric. £660 is really big, I suppose it balances out a bit as mine includes the summer months but still that is alot.

I do sympathise but not sure what you can do about it. Have you got decent insulation.

Ourlady · 02/11/2021 09:29

Your partner is crackers! Takes cold showers and puts the car window down in the winter but wants the house at subtropical temperatures at all times. It is unfathomable and crazy. I can understand why you are so frustrated with him. I wouldn't be at all comfortable being in such a hot house aside from the astronomical cost.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 09:29

I said it was a monthly amount in the winter, that's very clear. Only an idiot would think an energy bill would be the same in summer

OP posts:
middleager · 02/11/2021 09:29

House is 16 degrees right now and sunny, no need for heating.

Animood · 02/11/2021 09:29

I think some form of compromise is needed.

I have one small fan heater in the spare room that I put on for a blast of heat every now and then. It can be cold sitting around working from home all day. I put it in for ten mins at a time a few times a day and it has no significant effect on the electric bill.

I also wear slippers and a big fleecy hoodie too, and a hot water bottle when needed.

Swipe left for the next trending thread