Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

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 09:55

Wim Hoff apparently

OP posts:
Franklin12 · 02/11/2021 10:00

£660 during winter is huge. You must have it on really high day and most of the night.

I have a large house and I refuse to be cold but wear a sweater when required. I won’t wear a coat or hat though. That would be silly. I also have an electric blanket and a heated blanket when working from home which makes a huge difference and costs pennies.

I have a friend who is a health visitor and she is staggered by the number of people she visits who won’t prioritise heating. Especially the older generation who seem to think it’s something to be proud of.

She urges them to put the heating on but they won’t, they are covered in jumpers, go to bed early etc and when she reminds of them of the winter fuel allowance they say they are going to use it for something else!

StatisticallyChallenged · 02/11/2021 10:02

@reallyagain

Allina yes - I've set out new DD with the new supplier at £180pm which I think should be reasonable (especially given responses here). I'll check on it monthly by taking meter readings
Our old house was victorian, single glazed, solid walls, similar size to yours. Monthly DD was £160 (we moved last year) and that was with heating set using a thermostat to be about 21 during the day and 18 at night. So it would just fire up whenever it needed to maintain these temperatures - but the boiler wouldn't be going constantly, you'd hear it kicking in for a few minutes at a time. I don't like to be cold either.

So I'd say your £180 probably would be in the right ballpark for both utilities to maintain those kind of temps, maybe a bit higher with the price rises. However, 25-30 would have been a totally different ball game in that house. I think the boiler would have needed to be on almost non stop to have a chance of achieving that. That's also uncomfortably hot IMO - our current house gets those temps in the summer and it's unpleasant!

He needs to get a bloody grip if he's expecting 25+ temps

TempleofZoom · 02/11/2021 10:04

get that you can't afford it but as you have been told countless times the bills you have been paying are not correct so get that sorted and the bills will then be affordable

How many times does the Op have to say she has checked and the bills are correct?
If the heating is on 25 day and night its perfectly feasible.

Op this is really excessive.
Whacking the heating up to 25 all the time whilst going to bed naked is ridiculous and I have a medical condition that means I have to stay warm.
Hes being selfish, childish and this is a form of financial abuse.
No one expects him to feeze eithrr, compromise is needed.

RTFT

TuftyMarmoset · 02/11/2021 10:05

Tell him Wim Hoff doesn’t have his heating on 24 all day!

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:06

Lol Tufty

OP posts:
Xiaoxiong · 02/11/2021 10:07

He is completely unreasonable to want to wear a t-shirt indoors in winter, take cold showers and to sleep in nothing but underpants AND want the house to be a sauna to facilitate these things.

There is an easy compromise between wearing a t-shirt and a coat/hat/scarf indoors - wear uniqlo heattech under your top, and a jumper. Have a small heater just to heat where you're working, use an electric blanket, etc.

I'd say to him "I will pay x towards the heating - if you won't compromise on putting on a jumper, you pay the balance and I won't say a word to you again about it." Then he'll have to pay the extra £500/month. Call it Greta's Revenge.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:09

I think that's reasonable - definitely when we get an early view of a baseline v the DD that needs to be considered

OP posts:
Snowisfallinghere · 02/11/2021 10:11

I want my house between 20-25C as anything lower in winter, and I'm freezing, even with warm wool layers on. I'd rather economise in other areas of my life than live in a cold house.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:11

Snow that's all very well but I can't think of £660pm of economies elsewhere, can you?

OP posts:
RobinPenguins · 02/11/2021 10:11

Presumably his work office wasn’t heated to 24 degrees, what did he wear to ensure he didn’t freeze there? Can he wear that?

RobinPenguins · 02/11/2021 10:12

24/25 degrees is so unnecessary. I don’t even think thermostats should be able to go that high. It’s uncomfortably warm.

readsalotgirl63 · 02/11/2021 10:14

Yes I think the annual amount or the year round monthly amount would be helpful in order to compare.

We have a large, 1960s house which is not especially well insulated although we've done the best we can and we pay about £2k per year for gas and elec. - £160 per month

We did fit a thermostat last year which has made a huge difference in keeping temp more even. Also have trvs on radiators, keep doors shut on unused rooms but heating is not on all day and usually at about 18 - 20C

inferiorCatSlave · 02/11/2021 10:15

Is it a damp poorly insulated house?

We rented a very damp house and 18 degrees that was supposed to be warm enough to sleep in or even ideal for pfb was bloody freezing - 25 degrees often felt cold.

Every other house 25 degrees I'd be wanting windows open not just stripping off.

Does seem very odd he's not willing to change his behavior even when getting high heating bills.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:15

£160pm all year round was previously enough, it was last winter wfh when the problem started

OP posts:
Snowisfallinghere · 02/11/2021 10:15

@reallyagain

Snow that's all very well but I can't think of £660pm of economies elsewhere, can you?
No, and I get that it's not exactly a solution for you, but personally having a warm and cosy home is such a priority to me, that in your situation I would rather move to a more energy efficient home that is less expensive to heat.
Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:16

Inferior when the heating is about 20 degrees it feels definitely warm

OP posts:
Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:18

So although undoubtedly there are lots of potential efficiencies to look at - fundamentally when it's heated to a reasonable temp it's nice and warm

OP posts:
inferiorCatSlave · 02/11/2021 10:18

Inferior when the heating is about 20 degrees it feels definitely warm

Well then it's definitely a DH problem - I assume he's less worried about the heating costs than you for whatever reasoan and other than stand firm and insist he pays more I've no idea what you can do about that.

Xiaoxiong · 02/11/2021 10:21

I'm sitting in my office now and our thermostat is set to 21c (and paid for by the company). Everyone has taken their coats off, but looking around everyone still has jumpers on and two of the men have gilets on as well! I think he has forgotten when you commute you dress for the outside so it feels warm when you come indoors.

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:22

Xiao that's a good point, i remember regularly people complaining about being cold in the office and having extra cardies etc

OP posts:
Roselilly36 · 02/11/2021 10:23

Sounds a bit like my DH, wears a t-shirt all year, then says it’s cold in here are you cold! No I got a jumper & a cardi on, put your hoodie on, no I don’t like wearing a hoodie, it should be warm in here! 😂 and then just a you say the car must be older than an ice cave!

Original poster
reallyagain · 02/11/2021 10:24

Rose Grin

OP posts:
SoftSheen · 02/11/2021 10:24

£660 is a ridiculous amount to spend on heating.

We used to live in a Victorian house and found that a simple way of making it warmer was to block up the chimneys by shoving old pillows up them (!). Chimneys are designed to suck air out of the room and so warm air is just lost immediately.

Dragongirl10 · 02/11/2021 10:25

almost 8K a year on heating is he mad!!

10 years and that is a whopping £80k (obviously) on heating...

After your comments on cold showers etc and no health issues he is definitely being very very unreasonable.