To want to restrict how much we have the heating on

[reallyagain]

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?

I'm still doing half the week home working and find you can't beat a heated throw. Hot water bottle if it's not too cold. These cost pence to use and make such a difference. I'd need the heating on if I didn't do this as I can't sit and work when cold. The person leaving the window open while heating the house and sitting in bare feet makes me shudder. Must be the thrifty Yorkshire in me.

Maybe a fairer way and to rule out restrictions the energy companies might put a cap on each households usage taking into account size of properties etc. You get a monthly fuel consumption allowance. If you use all in a week then it will teach us to use less.

Why should someone who feels the cold more be uncomfortable just because you’re ok with it?

But can you not see how the reverse can be just as valid -- why should someone who feels the heat more be uncomfortable just because you're ok with it?

If two people have vastly different temperatures at which they feel comfortable, then they will have to break up or compromise because it is unfair on both of them to have to be permanently u comfortable. A middle ground would need to be found, but at some point one will be too cold and one will be too hot.

We both work from home and use an oil filled radiator in our offices. I also wear 2 layers and a kidney warmer - they are amazing, they make a huge difference. I might put the heating on for an hour around 2 to take the chill off the house.

Do you also measure who spends longer in the bath and want to charge that person more for water?

You might find that weird but it is actually the fair thing to do IF you have split finances. Joint finances are a bit different. But why should I pay half the bill for the heating (when it's EXTORTIONATE) when I don't even want the heating on, and it's making the house too hot for me? I should pay to be suffering from overheating??

Would you expect to pay to be too cold?

@Noavocado

Maybe a fairer way and to rule out restrictions the energy companies might put a cap on each households usage taking into account size of properties etc. You get a monthly fuel consumption allowance. If you use all in a week then it will teach us to use less.

There's too many variables for that to work.

I have a one bed flat with little to no insulation so I would need to use more heating than someone in a larger well insulated new build. You'd also need to take into account who is home as some people will be out during the day, others will be home all the time. What if someone's circumstances change, they might need more heating because they are home more for example.

Well we can't continue as we are and the government know it. Something has got to give somewhere.

having the house too hot makes me feel a bit grotty.

I looked at some really cheap (but v nice) hot desking today - thought of gas heating makes it feel less of an extravagance. I don't like WFH - it's worse in the winter somehow.

I don’t want to walk around with a blanket round me and cold air.

It's really interesting how divisive this is and how different people are. Walking around in big fluffy dressing gown or blanket while the air in the house is cold, is such a nice relaxing feeling. When rooms are too warm, it makes me feel nauseous and I get heavy headaches.

@Noavocado

Well we can't continue as we are and the government know it. Something has got to give somewhere.

Least helpful suggestion ever.

What do you think needs to give? How should the government fix it? What should the rest of us do?

Why should someone who feels the cold more be uncomfortable just because you’re ok with it?

The DH is chosing wear SHORTS in the winter.
Hes choosing be cold rather than put on appropriate clothing.
I do wish people would RTFT!

What should the rest of us do?

Freeze going by some of the suggestions on here!

I can hardly do video calls for work in my fleecy dressing gown or wrapped in a blanket!

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

What should the rest of us do?

Freeze going by some of the suggestions on here!

I can hardly do video calls for work in my fleecy dressing gown or wrapped in a blanket!

Presumably you wouldnt do them wearing shorts either ? Op isnt suggesting never having the heating on just that her DH wears appropriate clothing first.

I can hardly do video calls for work in my fleecy dressing gown or wrapped in a blanket!

No, neither can I, I would tend to wear a long maxi dress with a thick turtle-neck woolly jumper over the top of it for that, some fluffy socks and boot-style slippers, with a warm drink.

Unfortunately the only compromise me and DP could come up with, is that sometimes we can't chill in the same room together. Often he will be downstairs in the living room in a sauna, and I will be upstairs next to open window

It's very tricky. Fuel does need sorting but if you genuinely get cold hands/nose/feet etc very easily, I'm not sure what the solution would be.

@PinkSparklyPussyCat

What should the rest of us do?

Freeze going by some of the suggestions on here!

I can hardly do video calls for work in my fleecy dressing gown or wrapped in a blanket!

Just put the blanket below where the camera shows? Unless to have to stand.

Presumably you wouldnt do them wearing shorts either ?

In the summer I did!

Op isnt suggesting never having the heating on just that her DH wears appropriate clothing first

Oh I completely agree about OP, I would have no sympathy for DH if he was having a cold shower and then walking around in shorts! On the other hand I don't see why anyone should have to wrap up in a blanket and hot water bottle rather than turn up the heating!

It wasn't meant to be a helpful suggestion it was an actual fact. We cannot keep consuming the amount of gas and other fuels as we are at the moment. Fact. Changing our ways will become reality.
You can moan all you like but we are in for major consumption restrictions.

blanket and hot water bottle rather than turn up the heating!

I think the answer to that is people are conscious of using too much. It's better for the environment if people don't use the heating as readily, so some people are more willing to wrap up better to see if they can get comfortable before resorting to the heating.

@reallyagain

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

Gosh you're rude.

My energy bills are the same every month of the year- that's the way I like it. I build up credit in summer to make sure I don't get big bills over the winter.
Lots of people do.

What’ll give us factories being closed. Glass production for food, CO2 and ammonia production. The consequences of that will be seen in food prices etc.

My flat may be cold in winter but on the flip side it's lovely and cool in the summer.

My new build home is cool in the summer too. We have these wonderful things called windows you can open to let air in….

the air won’t be cold at with a thermostat at 18 degrees

It is in my house, especially in winter. Over the years, numerous studies have been conducted in the search for a perfect office temperature. Looking at overall employee productivity, the Helsinki University of Technology discovered that performance peaked in an office heated to around 22 °C

18 degrees is too cold for working, and bundling up in layers is not conducive to working effectively.

My new build home is cool in the summer too. We have these wonderful things called windows you can open to let air in….

Yeah, I love letting in the hot air in the summer! Seriously not having to open the windows is great when I'm trying to work from home and next door's kid is screaming its lungs out!

All joking aside I wish we did get more sun rather than an hour or so in the morning!

I don't really get people in UK's attitude to heating, all the houses are freezing and people seem to be really proud of not putting their heating on, even when they are quite well-off. In a lot of Europe (especially Eastern Europe where it is COLD, like -30) the heating is just on all the time and the houses can easily get up to 30 degrees. Not saying that's always good, but I'd much rather live like that than thinking it's some sort of stealth boast that your room's 16 degrees and you have to sit there in 5 layers and a hot water bottle....

I layer up whenever I can, when I go to the office I sit in a puffer coat - but it doesn't stop my hands and nose being cold.

@vickyp0llard I'm just broke/trying to save the planet.