Can we use public building to stay warm?

[Jobseeker19]

For example can we sit in the library or town hall for hours and use their central heating and charge our devices in their plugs?

I'm wondering if it will come to this if people cannot afford the new energy prices.

It is worth keeping things in perspective. A 1KW electric fire will heat a room for 1 hour for about 21p if you have a credit meter or 25p if you pre-pay. You need to compare that with the cost of getting to and from the library (eg a £2 each way bus fare £4 total gives you 16 hours of heat on a pre-pay or 19 hours on a credit meter).
Phone chargers are rated at 5 watts - so 5 hours charging even on a pre-pay meter costs 0.7 pence (or put it another way, FOR £1 you can charge your phone for 5 hours a go 142 times - nearly 200 times on a credit meter!)

I was 12 before we had central heating, a bar heater in the living room and another in the bathroom was it -we coped. Britain isn't that cold for most of the year - we dressed in the bathroom when it was cold. People have short memories and remember insulation was non existent then too

Our main library in the town centre always has a lot of people in there who just seem to use it as somewhere to while away the time. Not sure about them charging things because I haven’t been looking. It's open 7 days a week although thst seems to change a lot!!

I might have missed it but isn't part of the price rise the standing charge? So the bit you can't reduce anyway.

I'm a library assistant and we have some people who are in the library all day (leaving promptly at lunchtime when we close for an hour, and returning after lunch). As it happens, I don't think they are there primarily for the heat, as from what I overhear of their phone calls, they seem to be in pretty senior WFH roles, but they seem to use the library as a co-working space for the change of scenery and the free WiFi (with a library card) etc. Absolutely no problem with that - we love people using the facilities.

NB. Our performance metrics are books issued/returned/reserved (and also people counts), so if you do spend time in the library, it would be appreciated if you actually 'take out' books on your library card (rather than just browse them while in the library). But everyone is welcome!

It is worth keeping things in perspective. A 1KW electric fire will heat a room for 1 hour for about 21p if you have a credit meter or 25p if you pre-pay. You need to compare that with the cost of getting to and from the library (eg a £2 each way bus fare £4 total gives you 16 hours of heat on a pre-pay or 19 hours on a credit meter).
It's less than a mile walk for us, and the walk means the house feels warm even if it's dropped to 13 when you get home!

I have lived on houses without central heating before, and remember that the gas fires were very effective. The only place that was freezing was the bathroom with no heater at all. I'm WFH so I think I'll move to work in a warmer room on cold days and take my oil filled radiator in there.

To be honest the massive bit of our bill is the electricity, not the gas, due to the standing charge. It's the fridge, oven, washing machine and to a lesser extent the dishwasher that's most of the bill going by the smart meter.

@gogohm

I was 12 before we had central heating, a bar heater in the living room and another in the bathroom was it -we coped. Britain isn't that cold for most of the year - we dressed in the bathroom when it was cold. People have short memories and remember insulation was non existent then too

Yes I remember spending a lot of childhood being cold.

As I said on the library thread, this is why libraries are socialism in action. We need more places where people can be together without spending money.

@legodout good to know about the metrics, that's an easy way to make it way for all (by taking a book out)

work for all

@gogohm

I was 12 before we had central heating, a bar heater in the living room and another in the bathroom was it -we coped. Britain isn't that cold for most of the year - we dressed in the bathroom when it was cold. People have short memories and remember insulation was non existent then too

So many people are saying this type of thing but missing the point that we are going backwards. My parents are in their mid 70’s, from families with very little and vividly remember their freezing homes from their childhood and are appalled that we appear to be going back to that rather than forwards with things getting even better for those at the bottom. Because let's be honest is isn’t going to be any of the comfortable middle class people who really suffer with this,, it is those at the bottom of the ladder who will be waking up in cold damp ridden houses that they can’t do anything about.

I used to do this when I was homeless (thankfully not for long!)

Students do this in coffee shops all the time. And in seriousness, if energy prices really do raise £600/700, my children and I will be doing this, I don't know how else we will keep warm. I work FT, have a postgraduate degree and don't drink or do anything outlandish, and there is no way we can afford this.

Well said @Thesearmsofmine.

It’s the tumble dryer in our house that’s the most costly. I want my clothes dried, we do put some clothes on the radiators though.
In the summer we barely used the tumble dryer as we use the washing line.
Of course we all use more power in the winter months.

@JovialNickname

Yes, people can and do! Spent countless childhood years tramping round public buildings to keep warm, and as an adult do the same (how lovely there are McDonald's, warm buses and shopping malls now). It's a way of life for many not a new phenomenon. Expecting to affordably heat a big house instead of wearing thermals / going out to a warm public place/ putting up with it is new (and I'm only 40!)

In the 90s I booked myself on many college courses with a free creche, visited the library the three days a week it was open, walked to the nearest shopping centre and more but I dont remember them all now. The library was good for a free coffee and slice of cake on a Wednesday. The college always had some sort of food via someones birthday, someone feeling generous, other events and the foody course I did fridays ( they bought the ingredients) fed me and my kids for that day, possibly the next day too. Frankly some weeks it was the only food I got. I always fed the kids but often there was nothing left for me. Just as I had no more need of the college, they started having to charge for courses even if you were on benefits. And last I checked, they still charge although less for those on benefits. It needs to go back to free courses (I did at least learn stuff whilst on my many and varied courses) and didnt spend on keeping the house warm. Plus a bit of free food. I look back on those days and wonder why the hell nothings changed. Well it has but fewer libraries isnt going to help.

@IvanaTrumps

I do think there is a lot of drama over this.

My parents' home didn't have central heating till I was 16. We had an open fire in the living room and that was it. I had a convector heater in my bedroom as a 'treat' if it was very cold ( getting down to -10C.)

And for the first few years of my working life when I rented, 2 houses had no central heating.

You learn to put on layers of warm clothes.

And asking how you dry clothes. Mine go outside on the line unless it's raining, so when they are brought inside the dry faster, put on a clothes horse.

If you are old, ill or have a young baby, then you will need heating on at times. But for younger and fitter people, hot drinks, more clothes and a hot water bottle, if sitting at home make a big difference.

@IvanaTrumps - my mum's house when I was a child had gas fires too (1970s). There was central heating but this was disconnected. We used the living room mostly. We also had bitter cold winters with heavy snow, no lagging of loft and no double glazing.

My mum used to have oil filled heaters with went into every room and there were small gas fire heaters at the top walls of e.g. kitchen and bathroom.

My DB had chronic asthma and almost died twice, probably due to being freezing cold.

Yes, we put on layers of warm clothes but thermal underwear wasn't a thing or we couldn't afford it.

I recall blankets (no duvets then!), hot water bottles and quite literally being cold.

My nana (mum's mum) was very wealthy but barely helped out, it was 'you made your bed you lie in it' but she was contrite in later years.

When DP's and I went to stepdad's holiday cottage in Southern Ireland by the coast in 2000s there was little heating (one tiny heater in one room) and a small open fire - but the chimney area was open to the sky so letting all hot air out. We stayed there one night (didn't realise how cold it was!) and decamped to the nearest 5 star newly built luxury hotel for the remaining week of our stay!

@gogohm

I was 12 before we had central heating, a bar heater in the living room and another in the bathroom was it -we coped. Britain isn't that cold for most of the year - we dressed in the bathroom when it was cold. People have short memories and remember insulation was non existent then too

We didn't ever have central heating. We had a fire in the front room with a back boiler for water.

We had ice on the inside of the windows that added to the damp of the house. We had newspapers on the beds for the warmth.

We also had chilblains for most of the cold months that hurt our bones with every step. I've got family members whose chests have been bad lifelong because of the cold, damp conditions.

Yes, it can be endured and survived but is that what we're aiming for here?

@JMY123

When I was growing up we could always see our breath indoors in the winter. Nothing to do with the energy crisis, more the nature of the building which was unheatable. We just wore plenty of clothes... a house coat with a hood and scarf, 2 jumpers, 2 shirts, heavy trousers, 2 pairs of socks and fold back mittens. Never thought anything of it because I knew no better... until I left home and learnt how other people lived.

I'm not suggesting that people should wear as many clothes as that, but I'm fed up with seeing people on TV moaning about not being able to afford heating while wearing t shirts and other thin clothing!! DH and I usually yell "put a jumper on!!"

Husband used to be a bus driver, often had groups of OAPs on the bus for ages, some groups even brought food/drink for a mobile picnic. Some did it for company and some to reduce household bills. That was 5 years ago, with the increase in utility costs I'm sure there are more doing it now.

@IvanaTrumps

I do think there is a lot of drama over this

My parents' home didn't have central heating till I was 16. We had an open fire in the living room and that was it. I had a convector heater in my bedroom as a 'treat' if it was very cold ( getting down to -10C.)

Your attitude is probably that of the Govt's too.

Clearly not many people here have read Doris Lessing (or been forced to do Eng Lit O Level in the 1980s ...)

We used to live in a house with single glazed windows. There would be frost on the inside of the panes! We used hot water bottles at night. We also had a back boiler with a fire in the sitting room. The only room that was really warm was that room. This is only about 40ish years ago though it sounds so old-fashioned now. Dublin bus have charging points on the newer buses so I can see people using them more now.