What is the 'thing' with putting the heating on?

[CatchersAndDreams]

Surely just because you put it on doesn't mean you have to keep it on. I've never understood this thing that people have about not putting or putting on the heating as if you're stuck with it on once you put it on!

I know! I genuinely thought most heating systems used thermostats...

They do, but if the boiler is turned off, it doesn’t matter how insistent the thermostat is, no heat will come out of it.

DH was horrified I put the heating on before October. It was cold. I pointed out it is October tomorrow. 'Yeah, but, still!' he said. As if it was a moral obligation to shiver until October.

Our heating is turned off altogether. It doesn’t matter what the thermostat says. Usually, at some point in late autumn, we turn the heating on to operate on a timer twice a day if the thermostat drops low enough. It’s nowhere near cold enough yet, though, to even think about turning the heating on, even on a timer and thermostat.

Mine has been off since March. It’ll go on when it gets cold. It’ll be timed until it goes off again. That could be March or April etc.

I don't put it on because I can't afford to. Will that do you?

Well for me I have no thermostat and have to turn it on and off all the time if I want it

To add. I've got the Oodie things and an electric blanket. Can't afford to heat the house. When it gets really cold I'll put it on for half an hour twice a day to try and prevent damp. That's all though. It's utterly fucking shit and WRONG

Yes, this too. The longer you can wait, the more money for heating in the coldest months when you need it. Waiting isn't as bad as the prospect of a whole winter with the heating on minimally.

We don’t have a thermostat. We have a combi boiler that you either switch the heating on or turn it off. We haven’t switched it on since March I think. Waiting as long as I can before switching it on too. I’m confused as to why you are confused?

i think this is the first chilly day so far, it’s not cold enough for heating for me ( central heating ). I don’t think it’s even cold enough for the wood burner yet and I get free wood .

I've occasionally clicked it on in June/ August if there's been a run of unusually cold days (not needed this year!)

I go on temperature not arbitary dates. I keep a themometer in the lounge and go off that.

Having been a warm summer with a sudden drop, there is quite a contrast this week. The house is 19/20⁰C and I'm bundled up like it's mid-winter because it'a a contrast and my body hasn't adjusted. (A couple of drenchings hasn't helped either)

I understand why it's a talking point this year, but it's always been a big topic on MN after the schools go back.

Depends what min of heating system you have I guess. Ours costs more to turn up and down so we set a temperature and leave it at that. It’s still down low at the moment, holding out as long as I can

Because it costs Money? And these days it costs serious Money.

Mines off at the moment, eventually when it's too cold to bear I'll Switchboard to my timed schedule which will equate to about 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours late afternoon at 19⁰.

I know some people swear by using the thermo only as in if temp drops below your ambient temp then the heating kicks in. Alot/most don't do this as its a myth that it's cheaper and right now isn't the time to test it.

On a positive next week is apparently warm!

Thank you! I thought I was weird just to control it from the thermostat, just have it set really low all summer and then turn it up, thought I was Doing It Wrong!

Psychological innit

Im still holding out for a sunny Autumn 😬

I’ve been on mumsnet for years and it’s like a badge of honour not to have put the heating on until you have ice on the inside. It’s an odd one.

It’s definitely been a lot colder this week

I’ve lit the log burner a few times this week and closed all the windows which have magically been reopened glares at DH and his Yorkshireness

we only have night storage heaters so will freeze mainly as I can’t afford to run them, I suspect a lot of people will be in this situation not being able to afford any heating.

the electric blankets are going on the bed this weekend

It’s 14.5 in our living room , watching tv , have fleece hoodie on and slippers and it’s fine ( no blanket ) 🙂.

Agreed. Not sure why this is so difficult to understand.

1. In an ideal (or even vaguely reasonable) world, you'd simply have the heating on when you need it, whether by manual operation or thermostat, from whatever point in autumn you feel uncomfortably cold. This is largely what people used to do.
2. We don't live in an ideal world, we live in one where people have suffered a decade of declining living standards and are now seeing their wealth syphoned upwards to exploitative energy companies and tax cuts for the rich. Heating bills have risen astronomically, and many people's ability to pay for them fallen.
3. As a result, many people simply can't afford to have the heating on when they need to, so they try to come up with various devices for what will determine the point where they "break" instead. Like a particular date.
4. If you find that difficult to understand, it's probably because you're not one of those people. Be grateful.

Because once you've had it on, it's usually 'on' (on a timer) until Spring.. obviously. Don't know anyone who turns it back off as once it's cold, it's cold.

Use your heating if you want to, does it matter what others are doing?

Honestly it’s just mumsnet, the rest of the population are quite normal with heating.

Every year from the end of august onwards endless threads about heating. People love it here!

I have an irrational feeling of failure if I put the heating on before Hallowe’en. That’s not to say that I don’t do it, I often have, but I feel like I’ve failed at something. It’s weird and I put it down to childhood conditioning.

I think many have their own “acceptable date” which is where all the comments come from and it’s worse this year because of the increased costs.

Usually I would agree. The thing is on a thermostat (well, several thermostats) and comes on when it’s uncomfortably cold for me. But this year we really are trying to save money, and I tried to keep it off for longer. I do turn it off in the summer, because it can drop below the trigger temperatures with all the windows open, and 18°C can feel lovely and cool when coming in from a sunny July garden, and bloody freezing when getting up on an October morning.

I cracked a few days ago. It’s set at 18°C morning and evening and 17°C when it’s just me during the day. It’s come on every day, so it’s obviously ‘cold enough’. Temperature is not measured in months. (Normally I would set it higher, too.)

It's like my mum used to say about wearing my coat in the car - 'take it off or you won't feel the benefit of it when you get out'.

If I put the heating on when it's, say 10 degrees in September, I will have to put it on for longer and higher when it drops to 1 degree in December.