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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

At which point do you put the heating on?

239 replies

MakeItADouble2 · 03/11/2022 00:16

Just went into my bedroom and the temperature is 17 5° C
I think I will be OK but wondering about rest of house with kids in it who are asleep now.
Are you holding out for a bit longer or is it on now?

OP posts:
purpleme12 · 03/11/2022 00:18

Well I would never put the heating on at 17 anyway.
Our house was 14 degrees today
No heating yet

TheFormidableMrsC · 03/11/2022 00:20

No heating here yet and I've taken my Oodie off as I'm too hot. We are in the south and it's still warm, albeit wet and windy. I'll put the heating on when the house is cold, it's not cold enough currently

Bunnyfuller · 03/11/2022 00:20

Not checking numbers, we’re not terribly cold yet, using throws etc if we get chilly watching tv.

would never have heating on overnight regardless.

Floomobal · 03/11/2022 00:21

Ours is on. Set to 17° for overnight, so I doubt it will actually come on. Set to 19° during the day and it generally comes on for a couple of hours in total

Allsnotwell · 03/11/2022 00:22

I never have the heating on overnight and no thermostat so it wouldn’t come on automatically either.

Usually one for a bit before bed and off an hour before as everyone is usually tucked up

id get blankets on their beds.

Lucked · 03/11/2022 00:24

Scotland in a single glazed old house.

Ours went on mid October set twice a day for a few hours thermostat at 18ish. Would only have it on overnight if it was freezing and I was concerned about the pipes.

Original poster
MakeItADouble2 · 03/11/2022 00:26

Would you put it on in the day at 17° ?

OP posts:
SkylightSkylight · 03/11/2022 00:28

When the cold air makes me cough.

there's no point comparing temperatures as it depends where your thermostats are placed.

only have it on 'frost' setting for the pipes over night. I sleep with my bedroom windows open all night

SkylightSkylight · 03/11/2022 00:32

MakeItADouble2 · 03/11/2022 00:26

Would you put it on in the day at 17° ?

Depends. Is your thermostat in a warm area of your house or by an open window?

but generally, this year, No.

SarahAndQuack · 03/11/2022 00:34

MakeItADouble2 · 03/11/2022 00:26

Would you put it on in the day at 17° ?

I'm nodding along to this. If it's a normal spring/summer daytime temperature, I don't put it on, but I do make sure we all have thick quilts and extra blankets, because of course you're not moving so feels colder.

I tend to find I put it on when nothing is drying. I have an old, single-glazed house where there's a point you know you'll damage the place by not having it on, and then I do. It does depend how wet it has been all winter, though. But I wouldn't go far below 14/15 degrees, maybe even 16 if I know the walls are soaked with water. You don't need heating on all the time, but a good blast to let things dry is important.

inappropriateraspberry · 03/11/2022 00:35

When I feel cold and can't warm up with an extra layer/blanket.

Klarwen · 03/11/2022 00:38

17 might be different in your house to mine. Even if the thermostats were identical (which they won't be) it depends on where it is. If you're cold, you're already in a jumper, and you can afford it, put the heating on.

Ours is on in the daytime now but our thermostat is turned down this year. I think it's set to 17 for most of the day and 18.5 for a couple of hours morning and dinner time, in the main living room.

DoubleBuggyDriver · 03/11/2022 00:39

I didn’t know people check the temperatures of their rooms until I saw it on MN.

I walk around the house in a vest and shorts as I like to be quite free so I usually have to heating on in the living room to feel toasty. I put the heating on in the bedroom 3 hours before my kids go to sleep so it’s warm enough. I never have the heating on overnight either, I find it too stuffy

SarahAndQuack · 03/11/2022 00:41

DoubleBuggyDriver · 03/11/2022 00:39

I didn’t know people check the temperatures of their rooms until I saw it on MN.

I walk around the house in a vest and shorts as I like to be quite free so I usually have to heating on in the living room to feel toasty. I put the heating on in the bedroom 3 hours before my kids go to sleep so it’s warm enough. I never have the heating on overnight either, I find it too stuffy

Confused How does your thermostat work, then?

AlwaysLatte · 03/11/2022 00:42

We don't ever have it on at night, but at the moment we've got it on for an hour in the mornings, and log burner has been on for the last couple of weeks in the afternoons and evenings. If the kids (two floors up) say it's cold we'll pop it on but at the moment they're fine.

PruSarne · 03/11/2022 00:42

I put it on when I feel cold which so far has been 4 times, today I felt really chilly, was wearing 2 jumpers. So put it on, thermostat was at 17 but it had rained for around 4 hours solid, really heavy rain.

rubydoobydoo · 03/11/2022 00:47

13.5 in our front room today - we normally would have had the heating on two weeks ago even when it was warmer than this but we're too worried about the cost this year- so haven't put the heating on yet. Hot water bottles and blankets are doing the job so far though!

antelopevalley · 03/11/2022 00:59

Been putting it on for a bit as otherwise it feels too damp.

bostonchamps · 03/11/2022 01:03

purpleme12 · 03/11/2022 00:18

Well I would never put the heating on at 17 anyway.
Our house was 14 degrees today
No heating yet

I do hear it's colder up on the high horses

We haven't put the heating on, but it will be as and when when we get too cold vs an arbitrary temperature + socks

Pinktruffle · 03/11/2022 01:14

We have a newborn and a 2 year old in the house so it's been on sporadically since the beginning of October. 2 year olds room and the living room can get quite cold unfortunately. We never used to put it on overnight but recently have been putting it on for an hour at 5.30am as we found toddlers room was getting too cold otherwise.

Ilovetocrochet · 03/11/2022 04:56

Floomobal · 03/11/2022 00:21

Ours is on. Set to 17° for overnight, so I doubt it will actually come on. Set to 19° during the day and it generally comes on for a couple of hours in total

Pretty much the same here but the setting is currently 18 degrees between 7 am and 10 pm so not licking in more than an hour or so in the morning. However, I have begun adjusting it in the evenings to 20 degrees as I feel cold when sitting down so I’m going to set it at 19 degrees now. I will still turn it higher if I feel cold but I found last winter that the extra time my heating was on when set at 19 reduced the number of times I had to increase it. Heating is set at 10 degrees over night so rarely comes on unless I adjust it if it’s really freezing or if I am ill.

I retired recently and so am at home a lot more and am on blood thinners which makes me feel colder. I also have limited mobility due to arthritis and cannot move much and the pain is a lot more when it is cold. So adding another layer or going out for a walk are not really options for me.

Luckily I can afford the increased costs for now as I do have savings and a decent pension but obviously I keep an eye on things and do not waste heat! House is well insulated, new efficient boiler installed last year and I wear warm clothes so doing the best I can!

Stopsnowing · 03/11/2022 05:03

Currently being lobbied by my lodger to put the heating on overnight.
it is currently 18 degrees at night without the heating. I have suggested she try a hot water bottle but she doesn’t bother.

AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair · 03/11/2022 05:13

DoubleBuggyDriver · 03/11/2022 00:39

I didn’t know people check the temperatures of their rooms until I saw it on MN.

I walk around the house in a vest and shorts as I like to be quite free so I usually have to heating on in the living room to feel toasty. I put the heating on in the bedroom 3 hours before my kids go to sleep so it’s warm enough. I never have the heating on overnight either, I find it too stuffy

I also find the temperature taking weird

I've got to 50+ without ever owning a thermometer, I use the metric of “am I tool cold” to decide when to switch the heating on. This appears to be a dying skill.

CrunchyCarrot · 03/11/2022 05:44

Our thermostat is in the dining room (central in house) and displays the temperature, so I find it quite normal to notice what the temperature is if I feel a bit chilly or too warm. Ours is set to 18.5 during the day and 17.5 at night.

I use the metric of “am I tool cold” to decide when to switch the heating on

That works great when it's just one person but if others feel the temperature differently then that's when conflict arises!

sarahc336 · 03/11/2022 05:44

Ours is set to 18.5 but we live in a cold Victorian home so if it gets below this it feels very cold and damp. It actually rarely dips below this but it's not good for houses to get too cold and damp x