Is your heating on yet?

[LaughingCat]

It’s Saturday night, I’m bored so I thought a quick poll would be fun.

We’ve still not put our heating on yet this year. We’ve got gloves, thick fuzzy blankets and socks on in bed. I’m not sure why.

I think my other half asked whether we should put the heating on in mid-September and my response was, “Well, I’m plenty warm still but if you’re cold, then just put it on.”

Now we’re stuck in some sort of detente, in the Yorkshire Dales, where neither of us wants to be the first one that breaks. 😂

How about you guys? Toasty warm with the heating on or styling it out with Snuggies and hot chocolate?

YABU - We’re sane. The heating is on.
YANBU - WE are the gods of winter! Heating off.

Exactly this.

Someone put it very well on another thread. If you have to choose between heating and eating, then eat. Otherwise, put your heating on when you need to. Suffering through cold, damp and potentially mould when you don’t need to is just stupid.

There’s also a huge psychological difference between keeping your heating off for as long as possible, knowing you can turn it on whenever you decide to give in, and keeping it off because you are genuinely terrified of what your bills will be like if you turn it on.

Some of my richest friends are the ones who make a big song and dance about how ‘stubborn’ they are and how they refuse to put it on before December or whenever. Sat under their heated throws updating everyone on how they haven’t ‘given in’ yet like it’s a bloody game. It’s so tedious and really winds me up. I’m

You don’t need to be defensive about it - it’s still amusing

the wood burner thing is all a bit “wait, you still have to feel sorry for me because the rest of my house is cold, don’t worry!”

you have a heat source that you use in the evenings. It’s not like not heating your home at all

I think it is about 6 degrees outside so I've definitely got the heating on. All this competition to not turn it on is weird.

My heating turned itself on this morning.

Log burners aren't exactly free to run, anyway. Seasoned logs cost a lot of money.

Oh sorry I didn’t realise there was now an anti-log burner faction ...

Mine isn't on, but I'm not competitive about it. Basically it has been very mild, till today. My house hasn't felt cold enough to justify putting on the heating - a warm jumper has been all that's needed. I might feel differently when I get home today though, as this is the first properly cold day this autumn so far.

I'm not sure that people are competitive. Worried about electricity bills maybe...

Of course people are competitive about it. It's the same every year. People confidently proclaiming how MILD it is and how they much prefer being snuggled in blankies on the sofa, and how they are holding out until <random date> and how they grew up with no heating in the Arctic circle etc etc etc.

These are not the same people as the people who can't afford the heating.

I've said how mild it has been, and that so far a dressing warmly has been enough - till today. It's cold today. That's just how this autumn has been here. I'm from the very very North, although I live much further south now, so I guess my normal might be different to most

I also can't afford to have the heating on as much as I would like, once it is cold.

So I kinda fit both your descriptions.

I could spend a load of money on the heating.

But prefer not too. I'd rather spend it on more fun stuff like holidays, nice meals out and not heating the planet up.

I respect that other people are entitled to make different choices.

But I guess then they won't be interested in this thread then, rather than turning up and moaning at everyone who wants to save money, in the same way I won't be interested in the "what's the most amount of money I can splurge on heating thread"🙂

Today was the first day so far this autumn/winter that I felt really cold when I went outside

@Comedycook and @Mummieslncorporated - yes, today was the first day I felt properly cold and the heating is now on. And the gas fire for a couple of hours in the living room earlier (we both work from home).

It’s not been a competition at all - because everyone has different tolerances and factors that necessitate using heating. Why be uncomfortable if you really feel the cold or it adversely affects you? Conversely, why put the heating on, if you’re not uncomfortably cold?

There’s nothing competitive about it…but just like in summer, all those that felt the heat seemed to be seeing smug competitiveness from those who weren’t bothered by it, the same is happening here. Chill out. It’s just a quintessentially British discussion about the weather and ambient temperature.

(Up next, I start another classically British thread about the least worst way to travel between two random towns in the UK).

Do y'know what I am getting sick of the the types coming onto a thread to tell folks off for discussing a subject that is important to us . I don't have to tell you my health history and I certainly don't have to tell you how much cash I have to spend fuel . That is my business .

I had a look at my flat's EPC earlier and it reckons annual heating usage for this space should be 7666kwh..
I don't think I've ever hit that in the past (more like half that); then again I don't think I've really been heating my flat properly for years/haven't really had to maintain a min temperature before.

My '22 Sept/Oct gas consumption was nearly twice that of last year, November is looking to be going that way too.

Thank goodness I qualified for the warm home discount (sorry if I've said that before)

I’m SE and it’s cold here today, wet and windy.

As we’ve mainly been relying on the log burner for the living room, it’s getting chillier throughout the house so topped up 2 hours gas today. It’s cost £3.50 in gas/hot water, don’t ask about the electric!

It’s minus 10 here, so the heat exchanger has been on for a while.

The wood stove has been in use this evening too.

We put it on today 2 hours in total I think. It cost £1.20-£2 per hour to run so really trying to keep it off as much as possible.

Last year, January's combined gas & electric bill was £514, and we didn't have the heating on constantly then either so dread to think what it might be this time if we don't mitigate our use even more.

Can't put it on as have no oil.
Have taken the fuse out for the central heating so it wont try clicking on and mess up the system.
Unlikely to have any oil for the forseeable, well until the governnmet pulls its finger out and gives the off gridders the financial support its pledged.
Haven't got the money for the minimum 500 litre delivery.
Coats, gloves, scarves, thermals, blankets indoors.
The good thing is it gets the kids to come downstairs together in one room as
have an open fire in front room downstairs and have coal/logs left from last year so can manage.

Brit in Canada here, also with sub-zero temperatures. Sitting indoors wearing a vest top, but we have a wood stove and unlimited free wood and also no energy crisis. There's been no increase in cost for us.
It upsets me seeing posts on this thread about how people are wearing outdoor clothes indoors to keep warm because it's too expensive to have the heating on.
Being warm should not be a luxury ffs, it should be a basic human right and I'm aghast that people have to choose between being warm and paying rent/mortgages/food etc. It's so, so wrong 😞

Yep, welcome to the UK!