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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To put heating on?

64 replies

lockdownbabyx · 15/10/2023 09:48

So for context, I live in a 3 story townhouse and our living room (where we spend most of our time) is on the second floor and directly above the garage. Therefore it's always the coldest room, with hard flooring aswell so feels even colder.
Now I can deal with the cold just by wrapping up etc but I have a 2 year old and an 9 month old who spend most of there time playing on the living room floor. I worry that it's not warm enough for them.
We have a large rug and also a large playmat on the floor for them. But their hands and faces still feel cold.
It's currently 16c and I'm dying to put the heating on 🥶

OP posts:

BarelyCoping123 · 15/10/2023 10:51

All the health advice I've read says that indoor temperatures below 18C can lead to health issues; for the elderly, young children and people with health issues, it's 21C.
Last year we set the thermostat at 15C and off overnight, because of the cost. It still cost a small fortune and we were always freezing. If you can afford it, put the heating on. Also bundle up.

GettingStuffed · 15/10/2023 10:55

Our heating isn't going on yet. I'm the only one who feels the cold so I can bundle up. I was a child when central heating wasn't common so I'm used to houses being colder than they are today.

My grandson comes from a house that is really hot so we snuggle up under a duvet on the sofa once winter hits. He'll go and play but if he gets cold it's back under the duvet until he warms up again.

linelgreen · 15/10/2023 10:59

Surely that's why you have heating - if it's cold then it goes on regardless of the time of year.

ffsrainagain · 15/10/2023 11:00

I've had my fire going for the last three days. It's turned cold, it's October, it's time to put the heating on in whichever form you use. Must admit it cheaper for us to light the fire than use the gas central heating 🙄

AutumnWellyBootsandScarf · 15/10/2023 11:02

@lockdownbabyx

could you look at using another room as the main family/play room? Think outside the box, it doesn't matter if it's a bit unconventional.

Have you asked the LL if they'll put some insulation in the garage?? If they'll carpet that room? (Good underlay& carpet is much better than a rug & playmat.

if the won't, ask if they mind if you do or go 50/50. It'll save you money in heating.

put several thin layers on the children & feel their chests to see if they're warm enough, not fingers & faces.

children don't seem to feel the cold like most adults, maybe you're projecting! Have you got layers on?

allthegoodusernameshavegone · 15/10/2023 11:03

Ours is on, we are warm & cosy.

skyeisthelimit · 15/10/2023 11:04

It's never unreasonable to put the heating on, no matter what the time of year, if you are cold then put it on.

If you can't afford to put it on then that is a different story.

I put my heating on in August when we had a couple of cold nights. That is what it is there for.

There is no law that says you can't switch it on until November.

TattiePants · 15/10/2023 11:05

I promised myself I wouldn’t put the heating on till November but it’s bloody chilly on the north coast this week. Our thermostat is in the hall and it was registering 14 degrees yesterday. We’re planning on gardening all afternoon so we’re treating ourself to turning the heating on tonight!

zingally · 15/10/2023 11:06

Yeah, that's a cold indoor temperature. I'd put the heating on.

WhateverMate · 15/10/2023 11:07

This is a very strange question to ask the internet, because if we all said "YABU, continue freezing", you're hardly going to abide by the decision.

Having said that, you're not alone as this thread comes up every single year.

Sandrine1982 · 15/10/2023 11:08

3 storey victorian house here and we've put the heating on for the past 3 days (half an hour in the morning, half an hour at night, 15min in the evening). Not all rooms though and it takes a bit of running up and down switching off radiators we don't need.
i've done a fair bit of insulating this year too (doors, windows etc) and I'm insulating the ceiling in the basement too as we're losing heat through there too.
Good luck - 16 C is too cold so YANBU.
We aim for 19C....

Original poster

lockdownbabyx · 15/10/2023 11:43

AutumnWellyBootsandScarf · 15/10/2023 11:02

@lockdownbabyx

could you look at using another room as the main family/play room? Think outside the box, it doesn't matter if it's a bit unconventional.

Have you asked the LL if they'll put some insulation in the garage?? If they'll carpet that room? (Good underlay& carpet is much better than a rug & playmat.

if the won't, ask if they mind if you do or go 50/50. It'll save you money in heating.

put several thin layers on the children & feel their chests to see if they're warm enough, not fingers & faces.

children don't seem to feel the cold like most adults, maybe you're projecting! Have you got layers on?

@AutumnWellyBootsandScarf our living room is opposite my son's bedroom so he does play in there also.

We asked about having carpet fitted, she said no. It's the same flooring throughout the house and she wants to keep it that way. We are looking to move anyway, a townhouse with two young children isnt convenient for us, but that's another story.

I put the heating on for an hour and we're up to 19c which is perfect. I probably worry more than I should, they don't seem affected at all and I'm generally a cold person anyway.

OP posts:

Tebheag · 15/10/2023 19:42

I put mine on the other day as it was so wet outside it had that horrible damp in the air feeling plus kids home with wet clothes.

Curiosity101 · 15/10/2023 19:47

Our heating is all thermostatically controlled. It's taken me a couple of years of tweaking to get it just right so that the thermostat is in the right place relative to the rest of the house and all the radiators are set to the correct temperature and balanced.

So we don't 'put the heating on', it just automatically heats the house when the house is too cold.

FWIW if I was going to physically put the heating on, it'd definitely be on in a room that was 16 degrees.

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