Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What temperature do you put your heating on?

146 replies

MyYorkshireFarm · 16/10/2023 07:28

I’m sure this has been done to death over the years but got into a discussion with friends over the weekend and I was shocked that they’ve all put their heating on already! I said the general rule in our house is at any point under 16 I’ll put it on, and set it to 18 but turn it off when I go to bed as the kids are already warm in bed by then. Apparently I’m trying to freeze us all to death 😬 but it’s the temperature I like and the kids seem fine with it! Have you had your heating on yet?

OP posts:
Twofortheroad · 16/10/2023 08:46

Always used to be 21 but with fuel costs hike last year and cost of living I’m trying to get used to 18

For years I flatly refused to be anything other than toasty but as my annual fuel bill last year was the same as the holiday budget I’ve joined the pop another jumper on brigade.

TerfTalking · 16/10/2023 08:49

It’s like the how long is a piece of string? question.

You may live in the far north, or the far south, a mansion or an apartment. You may be menopausal or have a health condition or sit all day or be active all day. You may be fat or skinny or like to wear layers or wander round in your shorts and t-shirt (looking at you DH 😡).

no wrong or right answer to this, ever. FWIW, DH has had it cranked up this weekend whilst I have been overheated, he’s buggered off back away to work this morning and it’s off! The window will be cracked open an inch tonight and the cats will be snuggled up in bed with me.

Ihaveoflate · 16/10/2023 08:50

Thermostat set to 19 first thing in the morning and then again in the evening, 18 in the middle of the day (we both WFH) and something like 14 overnight (it has never clicked on).

The heating started coming on about two days ago and I'm glad if it. It was starting to feel chilly.

Newtothis2005 · 16/10/2023 08:50

Generally 17-18 and we never have it in overnight. We don’t often put it on upstairs just sometimes to warm the kids bedrooms

SomeCatFromJapan · 16/10/2023 08:52

Mine is around 19 or 20 and I turn it down overnight.
Used to be more like 22/23 but from last winter I was obviously trying to economise.
And yes it's been coming on for a few weeks now.

CobwebsAndCauldrons · 16/10/2023 08:54

6am - 8am = 19c
8am - 5pm = 18c
5pm - 8pm = 20c
8pm - 6am = 12.5c

They are the year-round settings, so the heating will turn itself on/off depending on the room temperature compared to those.

KajsaKavat · 16/10/2023 08:57

20-21. I have no set dates so if it’s cold in august I put the heating on

Graciebobcat · 16/10/2023 08:57

18/19 - thermostat is in the hall.

The living room is usually about 21C though.

RampantIvy · 16/10/2023 08:58

JamieFrasersBitOnTheSide · 16/10/2023 08:35

What is it about all the heating threads every year in October? Is there some sort of competition who can freeze their arses off the longest before putting the heating on?

We’ve had the heating on for weeks. There’s nothing shocking about it, @MyYorkshireFarm unless of course you can’t comprehend that people do actually live in colder climates.

This ^^

These threads are often populated by competitive underheating posters who live somewhere warmer than we do or don't feel the cold as much as we do.

I get that the cost of heating is prohibitive, but there is nothing as irritatiing as a morally superior poster who likes to freeze their arse off just because they feel it is character forming.

I wonder how many of these "I am quite happy with 18/16/-10" posters are the same ones complaining bitterly if the aircon is at 21 in an office

Quite.
I suspect they are the same posters who get apoplectic when the outside temperature reaches the dizzy heights of 18 degrees.

I did try turning the thermostat down last year, but DH is severely underweight due to health problems and he was utterly miserable.

For people who feel the cold easily just putting on another jumper doesn't suffice. The ambient temperature needs to be higher for them to be comfortable.

Catza · 16/10/2023 09:00

Well, my partner put it on last night when thermostat was at 18. I am the one who always feels cold and live under sofa blanket for most of the year but I typically don't have it on except for one hour in the morning and a couple of hours at night when it drops below 16. My partner was still wearing a t-shirt when he decided he was cold.... since he is the one paying the majority of bills, it's his choice.
Personally, I would prefer temperature of around 22 but I don't remember ever being able to throw this much money away on such luxury. So it's pragmatic thinking on my part to keep the house cool rather than preference.

TiredMamOfTwo · 16/10/2023 09:00

Only have it on low to keep the chill off, if it's really really cold like -4/-5 I'll put it up to 18.

But we have 15 tog winter duvets & extra blankets.

catlovingdoctor · 16/10/2023 09:02

It was between 13-15 at home the past couple of days so I've had to have it on for a bit when I wake up and just before bed. It would be too uncomfortable otherwise.

Graciebobcat · 16/10/2023 09:03

Ours is always off at night and kicks in at 5am (unless it reaches very low temps like -10 outside) and it still only gets down to 16/18 in the bedrooms.

Gymmum82 · 16/10/2023 09:06

Ours is set to 15 and on for 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening.
It won’t be switched on until 1st November at the earliest though.
We used to have it on more often prior to last winter but now it’s just too expensive. We managed with layers, blankets and hot water bottles last winter so will do the same this year

Loubelle70 · 16/10/2023 09:08

I live in an old house so it goes cold stays cold quickly...17 in this house feels like 14. Mine is set to 22 but only put on to take chill out air because too expensive.

Mum2aTeen · 16/10/2023 09:09

We don't have a thermostat/ducted air conditioning. We just have a reverse cycle (can change from cold to hot) in the lounge room, but it filters to all rooms, so in winter between 28-30 in summer between 18 and 22.
I think it's probably a different type of heating, though.

Superscientist · 16/10/2023 09:09

Overnight 13degrees. During the day 17 if just adults 17.5 if the toddler is in too. A little bit of 15 cooling the house before bed.

Then we assess based on the day and put the heating to 18-19 degrees if the house feels cold. If we feel cold we add a layer.

When it's really cold and I'm working from home I have a little electric radiator in the study as I don't work well when cold but it's not worth heating the house to 18+ when I'm hidden in the smallest room (not the toilet!)

RampantIvy · 16/10/2023 09:11

We had no central heating in our first house, and endured one of the coldest winters ever with temperatures as low as -10 at night. We would wake up to ice on the inside of the windows.

I never want to live like that again. Keeping warm is high priority in our house. Fortunately we are able to offset both the financial and carbon footprint costs with our solar panels.

Londonscallingme · 16/10/2023 09:13

20-21 and it's underfloor downstairs so on all the time and constantly at that temperature. Upstairs it's rads and we tend to be a bit more manual with that depending on how much time we are spending up there (like WFH) and how it feels. For night time we tend to have it set to about 18 degrees upstairs but more (21 ish) if sat up there working in the day.

JaceLancs · 16/10/2023 09:14

Heating goes on 1st November off 1st April
1 hour in a morning 5 hours at night thermostat set at 19
As it’s been chilly recently have had the fire on twice for a couple of hours
I can’t afford big fuel bills - so we wear an extra layer - use throws and cuddle the cat!

crazy4cats · 16/10/2023 09:15

The heating is on here now. I wanted to make it to november but the house got down to 15 and that was enough. our house loses heat very very quickly. It's only a 2001 build so we didn't expect this when we moved in. It's a dormer bungalow (built this way), so we're going to get an insulation specialist in to see if there's anything we can do. the house will drop from 20 to 11 overnight on the coldest nights so we just have to leave the heating on 24/7 as it's less ecomincal for us to then have the heating blasting for 3 or 4 hours to bring the house back to temperature in the morning and evening. Plus we have a baby so I'm not letting him go cold.

I'm just saying screw it this year and being comfortable. I spent all of last winter obsessing over the smart meter screen and stressing out about how shit our house's heat retention is. I don't think the price difference will actually be all that much. Will deal with the bill later. Doing what we can to minimise heat losses this year by getting the windows and doors fixed, hopefully some more insulation.

ClinkyWotsit · 16/10/2023 09:18

Thermostats are still set on the setting we use during summer which is 12 degrees. Met Office app is telling me it’s 6 degrees outside and the gro egg upstairs is currently 17 degrees. Never goes on overnight ever, the hum of the boiler would drive me batty.

Heating currently expected to go ‘on’ in November. We had a smart meter fitted recently and I’m quite enjoying our £30 a month gas bill.

Crumpetdisappointment · 16/10/2023 09:21

my fuel bill is still in minus figures - compared with previous years when it was in huge credit, now in debit
so i need to hold out putting the heating on
it has only been cold since saturday

Holidaynovice · 16/10/2023 09:21

Ours clicked on for the first time this morning so it must have dropped below 16 for the first time. Only for an hour. I'm in all day buy won't have it on. Have only ever had it on once during the night when it was in the high minus temps because I was worried about pipes freezing.

DaftQuestionForToday · 16/10/2023 09:21

RampantIvy · 16/10/2023 07:50

Yet another heating thread.

I was shocked that they’ve all put their heating on already!

You're shocked? Why? Why so judgemental?It is cold. We have had frost, and our thermostat is set at 20 degrees, so our heating has been coming on several times.

Detached house on edge of Pennines.

@RampantIvy it was obvious from the title it was a heating thread, so why open it just to complain?? There are going to be many many more of them!

@MyYorkshireFarm 16/18 sounds a bit chilly,but it depends where your thermostat is situated.

I'm in the SE & last week I was doing the school run in shorts. It was 0° this morning! It's cold in here now, but I need to sort out my thermostat. When I put it on it'll be fussed around with until I get it right. Probably 22° in the evenings, 10° overnight, 15° during the day which I'll boost if I'm home & cold.