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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what's your heating situation?

278 replies

sadsufferer2023 · 03/11/2023 08:01

Is it on? How long do you have it on, and what temperature?

I've turned mine on to come on a timer for 2.5 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the evening at 18c. Maybe that's a lot but I'm home most of the day and I feel the cold, plus the morning heating keeps the house warm most of the day. Last year I had it on for only a few hours at 15c and it was miserable. I have a nice amount of credit in the energy account so I'll see how November goes.

OP posts:
youngones1 · 03/11/2023 08:38

19 degrees for one hour in the morning and three hours in the evening supplemented by an electric throw when watching TV!

cheezncrackers · 03/11/2023 08:40

I haven't put the heating on yet, but I have put the winter duvets on the beds. I'm home all day, but it's only the evenings when the house feels a bit cold and I can snuggle up under a blanket or just go in the bath and get warm at that point.

Beezknees · 03/11/2023 08:41

20 degrees for 2 hours in the morning and the same for 2 hours in the evening. Set to 16 the rest of the time.

AlmostAJillSandwich · 03/11/2023 08:42

House has no heating at all, boiler broke almost 15 years ago and with the fact the placement breaks newer health and safety laws, can't just replace it, would need to re pipe and find a new location for it, which is simply not something we (me disabled and dad full time carer who can't claim anything but CA) can afford.
Previous years have used a plug in fan heater but that broke beginning of January, and it was shockingly high cost to run, so since then it's just blankets and waterbottles, and will be so the whole winter. Sadly in a very badly insulated late 1800's victorian terrace, already hit the point i can see my breath.

mondaytosunday · 03/11/2023 08:44

Turned it on for the first time yesterday. I mainly heat downstairs, not my bedroom or spare room, but my daughter has her radiator on up in the loft. I do have a fake coal effect gas for which I've had on the last couple weeks in the evening.
It's set to 18 degrees, and is on all the time but obviously only clicks on if it falls below that. I work from home. The thermostat is in the warmest part of the room. It's fine, though my American relatives consider my house unheated!

DrinkingMyWaterMindingMyBiz · 03/11/2023 08:45

I haven’t turned mine on yet as I’m terrified of the cost. We’re all living in oodies while at home for the time being.

Those of you who keep yours on a low constant, how much on average will this cost you?

Also if you have it on a daily timer, what are your average costs?

(If you don’t mind me asking, of course. I’m just trying to get a ball park figure as things seem to change every winter!)

BorrowersAreVermin · 03/11/2023 08:47

We use Hive. It's on for around an hour in the morning when DS is up before school, then generally from 5pm until 8pm when he's back home. Set to 18°C.

Victorian terrace so it isn't always the warmest of places. Sometimes the thermostat says 18 but it still feels cold, or those hours haven't warmed the place up enough, so I'll boost it up to 19 for an hour or two. If DS has already gone to bed we tend to leave it off and wrap up in blankets.

I work from home but I tend to wear more layers or switch on an oil heater to heat the room I work from if I get cold over winter.

Gas and electric bill doubled last winter compared to previous. Tried cutting back on usage but we were just sat miserable in the cold. No way to live.

PosteriorPosterity · 03/11/2023 08:47

Just reprogrammed for winter last night. Whole house at 15, with the room I work from and the kitchen where the dog lives set to 20 and 17 respectively for working hours. The living room or snug then set to 19 between 5pm and 9pm. All other rooms at 15 at all time unless we manually override.

DrinkingMyWaterMindingMyBiz · 03/11/2023 08:48

AlmostAJillSandwich · 03/11/2023 08:42

House has no heating at all, boiler broke almost 15 years ago and with the fact the placement breaks newer health and safety laws, can't just replace it, would need to re pipe and find a new location for it, which is simply not something we (me disabled and dad full time carer who can't claim anything but CA) can afford.
Previous years have used a plug in fan heater but that broke beginning of January, and it was shockingly high cost to run, so since then it's just blankets and waterbottles, and will be so the whole winter. Sadly in a very badly insulated late 1800's victorian terrace, already hit the point i can see my breath.

That sounds awful!

Have you contacted social services? Even if they can’t help directly they may be able to point you in the direction of someone who can. I’d even be tempted to set up a Go Fund Me in your situation because your health surely must be at risk living in the cold during the winter months?

Merryoldgoat · 03/11/2023 08:49

My thermostat is at 23. It’s on as often as I want it to be. If it gets too warm I turn it down but I have disabled children and a nanny in the house so don’t want them to be uncomfortable.

Beezknees · 03/11/2023 08:49

DrinkingMyWaterMindingMyBiz · 03/11/2023 08:45

I haven’t turned mine on yet as I’m terrified of the cost. We’re all living in oodies while at home for the time being.

Those of you who keep yours on a low constant, how much on average will this cost you?

Also if you have it on a daily timer, what are your average costs?

(If you don’t mind me asking, of course. I’m just trying to get a ball park figure as things seem to change every winter!)

I live in a 2 bed flat with electric heating. I turned it back on for the first time on Wednesday, it is on timer and costing about £5 a day at the moment. In the dead of winter in Jan/Feb time it will get to nearly £10 a day. I can fortunately afford it and I refuse to be cold at home.

GainsvilleRockCity · 03/11/2023 08:49

I just put mine on when it starts feeling cold. Thermostat is set to 19⁰C and I'll bump it up to 21⁰c when I need too. My house has recently been re-insulated and it's made a huge difference compared to last year, when my heating was on most of the day. Now it's only a couple of hours in the morning and evening.

UndercoverCop · 03/11/2023 08:55

Ours is set to 18 at the moment 6-8:30am and 4:30-7:30pm , it hasn't kicked on by itself yet, I've boosted it for a couple of hours twice just to get some washing dry during the incessant rain.
We tend not to have the central heating on after DS is in bed, as upstairs holds the heat fairly well and we just light the log burner if it's chilly downstairs

daffodilandtulip · 03/11/2023 08:57

An hour in the morning and an hour early evening. Log burner for the rest of the time.

JessieJoJames · 03/11/2023 08:57

AlmostAJillSandwich · 03/11/2023 08:42

House has no heating at all, boiler broke almost 15 years ago and with the fact the placement breaks newer health and safety laws, can't just replace it, would need to re pipe and find a new location for it, which is simply not something we (me disabled and dad full time carer who can't claim anything but CA) can afford.
Previous years have used a plug in fan heater but that broke beginning of January, and it was shockingly high cost to run, so since then it's just blankets and waterbottles, and will be so the whole winter. Sadly in a very badly insulated late 1800's victorian terrace, already hit the point i can see my breath.

Have you contact the energy saving trust?

My friend on DLA - got a new heat pump boiler, doors and insulation as part of the eco program. Was worth £20k and cost her nothing.

Burnoutwhat · 03/11/2023 09:03

We don't really have ours on at the moment. In the north east. Ir had it on twice when I've had guests so far this autumn (past few weeks).

We moved in Jan and our old house had a hive type thing, we'd pop it on when coming home if the thermostat showed it was cold. Because we are in and out a lot we mainly useid it as and when rather than on a timer. We do the same in this house but have to just do it on the wall! I don't wait for it to get to a certain temp I just put it on for a bit then when I feel its warmed up turn it off.

Think we'll get a new boiler or heat pump in the next few years so with then get a hive type thermometer then.

Girasoli · 03/11/2023 09:04

We stick it on for half an hour to an hour in the mornings and occasionally the same again in the evening.

Most of the windows in our flat face South and it traps the heat really well.

AngelinaFibres · 03/11/2023 09:05

Oil fired heating and 2 woodburners with a shed full of wood. Ideally the oil will last until February. Bought it when it was cheaper in the summer. Heating on from 7am to 10am. House is SW facing so ,if it's sunny, it will go off earlier than 10( thermostat set at 19).Comes back on at 5 until 10pm. Woodburners both lit in the evening so it often doesn't come on for very long as the house is warm anyway. I light the fire in the afternoon if I'm sitting. It's warm enough without it if I'm moving around.

Maryamlouise · 03/11/2023 09:06

16 degrees maintained by hive. Used to have at 18 sometimes but can't afford that now. House is very old and not particularly efficient

Passerillage · 03/11/2023 09:06

Woodburning stove downstairs, and don't heat upstairs during the day/evening, but I have it set to come on to 18.5 in the mornings from 6.30am to 8am. In theory it's set to bring it up to 19 in the evenings too, but with the stove lit it doesn't actually come on.

JudgeJ · 03/11/2023 09:13

Sprinkles211 · 03/11/2023 08:16

Ours is on to warm up to 20.5, overnight set at 18. We don't have a timer on it and if it needs to be on all day it is. Lucky that our little house is only 2 years old so energy efficient

18 overnight? I never heat overnight, that's what duvets are for! I lit the log burner for the first time last night, a couple of hours kept the living room warm til I went to bed.

Why did 'duvets are' default to 'silverware ' originally???

Daisy199 · 03/11/2023 09:18

Not put it on yet, not since April. Had the electric fire on for 15 mins a day on some days. Both work full time yet scared to put the heating on as the bills are high as it is. It shouldn’t be like this x

Willyoujustbequiet · 03/11/2023 09:19

Mines off

It's £350 a month for electricity so I'm not turning the bloody gas on.

Fluffyc1ouds · 03/11/2023 09:20

I just checked the thermometer and it's currently 12 degrees in here but feels okay at the moment. We rely on plug-in oil heaters and the woodburner so it's tricky to ever get a consistent temperature. When the woodburner is on it's roasting!

I can understand why some people have heating on at night if their house is cold or badly insulated. Last year we recorded 3 degrees in our bedroom at night which is just too cold to sleep comfortably.

Cornettoninja · 03/11/2023 09:20

@AlmostAJillSandwich others have posted some excellent advice regarding places to contact but I just wanted to add that halogen heaters are fairly cheap to buy and run. It’d be much healthier for you and your dad to have a source of heat running in at least one or two rooms.