To ask what's your heating situation?

[sadsufferer2023]

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.

I actually still have the French windows open most of the day

Off. We have hot water bottles and blankets.

It's not going on till it's much colder, I simply can't afford it.

We are on oil, and to save costs turn our boiler off when the oil runs out early spring (we have an electric shower so don't need hot water)

We topped up 500L last month, the temp is set at 17.5 but only because it seems to like to take it a degree above what we set! It doesn't come on of its own accord yet, lowest it has dropped is 18.5 so we've only had it on very occasionally, mainly to use the radiators...

We will be careful with it all winter and it will hopefully last us until march at a cost of £400

We don't use the central heating and just have a smokeless fuel stove in the sitting room which also distributes heat upstairs a bit. If adult ds is cold in his room he has a paraffin chimney lamp with a mantle which runs on low odour paraffin and this is enough to heat his medium sized room. He knows how to ventilate to keep the air fresh.

Thermostat currently at 18c. Comes on for 2hrs 7-9am & 2hrs 6-8pm.
I'm at home all day.
When the weather gets really chilly then I up the thermostat to 19/20c.
At that point, I also will put it on for 2hrs during the day - usually 12.30-2.30.

It's a house built in the 1980s.

I've spoken to my neighbours & their houses are equally cold even before conservatories, etc were added!
Downstairs we have patio doors & huge windows along the back of the house. All double-glazed, thick curtains, it still gets chilly.
We've insulated as much as is humanly possible.

We installed a gas fire but it only gets used on very special occasions now. Likewise, if I have guests then I'll put the heating on a lot more.

On a sunny day, even when it's cold outside, the sun warms up the back of the house in the morning then moves round to the front of the house in the afternoon.
So that's good.
It also remains snug upstairs so the cat has decamped to her winter quarters...

Haven't turned it on yet, in the office during the week and when I get home only there for an hour before I head to the gym and when I get back almost time for bed so at the moment wearing layers and using blankets are working fine

I leave mine on all day think it's set at 22 I'm not sure. Hate being cold but don't like being wrapped in layers. I have a lot of gaps around my windows and doors that create drafts. Need to sort it out instead of just wasting money like this on heating.

We disconnected our heating and just ration out a bag of tea lights between all the rooms.

So far since it turned cold ive put it on 4 times. For 45-60 mins. I set a timer and turn it off.

my bill for gas and electric over 5 months last winter was almost £3k. I just can’t afford another bill like that.

We make do with an old rayburn for the kitchen and rooms off that, log burner for the sitting room. Last year I think we put our heating on about 3 times for a brief hour in the morning when it was particularly cold. We have 91 year old MIL in an annexe so we have to heat that, but for us, our heating is not affordable so we just have to wrap up well. You do get used to it after a while, and when I go to a friend's house who has heating it feels uncomfortably hot! We both work and it makes me sick we have to live like this but nothing else we can do

Most of the time recently house has been 15 I think.
Has heating on couple of times for maybe half an hour. But that wasn't cos of the cold it is to heat the clothes because I don't have a tumble dryer and the clothes were building up before I could dry them

@Pinkpinkpink15 Bedroom window is open amost always and dehumidifier is at top of stairs quite a way from our bedroom. It deals with the other bedrooms and means the damp air is removed making for a comfortable temp. Infact by the evening it is blowing out warmish air. Downstairs it deals with cooking moisture and a north facing reception room. With log burner on and dehumidifiers running we have a warm and comfortable home. Dehumidifier gets moved into lounge at night and dries the washing with the residual heat from log burner. We love it and it works for us.

I'm not sure what is difficult to understand.

For many people especially those on benefits there is nothing to cut back on. If you have less than £400 to live on per month where would you suggest they cut back?

Some people used to have to choose between heating and eating. Now many can't afford either.

We're on oil so have to pay in advance. Our heating has been on once so far and that was when we had a poorly guest over. When it comes on its set to 17.5. I can't believe some of these temperatures on this thread!

Mine is on at 19 all the time downstairs where the thermostat is. Upstairs radiator go off at night.

I found it cheaper to do it this way, rather than trying to reheat after being off during the day. It comes on for short bursts to maintain the temperature. I work from home, so it is more comfortable for me!

On a timer so it comes on for an hour before everyone gets up, an hour at lunchtime and three hours in the evening. It's completely off overnight; we have double glazing and plenty of insulation so there isn't too much heat loss .

The thermostat is set to 16.5 but kept in the cooler upstairs hallway (we keep windows on the vent for airflow and a cooler sleeping environment upstairs) so it probably gets up to about 18 downstairs.

I work from home so sometimes do get chilly as I'm sitting at my desk for long periods; I have slippers, jumpers and a woolly cardigan but I also have a very small oil filled radiator under my desk I switch on if I get super chilly to save from heating up the whole house! That hasn't been on yet, I've coped with just the regular heating and my cardi where necessary.

Though I understand 18 degrees is 18 degrees I do think it can feel different depending on the house.

A new, insulated house with soft furnishings at 18 feels a lot different to a farm house with a tiled floor.

I'm in a stone house, the walls don't seem to retain any heat ❄️
We're Hive, 6-8 am at 18 deg
16.5 throughout the day
and 6 - 9.30 pm at 20 deg

I live in a flat on top floor of 3, when my kids or visitors are here I have it on at least 19-20, otherwise on frost mode. When I'm alone it would have to be pretty cold for me to turn it on, e.g 3-4 degrees outside. The building also retains heat to some extent. We all sleep with windows slightly open anyway so would never have it on in the night, but will go into kids' rooms in mornings, close windows and put on heating so they don't get up in the cold. I am fortunate not to be financially pinched but was brought up with minimal heating and often feel overheated in very warm rooms.

@Clingfilm radiant temperature makes a huge difference in how a temperature ‘feels’. Stone houses will have very cold walls and take a lot to combat that in winter, they’re huge surface areas. The air within the room could be perfectly comfortable but walls that don’t retain heat (or are damp) will make it feel significantly colder.

I did an online course a while back, and the sitting still really chilled my bones. And that was before i didn't have a fire!

Comes on to 18c 1hr in the am and 1hr pm

Ours is set to 20C, if it drops it just kicks in. We're in a 4 bed detached new build, dual bill at £200/mo.
Where you can save us setting hot water to an hour in AM and PM, at say 50C. Plenty for us and we all shower daily.

I live in a draughty Victorian house. Heating on between 7am and 9pm at 18 degrees. Doesn’t seem to click on much at the moment. Off completely overnight.

Both DP and I are home all day, central heating set to 18.5 from 6 a.m. (when I get up) till 9 p.m. Then overnight at 17.5.