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.

mine is on for 2.5 hours morning and evening at 20 degrees, set to kick in at 16 during the day and 14 at night. Sometimes I turn it off in the morning if i'm heading out to the office. It's been down to 15 when I've got up some mornings recently. Yesterday I had to put it on at lunchtime while WFH as 17 is just too cold for me to be sitting still (I was already wearing a full set of clothes and my dressing gown).

I have sympathy for these people who have their house 'heated' at 15 degrees.

The lowest we go is 18 but that's only overnight (and we live abroad where leccy is cheaper)

18.5 in the day and off at night. DH likes it 21 so on days he wfh he has a little electric heater on in his study and sometimes sneaks the thermostat up!

Ours is off
We have a 24 year old house ,that we bought new ,seems the builder put in old systems back then ,so we have Avery old very dated hot water system and radiators that we can't afford to use ..so heating won't be turned on at all,we also have dogs so no carpet,and I'm permanently frozen ....I'm 50 currently so really hoping some menopause hot flushes kick in soon

Ours is always 18/19 C ( except when I'm away and DP puts it up to 21).

Had put heat pump installed last year and new insulation and radiators so it is more economical to run it all the time. Insulation is so good though that half the radiators kept turned off except when it is really cold - which we do get as we are in Scotland

Just wondering if you're eligible for an insulation grant? Might also be eligible for heating support?

Turned heating on a couple of weeks ago. The thermostat is at 18 and it's set to come on for one hour in the morning, 6.30-7.30am and four hours in the afternoon/evening 3.30pm-7.30pm. In between times are covered by blanket hoodies and woolly socks.

Last year I initially had the heating on for just two hours in the early evening, but the outside walls started to go mouldy, so I upped it to four, which seems to keep the mould at bay.

I WFH but have blankets on me
18 is comfortable, it's currently 16c but my budget for gas and electric is £100pm and so I can't afford for it to be 18 all the time

Mostly I let it click on to take the chill off then turn it off ASAP and never on overnight

I turn it on when I feel cold (husband is always hot so he's not bothered about it being on). It's currently on, and is at 18-19 degrees.

Heating went on a few weeks ago, the thermostat is set at 17° by day, to come on for 3 hours in the morning and again at night.
The log burner effectively heats downstairs so I light it when it’s chilly.
We’re both older and retired, in all day and we’re ok at the moment.

We’ve been so lucky down south this year so far. Im always cold but it hasn’t been too cold indoors yet. Turned on about 5/6 evenings so far. Have friends in the far North that have had theirs on for about 8/9 weeks. It is at that annoying stage where washing takes ages to dry though.
Im amazed at the people that can soldier through with no heating on or heating on 15 -18 degrees. I’d get rid of everything before I could do that. I’d eat beans on toast every night and use an old nokia 😂 I just cant function when cold.

Ours is on via our Nest set at 20 by day and 16 overnight. It kicks in at 8am for an hour or so then intermittently throughout the day and evening. It's not come on during the night so far.

@sadsufferer2023 I think that’s the bare minimum that you should have the heating on especially if you’re home during the day. I am at home too and I have mine on in the morning and then from 6pm to 10pm in the evening. But if I feel cold at any other time I put it on. There’s no way that I’m going to be cold and uncomfortable in my own home. I’d rather cut down on something else. I also think it’s essential for your physical and mental health to be cosy and warm at home. I would also say that I live in an old cottage which, even though we have done as much as we can to insulate it, it can be on the chilly side at times. So I would imagine we must pay more for our heating than a modern well-insulated house. Our current direct debit for dual fuel gas and electric is £250 a month and that is for 3 adults living here, 2 of which are retired and now at home in the day.

Hive thermostat set to 20.5 from 6.30am to 9pm and frost protection overnight.
Looking back over the last week the heatings only come on for 2 hrs or so each day so the temp is maintained well.

We’ve been using the heating for about a month now mostly to dry clothes. Thermostat is on at 21 and until recently just the radiator in the hall has been switched on. We’ve been increasingly heating the rooms we’ve been using only, and being careful to switch off when the room is empty. All heating goes off at bedtime.

But the (joint electricity and gas) statement/bill has just jumped from £120 in Sept to £300 in Oct and we’ll be looking at more than twice that when it’s properly cold. We pay 330/month direct debit and have built up a surplus over the summer to accommodate the winter costs.

Our house is a 3 floor Victorian Semi with original sash windows (single glazed and happy). In the next few weeks I’ll be putting up window insulation which made a difference to drafty rooms last year.

In the far south. Downstairs is on underfloor that comes on at 20 degrees.it’s come on occasionally but not often. Upstairs is on radiators that come on at 19 and tbh they v rarely come on. The house retains heat really well. Last year I was stricter but ended up massively in credit on gas- what killed me was electric for the tumble drier tbh. But the tumble drier also heats the downstairs really well so possibly a bit of offset there.

We have guinea pigs and when it’s really cold put warm heated pads in for them - you heat up the middle in the microwave and then put a fleece cover on. They get extra hay in the winter, and cosy hideys made out of cardboard boxes.

Ours is on a timer for a couple of hours in the morning then off all day, back on 3pm-9pm set to 19 degrees.
never need the heating on upstairs.

@MrShady oh wow I had a blanket on as well 🤦🏼‍♀️ don’t you just pay a direct debit each month and your account gets credited then debited? If that was the case for me even being on 18 I would definitely be in debit? We pay 147 a month and I’m making sure I use it and we aren’t in debit!

Mine is on 24-7. Upstairs it's set at 16°c a downstairs 18°c. We've also got the woodburner going. I don't like being cold.

Not on. Thermostat set to 12 degrees so unlikely to come on seeing as it’s 15 degrees outside

Permanently on 16. Boost it occasionally when feeling cold/been for a muddy walk. Have an electric blanket in the living room, we all have slippers/dressing gowns/warm pjs and the kids have fluffy bedding and hot water bottles. I can’t stand having the house hot. I’d rather wrap up and my kids prefer it too!

Ours is set to 16 degrees 24/7 - any colder than that and we start getting damp/condensation issues. We have individual smart thermostats in each room so we boost it up to 20 or so as needed in whatever room we're in. Last year bills were horrendous. Hoping it will be better this year as has a fair bit cheaper.

We don’t have central heating of any kind, so no thermostat or timers to set.

The Rayburn in the kitchen has been lit most days since mid October, so we have one warm room!

Our sitting room and the rest of the house is around 15degrees, warmed by the sun shining through the windows and a bit of warm air circulating from the kitchen.

We have plug-in oil-filled electric heaters for when it’s really cold, but they’re so expensive we often don’t put them on unless we have guests!

There are still grants to install first-time central heating - but you’re not eligible if (like us) you have a total household income over £30k - ie every single family with 2 full-time incomes, even at the minimum wage… drives me up the wall.

one day we might be able to afford to install central heating…

I’ve got two toddlers. I have mine set at 19 all day but if I’m cold I turn it up. I refuse to let my kids be cold in their own house, even if I end up in debt. My ds is potty training so don’t generally have bottoms on so it stays on all day everyday. If I didn’t have kids I probably wouldn’t use it so much