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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:
bluestar5 · 03/11/2023 20:07

We only switch it on when we are cold. Our bungalow is extremely well insulated and so far the temperature inside has not dropped below 18 degrees and we've not had the need to switch it on yet. We tend to only need to put it on when inside temperature is about 10 or so.One of the perks of menopause is that I'm constantly hot and my kids and husband never feel the cold anyway.

K4tM · 03/11/2023 20:10

I have an efficient boiler and house well insulated as I can. Thermostat in hall set to 17 from 6-7 the 4-9. Can put it up a bit if we’re home and feeling cold or if I want to dry washing. Jumpers, socks and slippers. Extra blankets on sofa and on beds. It’s quite cosy really.

Imisssleep2 · 03/11/2023 20:14

I haven't set my timer as yet as I feel some days it isn't necessary but some days it is. In our house our heating has two separate controls/thermostat's, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. At present I put the heating on upstairs for 30-45 mins while I bath my son to take the chill off upstairs, this at present keeps it a sensible temperature till morning (above 17 degree) it doesn't go on in the mornings upstairs, but on chillier mornings I put downstairs on for 30-45 mins but this is mainly because our conservatory gets really cold and it's where we eat, if it wasn't for that I doubt it would be on downstairs at all tbh. We are home all day (WFH)

Once it gets colder upstairs will be set to about 16.5/17 from 6.30pm to 4am, and downstairs will continue to be switched on for half hour or so when we feel we need it during the day but completely off at night.

Lesina · 03/11/2023 20:17

I hate being cold. I have my heating on 5am to 8am and 5pm to 11pm. It’s set to 21.
I sometimes put it up.
Can not abide being cold. Won’t do it.

bluesky45 · 03/11/2023 20:21

Ours is set to come on for an hour in the afternoon downstairs, just before the kids get home, and an hour in the early evening upstairs, just before the kids go to bed. The thermostat is set to 14 degrees but it is in the coldest rooms so the living spaces are more like 17 after the heating has been on.
It is getting chilly if we are at home before the heating is due on though.

dutysuite · 03/11/2023 20:26

Last year for the first time I tried to not have my heating on as much and as a consequence my health suffered, cold went straight to my chest - this year I'm not going through that again so I have the heating on set to 22.

Bertiesmum3 · 03/11/2023 20:38

We haven’t even considered putting ours on yet!
im still wearing shorts to work (in care!)
Only last week I got my jumper out to put on in the evenings.
Husband still wears shorts during the day and a t shirt

ilikemethewayiam · 03/11/2023 20:43

I have ours on for an hour in the morning and couple of hours in the evening at 18. It’s still chilly but if I’m feeling particularly cold I’ll put it up to 19. Last year I was terrified of the bills so had it on 16 all winter. I was freezing the whole time and sat under a duvet most of the time. I really don’t want to do that again this winter, it made me feel ill. I will have to monitor it carefully.

fedupwithbeinghot · 03/11/2023 20:44

Not on yet but I'll probably switch it on around Christmas and it will be 18C. For the moment, I'm fine with thick socks and a woolly jumper, plus a sofa blanket

maddiemookins16mum · 03/11/2023 20:47

None for us yet, we’re in Oodies on the sofa with throws, where needed.
However this weekend we’re sorting out our very ugly but very useful 60 plus year old working oil lamps. We use one in the lounge and one in the upstairs office.
It’s currently 18.4 degrees in our lounge, no heating needed at present.

RidingMyBike · 03/11/2023 20:47

Air source heat pump here and at least one person at home most of the time.
House is set not to go below 19 (bedrooms) or 21 (daytime downstairs)/19 (night downstairs). It's zoned and only pulls heat when it needs to increase temperature. It mostly holds steady through the day and tends to run between 4 and 7am ish to get up to temp for the day.

Chocolatepeanutbuttercupsandicecream · 03/11/2023 20:50

Currently on for two hours in the morning and the same again at night, plus the odd extra hour if I’m at home and cold. I don’t mind putting a warm jumper on or cosying up on the couch with a blanket, but if I’m still cold doing that then I’m going to put it on. Luckily I’ve built up some credit over the summer so I should be ok this winter.

Sensibleandboring · 03/11/2023 20:51

Hi, I bought an electric fleece and it’s a real game changer. Just throw it over my legs when doing computer work and watching TV. I just use CH to dry my laundry ( but I am child free)

OneLittleFinger · 03/11/2023 20:54

Keeping it off as much as possible. Sat in 14.5° lounge all day the other day. Put it on if I have washing to dry quickly or if toddler is here. Other years it's been on constantly from September if not earlier.

Nothankyou22 · 03/11/2023 20:56

I live in an eco house and the only radiator is the towel rail in the bathroom, the house is currently 17° although if I could I’d have it a few degrees warmer as it feels a bit chilly

DollyTubb · 03/11/2023 21:01

We don't have a thermostat for the heating, we have individual thermostatic radiator valves and adjust the heat in each room accordingly; it means that rooms less used are not heated unnecessarily. We are in Scotland and it makes a big difference to how often we need heating; we have a wood burning stove we have had lit for the past month in the afternoon/evenings depending on if we are at home or not. The heating comes on for 2 hours in the morning to make it more comfortable getting up, but we now have the 15tog winter duvet on which is perfect overnight. We have a split heating system so we can have the back of the house, where the kitchen is, heated independently of the rest of the house; it can get to 4oC in there in the winter so we keep the heating on all day in there when it's that cold.

Champagneforeveryone · 03/11/2023 21:04

Ours is set at 21 I think <glares at DH> and just clicks on and off as required.

However we live in a small new build which is ridiculously well insulated, so we don't actually use it that much. Both DH and DDog2 hate being cold, so while I make out that I only put up with it to indulge them, I'm actually glad the house is always warm.

Starmoonsu · 03/11/2023 21:05

Kicks in when the temperature drops below whatever it’s set to, and using our fire a lot too.

Mandoidi · 03/11/2023 21:09

Currently set to 19°. It comes on whenever it drops below that (have a hive). Might consider popping it back down to 18°, we turned it up a week or so back when we had covid.

Only downstairs coming on at the moment, and I expect that to mostly be the case unless it gets really cold outside. Upstairs usually runs at 1° warmer.

Have toyed with the idea of turning it off overnight, but it seems maybe a false economy to let the house cool significantly and then try to bring it back up to temp everyday. It's on for just short of 2 hrs a day in total. I might experiment to see.

House is 1 year old new build, NW England.

Ourlittletalks · 03/11/2023 21:24

I’m always cold, I’m quite thin and feel every bit of cold in my house so I have it set to 22 degrees in the morning from 6-7:30, I’m gone then all day for work and don’t get home until around 4:30pm after collecting DD from Afterschool so I have it set for 30 mins at 22 degrees from 4-4:30 then again at 6-8 22 degrees. The rest of the time it kicks in if temp drops below 19 to heat the room to 19.

Differentstarts · 03/11/2023 22:11

On a timer 6am -8am an then 5pm until 10pm. Set at 20

SophieinParis · 03/11/2023 22:19

People have their heating so low! I have 17 at night and 21 all day.. it gets so chilly otherwise

SophieinParis · 03/11/2023 22:22

Also if my house got to 14/15//16 for long periods like others are saying then my house would get damp and mouldy.

BeccaGeej · 03/11/2023 22:27

Can't believe the amount of time a lot of posters have their heating on! We won't be getting very far with solving climate change if this thread is anything to go by! We're only just past October and it hasn't been particularly cold at all yet. Why on earth would you need it on all day unless you had a medical condition that required it?
We have ours on for a couple of hours in the evening if needed, maybe more on a cold day at the weekend and occasionally on the coldest days, an hour in the morning. Wouldn't dream of having it on overnight when we're all tucked up under duvets. We live in a 1980s house so not a super insulated new build but honestly think we'd melt if we had it on as much as some on here. Seems very wasteful.
To OP, it doesn't sound like you're being excessive and you're right, 15 is too low to be comfortable.

IgnoranceNotOk · 03/11/2023 22:31

Not on yet.
have got the winter duvet out and quilts.
we also have a Lakeland drier now and that heats the living room really well! I love it.

I don’t like being too hot at night so when it gets really cold I’ll have the heating on in the bedrooms before we go to bed and then off after that