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AIBU?

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Original poster

Why is my home so cold??

125 replies

Freshstarts24 · 29/11/2023 23:14

I’m hoping someone might have some ideas as to what the issue could be. I live in a flat, have gas central heating. The flat is fairly old , but has double glazing and doesn’t feel particularly drafty.
No matter how long I have my heating on or what temp I turn the thermostat to it does not seem able to go above 21 degrees. Now, I’ve seen others mention on here that 21 is a reasonable temperature, but in my flat it still feels chilly. Whereas 21 in my office for example, would not be.
Surely it can’t be right that I can’t get the temperature any higher than this? It’s never warm. If I have the heating on for 5 hours, it stays at 21, and whilst no longer cold, it’s also not warm.

OP posts:
Original poster
Freshstarts24 · 01/12/2023 19:22

hermioneee · 01/12/2023 16:56

Sorry OP just so I understand - you're putting your thermostat on at 21.. but it's never clicking off because your house isn't managing to actually get to 21..
OR you're putting at 21 and it IS clicking off because it thinks the temp is that high but it isn't?

Honestly I live in an old..ish house and if I set my thermostat at 18 and take the timer off it does have to be pretty much on all the time. I think you might need to leave it on for a bit. It's probably the same price as some of the saving tips that other people have mentioned.

It will eventually click of at 21. The issue is 21 is still cold in here so I’m turning it up to 22 and it never clicks off as it’ll never reach that temperature.

OP posts:
Original poster
Freshstarts24 · 01/12/2023 19:23

My parents live in a well insulated place. They haven’t even needed their heating yet. Their thermostat reads 17.5 and it’s not cold. Yet mine is cold at 20. So I do think insulation is the problem.

TRVs are all turned up as high as they’ll go.

OP posts:
Original poster
Freshstarts24 · 01/12/2023 19:25

Packetofcrispsplease · 01/12/2023 12:43

If set my thermostat to 21c the house would be too hot ( well insulated new build but with high ceilings downstairs and large rooms )and I’d be sat in a t shirt .
chances are you need a new thermostat or to re position the thermostat.

How would a new thermostat help though?

What you describe is the same as my parents new build.

OP posts:
FreshFromTheSinBin · 01/12/2023 20:49

No matter how long I have my heating on or what temp I turn the thermostat to it does not seem able to go above 21 degrees

I can't get beyond this. My house is 10 degrees with the heating on all day, and that really is cold. Though I sympathise with the thermostat thing, as mine won't click off even if I set it to 13, so there's not much point setting it at all.

I'd enjoy whatever warmth you've got, OP.

Bilbo63 · 01/12/2023 20:52

As I stated earlier - a heated fleece blanket for the sofa - costs pennies to run.
Also, if you have damp - a dehumidifier - by removing the damp it raises the temp overall. I also find that having lots of plants removes damp and mould as they absorb condensation.

OneSugar1 · 01/12/2023 21:05

My house is the same OP. The boiler could be on day and night with the thermostat set to 30 and the house would never heat up to more than about 19 degrees. I can’t afford to leave the heating on all the 24/7 obviously so am wfh in around 13 degrees at the moment.

It’s even worse in my bedroom which is in an extended part of the house which has a flat roof. I heard the boiler click on in the night last night because it’s set to come on if it drops below 10. It is particularly cold for my part of the country at the moment so I’m hoping the cold snap will end soon.

I just figure my house has shit insulation. I’m layered up to fuck and sick of being cold and broke.

VanGoghsDog · 01/12/2023 22:02

Freshstarts24 · 01/12/2023 15:07

Mine wouldn’t even come on at 17. The lowest it really gets to is 18 and believe me that is absolutely freezing. You’d need to be wearing gloves indoors. It just shows that different temps feel different in different homes.

Show quote history

If you believe that the temperature the thermostat is showing is correct (and although people have suggested you get another thermometer to check it, you don't seem to be doing that) then the room is the temperature it says it is, but to you that feels cold - there will be two main issues to consider: 1) damp; 2) draughts.

For 1) move your dehumidifier around to get the place as dry as you can. Check for damp coming in from outside. Think about how and where you dry your laundry, ensure you always do a double spin on the machine, as high as it goes, to get as much water out as possible before you hang clothes up. Use those dehumidifying salts etc in rooms.

  1. check every door, window seal, letter box etc. I recently found a leak coming in under the patio doors, which meant I had both damp and a draught. I had to have them taken right out, reseated and resealed, but I can actually feel the difference even though I'd never noticed an issue before. Use draught excluders by doors. What flooring have you got? I have wood but laying rugs helps, and I wear thick wooly slippers.
ProfSleepzz · 01/12/2023 22:04

God I’d love 21 degrees! My house is 12 degrees when I get up/in from work. I put the heating on for three hours tonight (which I can’t afford but my kids looked so cold!) and it got up to 16. We all had a hot water bottle, layers on, topped with a cheap version of an Oodie (god bless Online Home Stores) and it was just about bearable. Makes my blood boil that energy companies who turn profits of billions are allowed to charge so much for a basic necessity.

Original poster
Freshstarts24 · 01/12/2023 22:14

VanGoghsDog · 01/12/2023 22:02

If you believe that the temperature the thermostat is showing is correct (and although people have suggested you get another thermometer to check it, you don't seem to be doing that) then the room is the temperature it says it is, but to you that feels cold - there will be two main issues to consider: 1) damp; 2) draughts.

For 1) move your dehumidifier around to get the place as dry as you can. Check for damp coming in from outside. Think about how and where you dry your laundry, ensure you always do a double spin on the machine, as high as it goes, to get as much water out as possible before you hang clothes up. Use those dehumidifying salts etc in rooms.

  1. check every door, window seal, letter box etc. I recently found a leak coming in under the patio doors, which meant I had both damp and a draught. I had to have them taken right out, reseated and resealed, but I can actually feel the difference even though I'd never noticed an issue before. Use draught excluders by doors. What flooring have you got? I have wood but laying rugs helps, and I wear thick wooly slippers.
Show quote history

Getting a thermometer isn’t a priority because it actually doesn’t matter what the temperature is. It matters that I can’t get it to go above X temperature and it still feels cold.

i will try moving the dehumidifier around but im quite sure I don’t have damp. How would I know?

I can’t feel draughts around the windows but I can definitely feel cold air in the rooms so there must be.

I have carpets in all the e bedrooms, wooden elsewhere with rugs and I’m living in fluffy socks!

OP posts:
GRex · 01/12/2023 22:20

You need to look at the BTU for radiators if you are buying new ones. We replaced all non-new ones in our house when we moved in but two "new" ones we kept are dramatically colder than our new ones or the bathroom ones (also new and not replaced). Bills also dropped, which doesn't actually make theoretical sense as BTU should use more, but we became toastier for less.

DianaTiana · 01/12/2023 22:23

If your EPC is C then it sounds like your boiler and rads could be underpowered for the size of the flat.

Make sure your thermostat is in the coldest part of the flat.

Lorralorr · 01/12/2023 22:27

My previous house was like this and as a few pp have said, for us the problem was rubbish old radiators (they fill up with sludge over the decades which makes them ineffective) and the radiators being too small, output wise, for each room. In some rooms they were very low radiators as squished between window and floor, in other rooms they were on the wall opposite the window which made it even worse. All of which is to say, if you can possibly afford it, new radiators would revolutionise your life. Speak to a plumber about what output you need for each room.

Oakbeam · 01/12/2023 22:38

Have you tried turning up the thermostat on the boiler itself to increase the flow temperature through the radiators? Assuming there is one.

bobotothegogo · 01/12/2023 22:41

Is the thermostat right beside a radiator/warm spot?

It needs to be in a general living area.

Babymamamama · 01/12/2023 22:56

OP I use a humidifier and it shows you the humidity in the room. So you can see the number dropping as you draw moisture out of the air. Does yours not tell you the humidity level. I think the ideal is under 50.

TiredParentAlways · 01/12/2023 23:17

Air movement makes a big difference to temp "real feel" compared to the actual temp in a room. Do you have very large windows? Due to convection this creates more air flow making the room feel colder. Drafts from doors and windows will do this too.

Pluvia · 01/12/2023 23:40

How old is the building and how many outside walls do you have? What floor are you on? If you're on the top floor, is there sufficient insulation in the roof? If you're on the ground floor and the floor is suspended over a void, you could have cold air working its way up from below even through carpet. Are you getting draughts from around the skirting boards? If you have several outside walls you'll lose heat more quickly. And if the building was built before 1920 the walls may just be a single brick thick instead of the kind of cavity wall construction used today. All of these issues will make a flat lose heat.

I presume it goes without saying that 21C is 21C, whether at work or at home, and for most people 21C should be a decent temperature. It could be you have a slight 'wind chill factor' experience going on: cool air from slightly leaky windows or floors or walls is moving around making the place feel cooler, maybe. Put on another sweater and slippers if it's not warm enough. Or a hat. Makes a huge difference!

If and when you move, look for a property with an A or B grade of EPC. (As are pretty rare, admittedly). I wouldn't consider a property rated lower than a C. The epc takes into account the age and construction of your property as well as things like insulation and radiators/ heating system and should be a good guide to how easy it will be to make the place feel warm.

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 02/12/2023 07:57

www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

Original poster
Freshstarts24 · 02/12/2023 08:12

It’s an end flat so lots of external walls. Radiators possibly not big enough for rooms, very high ceilings.
it doesnt matter what room I put the thermostat in, I can still never get it warm. In the coldest room I’d struggle to get above 19.
unfort I can’t use a heated blanket on the sofa as I’m nowhere near a plug socket but I’m always under a blanket.

My dehumidifier doesn’t have a digital display but my old one did and the humidity in my bedroom, the coldest room, was really high, in the high 80’s if I remember correctly. The lowest it would ever go was 60’s. I never actually tried it in other rooms as you can tell they are not damp like the bedroom gets. I do dry my washing in my bedroom so that’s why. It also has 2 external walls and the radiator is near the door instead of under then window.

OP posts:
marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 02/12/2023 09:09

Use a heated throw on an extension lead?

LivingDeadGirlUK · 02/12/2023 09:15

My house is really cold at the moment, I think its the windows they are 20 years old I think something has gone.

Reugny · 02/12/2023 09:31

Babymamamama · 01/12/2023 22:56

OP I use a humidifier and it shows you the humidity in the room. So you can see the number dropping as you draw moisture out of the air. Does yours not tell you the humidity level. I think the ideal is under 50.

Amazon sell cheap hygrometers which tell you the humidity and temperature in a room.

Mercury238 · 02/12/2023 10:08

Same! 10 or 11 when it's been off (goes below 10 when really cold). 11.5 the other day when I got home - 5 hours heating got us to 12.5!
We wear a lot of jumpers!!

Pluvia · 02/12/2023 10:33

My house is really cold at the moment, I think its the windows they are 20 years old I think something has gone.

Well, yes, it's winter and we're having a few really cold days so you have to run your house differently to stay warm and live a little differently. You adapt to circumstances, which may mean leaving the heating on 24/7 (switch the thermostat down to 15 or 16 at night) or turning up the boiler thermostat to increase the heat of the water so it can heat your radiators hotter. Other fixes might include buying an oil-filled electric radiator and using it to keep one room warm and living in there for the few days this cold spell is likely to last. Or buying an extension lead so you can have a heated blanket over you. I'm presuming everyone here has good thermal leggings and vests for just this kind of weather. M&S do good fleecy ones that will keep you a lot warmer. I'm always astonished by the number of people who just crank up the thermostat and don't put slippers and sweaters on.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 02/12/2023 10:49

Cheap steps to take initially are:

Bleed all radiators and check boiler settings and instructions.

Buy thermal curtain liners (Dunelm do ones that don't need sewing skills) and put them on as many windows as possible.

Get a few snake style draft excluders for doors.

Buy a hot water bottle or heated throw and a cheap oodie copy. Wear slippers with a thick sole.

Run your dehumidifier for longer and take steps to reduce humidity.