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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how I’m supposed to pay this heating bill?

365 replies

ye10000 · 04/12/2023 10:18

This month I put the heating on set to 18. It automatically clicks off when it’s got to 18 and it goes off entirely at 10pm until the morning. I’ve looked at usage and it says the heating has been on an average of 7 hours a day. This had meant a bill of 502 pounds. We are in a three bed detached. That is almost a quarter of my income and I have one dc in nursery, single parent. I am so worried about the coming months, is 7 hours a day average a lot? I thought I was being careful.

OP posts:
Doggymummar · 04/12/2023 20:48

Ours is on more than 7 hours as I WFH too, but it's not that much, it better not be! October was £250.00 November was £230. Is your quarterly

agent765 · 04/12/2023 20:48

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 19:54

We bought one for three hundred quid and installed it ourselves. Well, the boyf did. He's quite handy, but no genius. The biggest thing was sawing a hole in the ceiling and a bit of electrics. Depends how confident you are.

You could just buy one like that and hire an electrician to put it in. It would no way be £2-3000 I don't think.

Show quote history

This is what my friend did. It cost £400 altogether.

Hers is a Nuaire that she got from Screwfix. They have a pretty good website so a good DIYer could manage it fairly easily. DP is having a go after Christmas.

BananaPyjamaLlama · 04/12/2023 20:59

@FuzzyPuffling Ive got one of those hoodies too - Im annoyed it developed a hole on its first wash though. But yes its super cozy and I love that its huge so it fits over any daytime outfit Im wearing.
Ill have to investigate a heated throw. I also have sheepskin ankleboot style slippers. I fancy some copycat Ugg boots too.
We have a dehumidifier which massively helps to dry the washing. I only open the windows very rarely and yet........ no damp. Its super cold but not damp.
The worst bit of the day I find is taking off all the layers to have a shower or put on pjs. Brrrr!

AxolotlEars · 04/12/2023 21:03

cardibach · 04/12/2023 18:59

Or we could focus on not having people in fuel poverty. People should be able to afford to have their homes at a safe temperature. Heating the person doesn't work for me - if the air around me is cold I'm miserable and shivery. I doubt I'm a unique freak of nature. Asthmatics need warm air too.

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I totally agree. Unfortunately, it's taking longer than anyone would want.

ThisUsernameIsNotAvailablePlsTryAnother · 04/12/2023 21:53

" If you can,t afford it ( however unfair it seems) you can't use it."

Yeah OP, if you can't afford it then freeze...and decrease the surplus population 🥶

🙄

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 04/12/2023 22:10

madeinmanc · 04/12/2023 10:39

People can brag about not using heating all they want (and they do, incessantly) but heating is necessary for both the health of the house and one's own health.

Edited

This.

beanontoast · 04/12/2023 22:12

7 hours a day is absurd, of course it's going to cost a lot

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 22:42

beanontoast · 04/12/2023 22:12

7 hours a day is absurd, of course it's going to cost a lot

Oh here's another one. Making out that any slight aspirations towards not being fucking freezing in your home is wasteful and extravagant and shameful

What please is "absurd" about not wanting to be uncomfortably cold?

The OP may be on the wrong tariff, she may have a faulty meter, she may have read it wrong, she may have inadequate insulation, there are lots of possibilities. However having some heat for less than a third of the day in December during a cold snap in a damp northern climate is not "absurd".

beanontoast · 04/12/2023 22:45

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 22:42

Oh here's another one. Making out that any slight aspirations towards not being fucking freezing in your home is wasteful and extravagant and shameful

What please is "absurd" about not wanting to be uncomfortably cold?

The OP may be on the wrong tariff, she may have a faulty meter, she may have read it wrong, she may have inadequate insulation, there are lots of possibilities. However having some heat for less than a third of the day in December during a cold snap in a damp northern climate is not "absurd".

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Oh piss off. I didn't say that at all, did I? I live in the North, yes it's fucking freezing and uncomfortably so, yes energy costs a fucking fortune - but if you have the heating on for 7 hours a day, you're going to get a massive bill, aren't you? I don't know anyone at all who puts their heating on for 7 hours a day, but if I did then I wouldn't subsequently be moaning about getting a whacking great bill for it.

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 23:00

No you're not automatically going to get a massive bill for seven hours. Lots of people have shown they in their houses pay far less than that for more than seven hours. That's the point.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 04/12/2023 23:03

I’m surprised at the number of people that think 7 hours is a lot! I hate being cold and find it really de-motivating. My heating is set to come on at 5.45am - 7am (1hr 15mins) so its warm when getting up / getting ready, then comes on again at 2.30pm so its warm for my son getting in from school - 8.30pm (6hrs) so just over 7 hours in total. My thermostat is also set to 18. I live in a 3 bed mid terrace. My downstairs doesn’t hold heat well and has draughty spots so I recon the boiler spends more time running during those 7 hours than not plus I have the hot water come on 3 times a day. I’m on a prepayment meter and the gas alone is averaging around £110 a month, Electric about £90 so £200 in total. Your bill does seem extremely steep.

Topofthemountain · 04/12/2023 23:08

Having heating on for 7 hours should not be absurd. Mine is one for at least that, and my bill is not £500. Main thermostat, timer and TRV's on all (appropriate) radiators keeps an element of control over it.

beanontoast · 04/12/2023 23:08

Onceuponaheartache · 04/12/2023 20:22

It absolutely is when, by her own admission the op is alone at home and her child is at nursery and she can't afford the heating bill.

It means she is heating an entire house unnecessarily which is excessive. It is wasteful when she states she cannot afford it. Therefore the obvious answer is a small electric heater to just heat the room she works in.

It's not rocket science, it's called cutting your cloth.

Edited
Show quote history

Exactly this! People are so weirdly feral about heating? I would LOVE to have my heating on all day as I work from home in the north in a poorly insulated house - it's bloody cold! And I'm a person who is always cold, so I am really suffering. I have to put my electric blanket on all day as it costs pennies, drinking tea, hot water bottle by my feet until it's really unbearable and then I put the heating on JUST in the room I work in. All other radiators off until evening.
And people who think there's people doing this because we think we're better than others or are the 'anti heating brigade' - laughable, I truly hope you are never so skint that you have to take these measures. I'm not running up a massive bill because I literally don't have the money to pay for it, not because I like being cold.

CKL987 · 04/12/2023 23:33

I don't think anyone can make a judgement about how much heating someone is or isn't using as it depends on the property they live in. I'm in a new build flat a few floors up and haven't put my heating on in about 3 years but it was on all the time in the ground floor victorian conversion I used to be in and was still cold. Some places will need heating on overnight because it will drop too low to be acceptable for a small child to sleep in.

QS90 · 04/12/2023 23:47

Just pay the energy company what you can afford. You'll chip away at the debt over the summer, or when the children are older and you hopefully have more money coming in / less going out.

Ihateslugs · 05/12/2023 00:25

ClematisBlue49 · 04/12/2023 19:51

I just googled PIV Unit and it came back with costs of £2-3K and it sounded like a big job to install. Is this what you are referring to @WestwardHo1 or is there a cheap, portable unit available?

I paid over £1k about 8 years ago from Enviroment I think. I thought it was expensive but I was getting desperate with the damp and cold so bit the bullet and have not regretted it.

I don’t know if it’s reduced the amount of gas I use but it has stopped the mould and my house is much more comfortable.

Ihateslugs · 05/12/2023 00:31

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 23:00

No you're not automatically going to get a massive bill for seven hours. Lots of people have shown they in their houses pay far less than that for more than seven hours. That's the point.

I agree, I have my heating on from 7 am to 10pm and am not paying £500 each month. I have no idea how long within that period the boiler is actually on as it’s in the garage and I cannot hear it but the house never goes below 19° during that time. I choose to pay a monthly dd whereby the summer months offset the winter bills, £136 a month. I can budget for that luckily.

coxesorangepippin · 05/12/2023 02:30

I wouldn't exactly say that 18 degrees through the day is heated

DianaTiana · 05/12/2023 05:20

coxesorangepippin · 05/12/2023 02:30

I wouldn't exactly say that 18 degrees through the day is heated

Me neither. It would seem competitive under heating is the new competitive under eating.

Era · 05/12/2023 05:40

ThisUsernameIsNotAvailablePlsTryAnother · 04/12/2023 21:53

" If you can,t afford it ( however unfair it seems) you can't use it."

Yeah OP, if you can't afford it then freeze...and decrease the surplus population 🥶

🙄

ODFOD. I can’t afford to eat steak every day so by your logic I should buy it and eat it anyway because there is some divine right. SOME PEOPLE CANT AFFORD TO HAVE THE HEATING ON FOR SEVEN HOURS A DAY. Quite simple. People don’t die from not having the heating in for seven hours. Plenty of us manage by layering up and only using it for a couple of hours in the morning and evening.

And the poster saying others pay less for their seven hours is equally ridiculous. Houses are all different. There will be numerous reasons why one persons bill is higher than another’s. It is what it is. The OP can’t afford it for her particular home and therefore she needs to change the way in which she keeps herself warm.

Talking about “competitive under heating” is downright offensive. Are we going to start accusing those who can’t afford decent food of competitive under eating too? It’s tone deaf.

if what you both mean is that the cost of energy is shockingly high then say that. But it is what it is and telling the op to simply crack on and use it anyway just because you have the luxury of doing that is only going to lead to a debt spiral for those who can’t afford it.

Era · 05/12/2023 05:42

Ihateslugs · 05/12/2023 00:31

I agree, I have my heating on from 7 am to 10pm and am not paying £500 each month. I have no idea how long within that period the boiler is actually on as it’s in the garage and I cannot hear it but the house never goes below 19° during that time. I choose to pay a monthly dd whereby the summer months offset the winter bills, £136 a month. I can budget for that luckily.

Show quote history

Then your house is clearly completely different to the OPs. Is that so hard to comprehend?

Era · 05/12/2023 05:47

WestwardHo1 · 04/12/2023 23:00

No you're not automatically going to get a massive bill for seven hours. Lots of people have shown they in their houses pay far less than that for more than seven hours. That's the point.

It’s a shit and stupid point. Her house and your house are clearly different. She can’t afford it, you can. Stop rubbing peoples noses in it. Do you honestly think you’re helping at all?

”oh it’s ok westwardho1 has hers on for more than seven hours and is lovely and toasty and it only costs her £200 so I’ll just carry on.”

CormoranEllacott · 05/12/2023 05:51

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Era · 05/12/2023 05:56

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

wtaf?

NikNak321 · 05/12/2023 06:59

Yeah I think 7 hours is a lot if you can't afford it. A few suggestions:

1/ Do you only pay for what you use? If so stop doing that if you can. Pay a Direct debit throughout the year, so you pay an average monthly. You pay more in summer, but less in winter. Its much more manageable for next year 👍
2/ knock the thermostat down 2C
3/ look at insulation etc to improve house overall warmth.
4/ Go on comparison sites eg Money Supermarket, Compare the market. You need to know your last 12 months of usage. They will tell you the cheapest energy supplier & tariff based on your usage. Switch to that.
5/ Layer up and put heating on less as long as there is no one very young (under 1.5 years), old and infirm or anyone with a chronic illness affected by the cold.
6/ Speak to your local Children's centre. Ask is there any organisation you can contact for advice re: heating. Ah funds you can tap into?

It's unfortunate that heating is no longer affordable to use without thought for people not an a great household income. But it is what it is. I have a 2 year old & 7 year old...we probably put the heating on an average of 5 hours at the mo. But I'm a stay at home mum and my husband works from home 4 days a week. If you do the above you can improve your circumstances 👍. There just needs to be more consideration every time you switch it on & more research etc to look at decreasing costs. Good luck 👍