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AIBU?

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Original poster

House temperature during the day

89 replies

settlethisone · 06/12/2023 15:57

Currently our thermostat is set so that the heating comes on and warms to 19 degrees for two hours 6pm-8pm and an hour in the morning 5-6am.

Our house loses heat quite quickly. We rent so not interested in fixing it for now. No kids yet.

Thermostat had dropped to as low as 14 so I have just had to put it on, because it feels freezing. I’m working from home today and feel chilly.

DH thinks it’s more normal to have heating off entirely in the day. I’d agree but I thought room temp is minimum 17-18 otherwise there’s health repercussions. what do you think?

YABU - team DH
YANBU - nooo that’s freezing

OP posts:
abominablesnowman · 07/12/2023 04:56

19 is way too for what you're having the heating on for. It's unlikely it'll even get that high in an hour from 14 and then it'll quickly come down again.
Generally we'll do two hours in the morning and another two hours in the evening, set to 20 or 21 (22 if it really feels not enough) but sometimes an extra hour boost in the middle of the day makes all the difference.
Sure, wear more layers but don't punish yourself in horribly uncomfortable cold.

garlictwist · 07/12/2023 05:18

I had it on all day yesterday and house only got to 17 degrees. We are north facing and get no sun at this time of year and our street was covered in frost and snow all day. It's going to cost me a bomb.

Mummyoflittledragon · 07/12/2023 05:20

The advice is to heat yourself not the air if you’re struggling for funds and to ventilate regularly to avoid damp and mould. We have underfloor heating in part of the house so that had to be on all the time. The rest of the house is a couple of hours in the morning and 3/4 hours in the evenings and the rooms get up to 20 degrees, down to maybe 14 in the day in freezing temperatures. Teen dd has an electric radiator in addition to this so she has heat any time she likes.

You won’t be working efficiently if you’re cold so being cold puts your livelihood at risk. Ensure you are warm by the most efficient means possible.

Natsku · 07/12/2023 05:25

Heating stays on all the time (except in DD's room because she doesn't like heating in her room, but I leave the door open during the day so the heat from the rest of the house can get into her room), I don't want to risk mould or other issues from a poorly heated house (I spent one winter in a poorly heated house, only wood fire heating so night time the temperature dropped very low, around 12 degrees. I developed asthma).

Downstairs the air heat pump is set to 20 degrees, I'd prefer 21 or 22 but this is my compromise and is on constantly (unless it gets to -20 outside, in which case it doesn't work well and we have to use electric heaters). Upstairs is at 18.
I once left the heat pump off all night by accident and it was so cold in the morning and took so long for the house to heat up again.

TerfTalking · 07/12/2023 05:37

When you wfh you just sit for long periods so get cold.i used to have it on 20 before I gave up work. Now because I move more 17-18 is fine during the day. 14 at night.

NoWordForFluffy · 07/12/2023 05:41

We discovered last year that for us, in our house, it's more economical to have the heating on all day and stay around 18°, than have it come on twice and have to heat from 14-15° to 18°. So that's what we do.

We're in a Victorian semi at present but we're moving to a new build next week, so imagine we'll barely need it on to maintain a comfortable 18°.

DavesRaves · 07/12/2023 05:57

Mine is boiling 24/7 due to having coal fired central heating.
When the thermometer hits 25, we start opening the windows.

Celebrationsnakes · 07/12/2023 06:08

I WFH and don't have heating on during the day. The house sits around 11/12. I'm perfectly comfortable at this temperature. The heating goes onto 16/17 in the evenings and it makes me feel terrible. I can't stand heat.

CateringPanic · 07/12/2023 06:37

17-18 all day if we are out and about. If we are sitting downstairs or I am WFH I will whack it up to 19-20 for a few hours. I would like to have it on this temperature all day but it’s too expensive.

CateringPanic · 07/12/2023 06:38

Also I do the the competitive “I don’t use heating” undertones of these threads. You need to be heating your house, not just yourself, unless you want damp problems

margotrose · 07/12/2023 06:41

Ours is set to 18.5 but it's not on during the day unless it's a weekend or we're both off work.

During the week it's on for about four hours a day - one in the morning, two early afternoon as that's when I get home from work and have a shower, and then a boost for an hour in the evening so DH can shower.

Our bill is barely £60 a month so we could afford to have it on more but I find I get a headache and feel unwell if it's on for too long.

User2856948 · 07/12/2023 06:42

We have ours on from 6am until 10pm, I have found if you only have it on for a couple of hours it quickly gets cold again, house is generally 18-21 which is about right. It's 17 now after so should get up to 18 by about 8am hopefully.

nowordsforthis · 07/12/2023 07:11

HSE gives 16 as a minimum for an indoor workplace. Even that is pretty cool if your work involves sitting down at a computer so you're not generating heat. Can you have a happy medium - warm up the whole house a bit then also get an electric cushion or something to keep you warm while you're working? As others have said, having heating on for longer doesn't multiply the cost by the number of hours, as it can help your house retain heat. If the heating's just on for an hour then you are not warming the fabric of the house and it will cool straight down.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/temperature/employer/index.htm

Talipesmum · 07/12/2023 07:19

It’s normal for it to be off if you aren’t at home during the day! But you’re working there, not even zipping about the house going in and out doing jobs. You wouldn’t be ok with your office at 14 degrees.

Could you get an oil filled radiator for the room you work in, if it’s too pricy to put the central heating on?

ZoeZoeZoey · 07/12/2023 07:19

I have a big house, it would cost a fortune to keep it all warm.

The house is around 12/13 degrees but I warm the living room with a oil filled electric radiator to 16/17, I cope by being active in the day, warm layers and electric blanket at night. I use a fan heater in the bathroom so it's warm when I come out of the shower and another oil filled electric radiator in the bedroom a few hours before bed in the bedroom.

I will put the gas central heating on if it goes below 12. It needs to be on for a whole day to even raise the temp by 1!

No kids though, only me & DH.

Bills are around £250 throughout autumn and winter, £90 in spring/summer.

Kittynoodle · 07/12/2023 07:30

I leave the heating on at 17 when I’m out at work, have 3 cats. Put it up to 20 when I return.
can’t have cold kitties 🐈‍⬛ 😀

meeplesmarples · 07/12/2023 07:45

You do you. I pay the bills, so I have the heating on at a comfortable temperature for me, which is 18.5 most of the time, or 19 if it's really cold outside. No timer, if the heat in the house drops below the set temp, the house gets warmed up again. My house isn't too expensive to heat and since I can afford it, I just don't worry about it. Do whatever is comfortable and affordable for you.

gotomomo · 07/12/2023 07:56

Ours is set similar to yours op but the temperature doesn't drop that much as well insulated, perhaps to 17 by 5pm when it comes on

Purplerain0505 · 07/12/2023 07:57

I think 14 is okay, however our house drops to 9 degrees usually and it’s painful! I end up using a little plug in heater in the office to make it more comfortable.

Prometheus · 07/12/2023 08:00

We both WFH so sitting down all day - yesterday the house was 13.5 degrees. We have the heating on for about 5 hours a day which gets the temperature up to about 16 or 17 and the smart meter tells us that costs around £13 per day in gas. We’re in a big old house which would cost tens of thousands to insulate. We’re thinking of moving purely because the house is so cold.

Gallowayan · 07/12/2023 08:56

Definitely not unreasonable. There's a bit of a race to the bottom going on on mumsnet about this issue with some unfeasably low temperatures being cited for our admiration. It's like the never answer the door, my wedding was cheaper than yours type of one downmanship which is as tiresome as the of the "big job" "six figute salary" boasts.

pinkspeakers · 07/12/2023 09:01

It's normal to have it off in the day if you are not in there! But if you are working at home you definitely need it set higher than 14!!!

We have thermostats for different rooms. My office is set at 19 during the day, whereas the sitting room is set very low during the day and moves up to 19 later so it is warm in the evening. The kitchen/dining area is a bit inbetween. We never have it more than 19 anywhere I don't think.

pinkspeakers · 07/12/2023 09:04

Obviously it will cost your more to keep it warmer during the day, but unless you have really cut other spending down to the minimum, I would have thought that it would be worth while spending a bit more on keeping comfortable even if it means cutting a bit of non-essential spending elsewhere.

Wolvesart · 07/12/2023 09:06

If I’m wfh, I stick it out for a bit. Wear my furry clog slippers and layers. But sometimes I pop the heating on for an hr to warm everything up

TurquoiseSeasAndSilverSand · 07/12/2023 09:11

Ours is set at 20, I doubt it ever reaches it. 3hrs in the morning and around 6hrs from 3pm. If we turn it down, it starts to stink of damp, we already get damp on outside walls. It's a Victorian terrace. Our oil bills are appalling. I hate it. I'm anaemic and struggle badly with the cold, no way could I manage below 20 if I was sitting at a desk. Although I have thought of getting a heated throw.