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BBC advice - @Before you crank up the thermostat, try these tips to keep you and your home warmer for longer" - AIBU to be sceptical about the "tips"?

82 replies

nepkoztarsasag · 25/10/2026 01:03

Just posting this here without comment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqr7yeed1ed7o

Cora Harrison, a woman with short brown hair and glasses in a navy jumper, adjusts the temperature on a thermostat to 18 degrees

How to heat your home without turning on the heating

With storms hitting parts of the UK and the clocks going back, here are some practical ways to cope with falling temperatures.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqr7yeed1ed7o

OP posts:
AutumnCrowning · 25/10/2026 17:59

Newname26 · 25/10/2026 01:38

OMG who actually uses that expression hearty meals?

I was totally put of Slimming World 25 years ago because in my first session she kept pratting on about "hearty stick to ribs meals!" I'm sure it was scripted.

I can’t bear that kind of patronising food talk. Hearty and tasty. Nutritious and delicious. Chuck it together and pop it in the oven. Oh bog off.

MagnoliaParks · 25/10/2026 18:43

PointyNoseDog · 25/10/2026 08:20

It’s more economical and efficient to have your heating on low to keep your house slightly warm all the time than it is to switch it off then crank it up for an hour or so. Have blankets in your living room and put them on your lap when you sit down. The BBC advice to only heat the room you are in is inefficient and will lead to damp in the unheated rooms.

Even if your windows are double glazed they will still benefit from adding a layer of extra insulation from the plastic skrinking stuff. You can add it to each panel, so you can still open them to air out the room. I’m pretty sure Aldi are selling it at the moment. If you put it on carefully it’s barely visible, but it will reduce condensation and the chilly waft from the glass.

Lots of other ideas; if you’ve cooked something in the oven, leave the oven door open a bit to let the heat out once you’re done. Curtain over/just inside the front door, rugs and slippers if your floors are cold, and my personal favourite, a large dog on your lap!

Whilst to most of us it may seem obvious to ‘put a jumper on’ it’s amazing how many people don’t, I know several people (men…..) who complain they are cold, but are pottering around the house in November, barefoot and in shorts & t-shirts.

I’m not sure just heating the room you’re in is a bad idea. We have smart heating zoned by room and have only heated the rooms that are being used for the 7 years we’ve lived here with no damp. We’ve never heated our bedroom, but it has the windows opened every day. It’s a very cost efficient way to heat the house we’ve found.

Dontcallmescarface · 26/10/2026 06:34

Newname26 · 25/10/2026 09:28

How would they know if its just the units you replace?
BTW you shouldn't have to replace they the HA should

I know. But my tennacy agreement forbids me to do it as it has to be done by then....apparently they are due for replacement "within the next 10 years".

LaidOnYourBackWithTheBoyWithTheArabStrap · 26/10/2026 09:02

TooBigForMyBoots · 25/10/2026 01:35

Yeah. Winter is awful in a draughty, single glazed house. Some people need to do what they can with the stuff that they have. Why not give them advice?Confused

Absolutely. I think it’s hard for some people who have never struggled with stuff like this to understand. When my eldest was a toddler we shared a bed in winter to keep warm and I went to bed same time as her because I knew I’d be warmer in bed with her than sitting by myself. I only heated 2 rooms for an hour at a time twice a day tops, had a halogen heater on for when I got toddler out the bath and dressed for bed. Covered under the doors with blankets or whatever I could find to stop drafts coming in. It was a struggle and it’s stayed with me even I’m not a struggling single mum on a tiny income anymore. Winter 2022 was a tough one as well.

LindaJonesJustCantLiveMYLifeNSoul · 26/10/2026 18:48

Dontcallmescarface · 26/10/2026 06:34

I know. But my tennacy agreement forbids me to do it as it has to be done by then....apparently they are due for replacement "within the next 10 years".

Council by any chance?

Wistfultearia · 26/10/2026 18:57

We used to heat our house to no more than 14 or 15 degrees and wear warm clothes etc, until a builder told us it was making the walls damp. Just heating one room may not be a good idea.

leparoo · 26/10/2026 19:07

I put the electric blanket on and go to bed as early as possible. I get fed up sitting downstairs in Winter as I hate having to get up from the sofa to go upstairs. So I get it out of the way just after dinner and luxuriate in my nice warm bed. BTW I never have heat on in the bedroom. I can't stand it, so prefer cool room, warm bed!

Ipad and/or tv, book, radio essential. Nothing nicer. But I live on my own and can indulge myself. I have the heat running until I go up, no need for any more than that of an evening. House is dry lined, attic fully insulated, double glazed, heavy curtains, no draughts. Got all that sorted a couple of years ago and it has made a huge difference to the overall heat retention.

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